(Image courtesy of usatodayhss.com)
Synergy is something the remains very special to the success of a team. “Synergy – the idea that together a team can produce better results, better solutions, than any other person can alone” (Gamble & Gamble, 2013). One of the times that I was a part of synergy was when I played baseball at Vernon Regional Junior College. I was a freshman that played infield, the team was filled with many different players with many different skills. We had players that were fast and slow. We also had players that could hit, throw and think like good baseball players. Our roster was very culturally diverse as many players were from South America, Puerto Rico, and different parts of the U.S.
According to Moran, Abramson, & Moran (2014), “On global teams, it implies every member has the potential to contribute” (p. 266). Every player knew their role in helping the team win games. Often times, players would be utilized for a specific skill set that they provided to benefit the organization. Socially, we also knew that we needed to support the uniqueness of our team in order to reach our goal. Although we had players that couldn’t speak English we all tried to make it work by getting to know each and our different culture while also knowing what each culture valued. Gamble & Gamble (2013) explains “Whatever a team’s reason for being, in order for a team to maintain itself and realize its goals, the team’s members need to agree on how to work together-for this to occur, they need to figure out how best to relate to one another” (p. 201).
That year, we set a school record for the most wins in a single season while advancing to regional playoffs. We finished the regular season with a record of 41-18, and that record still stands today. I believe the synergy that we created was the reason for our success which can be attributed to the behaviors of collectivism. According to Hofstede & Bond (1988), “Individualism on the one side versus its opposite (Collectivism) on the other. This describes the degree to which individuals are integrated into groups. On the collectivist side, we find societies in which people from birth onward are integrated into strong, cohesive in-groups; often their extended families (with uncles, aunts, and grandparents) continue protecting them in exchange for unquestioning loyalty (p. 7).
References
Gamble, T. K., & Gamble, M. W. (2013). Leading with communication. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Hofstede, G., & Bond, M. H. (1988, March 1). The confucius connection: From cultural roots to economic growth. Organizational Dynamics, pp. 5-21.
Moran, R., Abramson, N., & Moran, S. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences (Ninth Edition). Oxford: Routledge.
That’s a great example of synergy!
Moran, et. al., (2011) tell us that synergy “comes from the Greek word meaning ‘working together'” (p. 233) and it sounds like your team embodied that simple definition.
Reference
Moran, R. T., Harris, P. R., & Moran, S. V. (2011). Managing Cultural Differences: Leadership Skills and Strategies for Working in a Global World. Burlington, MA: Elsevier.
Congratulations on your record setting! It seems to me that the coaches, players, and supporters alike knew the goals of the groups, knew what part to play, and were motivated to drive to achieve that goal. When trying to create synergy, “leaders seek to cultivate a team environment that facilitates the group’s performance” (Moran, Abramson, & Moran, 2014, p. 270). In order to win games and have such a successful season, obviously a team environment was cultivated and each member learned what was necessary to build your team.
References
Moran, R. T., Abramson, N. R., & Moran, S. V. (2014). Managing Cultural Differences. (9th ed.). New York, NY: Routledge.