Upon reading the chapter and lesson on team leadership, the immediate thought that came to mind was team building exercises I take part in on a yearly basis with my husband at an executive leadership conference that I attend with him for his company. Every year, on the first day of the conference we participate in a competition called Spirit to Serve in which we are divided into teams with the goal of building something that can be used to assist those in need. Last year we built little red wagons for children in the cancer ward of a local hospital for them to ride around in. This year, in a few weeks, we will be building wheelchairs for wounded veterans. While the team that is constructed for the activity only works together for a very short amount of time, it is definitely a team as opposed to a group. As part of this team we are tasked with completing tasks, both physical and mental, in order to earn the materials that build the different parts of the object, such as the wagon or wheelchair, and then working together to construct it. We are completely interdependent upon each other and have a very clear singular goal and we have to work in coordination and cooperation together in order to be effective and productive (PSU WC, 2016, l.9 p.3).
As part of this team exercise, the conference attendees are all divided into small groups made up of individuals from different companies, most of who have never worked together before. This is the first stage of being part of a group called “forming,” in which we are all introduced to each other and give out basic information about ourselves (PSU WC, 2016, l.9 p.4). In the next stage, each team goes through a “storming” phase in which we decide the best way about going through the process of building the object that is to be constructed. Upon coming to a consensus about the best tactics for our team to utilize, we go through a “norming” phase in which leaders emerge within the group and we begin to work together to achieve our goal. As part of the “performing” stage, the tasks that need to be completed are carried out in order to construct the object, and at the end we go through the “adjourning” stage in which the project is completed and the team disbands (PSU WC, 2016, l.9 p.4).
What is really interesting about this team building exercise is that it forces team members to network with each other to find out what portion of the exercise we would each be most effective at (PSU WC, 2016, l.9 p.6). For instance, last year when we were building the little red wagons we had to complete tasks in order to earn parts for the wagon. As part of this we had to communicate with each other in order to determine what strengths each of us had and decide who would be the best person to complete each task. Through this, the leadership became shared and distributed as those who were better at the physical tasks took leadership at one point but would relinquish it to another team member when the next task was to solve a brainteaser that someone else was more adept at solving. Sharing the leadership helped the team to be more effective and allowed each member of the team to maximize their skill set as leaders based upon their strengths and then relinquish it to someone else when subsequent tasks played to their strengths (Northouse, 2016, p.365). With every member of the team contributing towards achieving results, it allows the team to be successful and perform at a higher level because each person takes a leadership role at some point (PSU WC, 2016, l.9 p.10).
According to Ginnett’s Team Effectiveness Leadership Model (1993; 1996, as cited by PSU WC, 2016, l.9 p.8) the inputs, process, and outputs determine how effective a team will be. In the case of the team project I was involved in, the input is that each team member was highly motivated, intelligent and capable of performing the given tasks. The process was how we went about our tasks, by communicating with each other and coordinating who would do what, providing feedback and praise to each other, and handled any disagreements we encountered over the best way to complete a task to win a wagon part, such as a wheel or handle. The outputs were the successful completion of the tasks, which resulted in a fully assembled little red wagon, or this year a wheelchair, to be donated and a sense of well-being at a job well-done.
At the same time, in order to be able to complete the project within the designated time frame each team was driven to be effective and contribute to having team excellence (Northouse, 2016). One of the biggest proponents of this is that each team had a clear, elevated goal to achieve that everyone involved felt was worthwhile and important (Hackman, 2012, and Larson & LaFasto, 1989, both as cited by Northouse, 2016, p. 368), which is to build something such as a wagon or wheelchair that helps someone in need for the purposes of charity. For this project, being that each member of all the teams is a leader within his or her own company, it could also be said that the team members are each competent individuals and understands what is needed in order to complete the tasks that are given, including good problem solving, teamworking, and interpersonal skills (Northouse, 2016, p.370). Based on the nature of the Spirit to Serve project, there is also a crucial element of team spirit that members engage in. Each is there and participating of their own volition and everyone is actively involved in the project, which helps form a unified commitment (Northouse, 2016, p.370). In the past, most of the teams for this project have also had a collaborative climate in which each team member has supported, trusted, and relied on each other in order to effectively perform in our roles (Northouse, 2016, p.370). Through this exercise, teams are rewarded for successfully completing tasks with parts of the object being constructed so that each team is driven to do well and perform to a standard of excellence in order to complete the project (PSU WC, 2016, l.9 p.7). The reward at the end is that each team has constructed something useful, such as the wheelchair that will be made this year and donated to a wounded veteran that needs it. Because the leadership in this project is essentially shared, we all serve to coach and support each other through the various tasks that need to be completed in order to earn parts. In all, each of these components of team leadership allows the group to be successful and not fail.
Being a part of a small team and working on an exercise such as this helped to show just how important working as a productive leader and member of a team can actually be. Without working together as a unified group that was interdependent upon each team member in order to reach a goal, the teams would have failed and the time, money, and effort put into the project would have been a complete waste. Each component of working as a team is crucial for success, and in this case, sharing leadership allowed us to be more productive and effective.
References
Ginnett, R. C. (1993). Crews as groups: Their formation and their leadership. In E. Wiener, B. Banki, & R. Helmreich (Eds.),Cockpit Resource Management. Orlando, FL: Academic Press.
Ginnett, R. C. (1996). Team effectiveness and leadership model: Identifying leverage points for change. Proceedings of the 1996 National Leadership Institute Conference. College Park, MD: National Leadership Institute.
Hackman, J. R. (2012). From causes to conditions in group research. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 33, 428-444.
Larson, C. E. & LaFasto, F. M. J. (1989). Teamwork: What must go right/what can go wrong. Newbury Park, CA: SAGE.
Northouse, P.G. (2016). Leadership: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (2016). Lesson 9: Team Leadership. PSYCH485: Leadership in Work Settings. Retrieved from https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/sp16/psych485/001/content/09_lesson/03_page.html.