Building super teams

How does one build super teams, and are the principles involved universal?

In their book Tribal Leadership, management consultants Dave Logan, John King and Halee Fisher-Wright studied how individual consciousness merged in a group experience with a common goal. They analyzed what it took for a collection of individuals to evolve into a seamless unit, and become a force to be reckoned with. The result has been adapted by some of the most well-known professional sports coaches in the world, from NASCAR to the NBA.

In their organizational study, the trio analyzes natural groups, from about 20 to 150 members wherein each one knows all of the others. The individuals studied reached more than 24,000 members of over two dozens corporations. The authors broke down the various stages of team, or “tribe” development into five, and discovered that the bulk of tribes in these organizations were merely adequate, though enhancing them could greatly improve performance, if only attention was paid to them.

In Stage 1, a tribe is mostly made up of characters who are full of despair, open hostility and even violence. These are the individuals who would steal from the company, commit crimes, and just be outright blatant in disregard for authority. In other words, they believe that “life sucks” and that they will get what they want because it is owed them. A prime example of these would be the European soccer hooligans who follow a tram and cause riots and fights wherever the team goes, win or (worse) lose. Though these kinds of individuals are rarely found in a corporate setting, they do occasionally get through the safety nets.

In Stage 2, individuals are less openly hostile, but feel they are victims of their circumstances, and often act as if they are trapped there. They are more passive, but resistant and defiant to change, even if it is at management’s initiative. Their overriding philosophy is “my life sucks”. In the study of Logan, King and Fisher-Wright, this accounted for a full 25 percent of workplace tribes, a startling number. Then again, this may be due to the impact of the welfare system of the US. In sports parlance, these individuals would be characterized as journeyman athletes who never really leave their mark, but always blame the situation, their contracts, coaches or everyone else.

Stage 3 is probably the most familiar in team sports. A staggering 49 percent of working place tribes are in this stage, wherein people strongly believe that “I’m great and you’re not.” These are the individualistic performers, think along the lines of early Michael Jordan or early Kobe Bryant. These tribes are a collection of “lone warriors” who feel that nobody is up to their standards, and that they and they alone can get the job done. Needless to say, it leads to very frustrating results for the organization, if not the individual.

In Stage 4, the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. There is a shift from internal competition to competition with other teams or tribes. Instead of “I’m great and you’re not,” it becomes “We’re great and they’re not.” Tribe members are excited to work together, have mutual respect for one another, and cover each other’s backs. This is where most champion teams are. The only problem with teams in this stage is that they often need a strong rival to perform at their peak. The stronger the foe, the better they are, but sometimes, they play to the level of the competition, sometimes courting failure. Recall Mike Tyson getting knocked out by Buster Douglas in Japan, or any other great sports upset.

Stage 5 is the rarefied air of the corporate and sporting worlds. There are two aspects to this stage. First, the members of the team or tribe are filled with a sense of awe and wonder, that “Life is great.” Everything appears effortless and seamless, as if everyone else is moving in slow motion and they see things before they happen. Phil Jackson believes his 1995 to 1998 Chicago Bulls were this kind of team. Everyone was concerned with each other, and they played selflessly on the basketball court.

The other side of this is Stage 5 teams want to make an impact outside their regular arena. They take on civic projects, give back to the community, and grow their market and fan base. Though not really translatable to sports, this is a component that the Stage 4 teams also try to inculcate.

The authors explain that a powerful tribal leader (or coach) is needed for the tribe to create or discover its culture and find a cause to aspire for. Once they determine their own path, this creates a sense of anticipation, excitement and purpose, and they become more unified in their direction. This is the secret to lasting success.

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This writer will be conducting his first broadcasting workshop through the International Institute for Film and Broadcast Arts (IIFA) from Sept. 25 to 27. The workshop is called “Breaking Down Broadcasting and the Broadcast Language” and will tackle current trends in the entire Philippine broadcasting industry. Register online through www.iifa.ph or call 500-2863 or 0927-6063388. Big discounts will be given early registrants.