Many organizations consist of teams or groups. Groups are defined as being two or more people that interact and influence each other whereas a team is defined as being interdependent having a single mission or goal (PSU WC, 2019, L.9). Rick DuFour with the Solution Tree specifically outlines three elements that must be present in order to be considered a team, and not a group. He states that a team must work interdependently, have a goal, and be mutually accountable (PSU WC, 2019, L. 9). Something that makes the Marine Corps unique is the critical element that is team leadership.
The Marine Corps has a varying degree of military occupational specialities (MOS’s). The MOS’s or jobs that Marines hold range from ground functions such as infantry rifleman or artilleryman to combat service support such as intelligence analyst or combat engineer, all of which incorporate team aspects. The organization of an infantry is highly reliant upon team leadership. Each infantry battalion is comprised of companies and each company made up of platoons. This is where the team aspect really comes into play. Within the platoons are three squads that have 13 members (1 squad leader and 3 fire teams of 4 Marines each). Northouse (2016) discusses how teamwork differs from traditional leadership in that it relies on lateral decision making rather than vertical decision making (pg. 364) and that is precisely how these fire teams function. Not only are the team members of each fire team interdependent on one another but each fire team is also dependent on one another.
While each fire team has a team leader, there is shared leadership amongst each member and each member must know the other person’s role and be able to fulfil that role should something happen (Northouse, 2016, pg. 365). In order to ensure this happens, fire teams and squads train to together. An example of this is I recently went through the basic school which is required for all Marine Corps officers, as they are expected to fulfill the role of a provisional rifle platoon commander. We focused on squat attacks and squad patrols through a significant part of our training. We would receive classes and then we would go out into the field for days at a time and apply practical application. These days of practices was an important part of developing our “critical capabilities” to ensure we were successful and able to adapt to situations that would arise (Northouse, 2106, pg. 365). It’s imperative for each member to be able to step up and fill a different role, because this is how they are expected to function in combat, and in the event one member is wounded or killed, that role has to be covered by another team member. This is also the case for each fire team that makes up a platoon.
In order to ensure success, Northouse identifies characteristics of team excellence. The first being a clear, and elevating goal (Northouse, 2016, pg. 368). An infantry platoon has a specific mission that they are given. They know exactly what and where the objective is and how they are going to get there. They are given squad specific tasks and broken down even further into fire team specific tasks, based upon what squad/fire team is the main effort, and the others that are the supporting efforts. Having a clearly defined goal and task allows them to maneuver successfully as a team. The second characteristic of team excellence is results-driven structure, or the best method for accomplishing their goal (Northouse, 2016, pg. 369). This goes into each fire team given a direct task from the squad leader and each team member knowing their position and their team members position. The fire teams and squads conduct regular exercises to drive it into muscle memory what everyone’s role is. The team members work together so much so that they are able to effectively communicate through only hand and arm signals, which is necessary to evade the enemy in certain situations. The third characteristic is having competent team members who are able to work together to accomplish the mission (Northouse, 2016, pg. 370). If there is an issue with a fire team member or squad member, in that the individual is considered incapable of successfully performing his task as a rifleman, it leads to greater problems. For rifle companies, the job is often times life or death. We conduct exercises that involve live-fire drills to where you and your fire team conduct bounding maneuvers and you are shooting live rounds while your buddy runs forward towards the targets. This is done in daylight and in a nighttime environment with only night vision goggles. If you have a team member who is a constant safety violator you don’t want them shooting live rounds while you run ahead of them, and you definitely don’t want to be in a combat situation where you and your lives depend on each other. A fourth characteristic identified is having a unified commitment, where you are treated and dealt with as a team rather than individuals (Northouse, 2016, pg. 370). When I was in the field training, my fire team was always together. We ate together, we put our sleeping bags side by side (also to try to not freeze as we trained in the winter outside in all of the elements), and we would even hang out together on the weekends, creating a tight unit. A fifth element is a collaborative climate, or the ability of a team to work together, trust and respect each other and compensate for one and other (Northouse, 2016, pg. 370). I found this to be particularly necessary for a successful team. My fire team was a very tight group. We had a guy get injured on an 8-mile movement to a range. He was able to do some of the live fire drills we did the next day, however, to be safe he was going to sit out the night live-fire drill. While we were out doing drills, he set up our bivouac site so we could get back and not have to worry about it. And on our movement back we took his weapon since he had to carry the SAW to help with some of the weight. At the same time, I saw squads and fire teams who didn’t have that same collaborative climate and struggled throughout the five months of training. Standards of excellence is the sixth characteristic that Northouse discusses. These are clearly defined norms that are set in place to ensure that a team functions at the highest level (Northouse, 106, pg. 371). The Marine Corps has a training and readiness manual (T&R manual) for each MOS that identifies tasks that individuals should be able to complete. For the infantry T&R, there are clearly defined tasks that fire teams, squads, and platoons must be able to complete successfully. They conduct training events to which they are evaluated and if they do not pass, they cannot go out and perform a mission as they are not mission ready. The seventh characteristic, external support and recognition is something I think the Marine Corps is particularly good at. Understanding that training is a key component of a successful team, when in garrison, Marines are sent all over place conducting training exercises, working with partner nations, and sharpening the skills necessary to do the job right (Northouse, 2016, pg. 371). And finally, the final characteristic of team excellence is a principled leader, or the central driver of the team (Northouse, 2016, pg. 371). The fire team leader is usually a higher rank and has made their way to that position as being seen as someone who filled the lower billets successfully and will motivate and guide the team members to be successful. The junior Marines in these teams look to the team leads as someone who they are confident in and trust they won’t lead them in the wrong direction
Teams are an integral part of the Marine Corps, specifically regarding the infantry. Although teams are in many organizations, it is critical to infantry platoons to have members that embody the characteristics of team excellence. For these team members rely on each other to go out and perform dangerous tasks and trusting that your teammate isn’t going to do something to get you or other fatally injured. To be successful teams have to put in the work, prove trustworthiness and have someone who is going to provide clear direction.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership theory and practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (2019). Lesson 9: Team Leadership. PSYCH485: Leadership in Work Settings. Retrieved June 15, 2019, from https://psu.instructure.com/courses/1985970/modules/items/26589540
Rebekah Dubin says
Shawna,
Team leadership is a critical element of many organizations. However, group leadership is just as important in a department’s team. A group can be defined as “two or more persons who are interacting with one another in such a manner that each person influences and is influenced by each other person” (Shaw, 1981). If one or two fail in the group, the whole team will fail. Therefore, one depends on their group members of a particular team which you have touched on in your blog in many valid ways.
I’m a part of a group in an organization where we depend on the other to carry out the responsibilities and tasks for our clients. With five clients to juggle, we divide the work amongst the team and conquer. We make sure we are clear on our goals. If we are not clear on our goals, then a team could fail being they are given a vague task and then asked to work out the details (Hackman, 1990). When training new joiners, I make sure that every task taught is clear so that it is able to be completed without any issues. In return the whole team will be guaranteed success as we get feedback from our client.
Our team definitely requires structure. Without structure, the results would be poor for sure. Our Vice President is always keeping us on track by providing us with a weekly and monthly report of our performance. We would like to stay in green as it means we have met the requirements that we have agreed to our clients when signing the contract.
The ultimate goal of a team is to perform which goes through different stages of development, but with performing comes a lot of forming, storming, and norming which Tuckman (1965) reviewed (PSU WC, 2019, L. 9). While group participation and quality work is important, we have all come about storming which is characterized by group conflict. This is a good conflict since the group will be introducing different ideas that one another may not have even though of without bringing to the others attention. Then we must follow the norms and work together toward the goal. While working together we ensure that we are collaborating because while one may have an issue on the floor another may have encountered that issue before and know already how to resolve that particular problem. Finally, the members of the group will interdependently focus on the performance of their tasks until completion.
There is definitely shared leadership amongst each member and each member must know the other person’s role and be able to fulfil that role should something happen (Northouse, 2016, pg. 365). I am a true believer of recognition. Whenever a team member shows that they have accomplished a task, I send a wow note to them showing that there work is much appreciated commending them for a job well done. And if that member of the team doesn’t fulfill his/her role, the leader may want to monitor the situation or acting to improve team functioning (Northouse, 2016, pg. 384).
To conclude, while it’s important to have a team leader that is goal-oriented, open, analytical, and a good listener who has good diagnostic skills (Northouse, 2016, pg. 383), it is also important for a team member to exert those same qualities so that the group will not fail and be effective in the work place.
References
Northouse, P. G. (2016). Leadership theory and practice (7th ed.). Los Angeles, CA: Sage.
Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (2019). Lesson 9: Team Leadership. PSYCH485: Leadership in Work Settings. Retrieved https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/canvas/su19/2195min-5376/content/09_lesson/printlesson.html