STRENGTH OF TEAMWORK

This picture depicts the best example of Teamwork. We can see that a team of 3 is crossing a valley and they are holding a rod in their shoulder.

         Let’s call them A, B & C respectively from right to left. Now –

      1.       At first, when A is hanging in between the valley,  B & C are providing support to him.

      2.       Then A passes the valley and B is in hanging position. Then A&C provide support to B.            3.  Finally C is in hanging position & A & B provide support to him. In the next step they all cleared the valley.

               

So they cleared the valley working in team which would be impossible to cross individually. 

There lies the Strength of Teamwork. 

The skills that are required to cross the valley are-

• ·         Conceptual skills - Imagining the ‘Unimaginable as Imaginable’. These conceptual skills contribute immensely towards EXCELLENCE.

• ·         Human skills - Influencing, communicating to people .Makes it possible to realize what is   possible. 

• ·         Technical skills - Task planning

Now let’s discuss about some highlights of this valley crossing task. 

·         Leaderless Team- In this task there was no definite leader. It is a classic example of leaderless team which is becoming more popular in these days.

Ex- Occupying Wall Street, Arab Spring was leaderless movements. In corporate world there are also many examples like the venerable UK retailer John Lewis, which, with 35 department stores, 275 Waitrose grocery stores, and more than $13 billion in revenues, is entirely owned by its 76,500 employees for the express purpose of furthering their happiness.

       Mutual Trust – It shows the extent of mutual trust that is required in teamwork. When one is hanging in air he has to trust his teammates. This type of mutual trust comes from working together and understanding between them. Trust is the key factor in “bonding” and is essential for creating internal cohesion.

·         Defined Roles & Responsibilities – It is also very important that all the members are very clear about the roles & responsibilities. As in this case the consequences can be fatal so every member must understand their task that helps avoid misunderstandings

·         Synchronization - In order to manage any system effectively, a manager must be able to synchronize the limited resources available. In practice, many managers apply a simple but mistaken rule. They believe that maximum result the system can produce comes from the sum of the results of individual parts and/or activities.

Now we will now try to compare this situation with another example of tower building by a blindfolded man & discuss different aspects.

Type	Crossing the valley	Tower Building by a blindfolded man
Trust	High.	Low.
Personal Input	The people crossing the valley can provide personal input accordingly. But they should clarify all the doubts before starting.	By no means can the blindfolded man provide any personal input.
Success Mantra	Success depends on a mainly on mutual trust & participative management among all.	Success depends on craftsmanship of blindfolded man & instructions of the teller.

Likewise we can compare “The story of Three Monks”(http://042arnabmukherjeeim20nitiepomcourse.blogspot.in/2013/07/the-story-of-three-monks.html) and “Valley Crossing” on different aspects.

 

ROLE OF MANAGEMENT-

It might seem like this work can be done without management but that is not true. There are different roles that have to done my proper management. These are -

• ·         Visualizing the  impossible to be possible

• ·         Make happen the impossible a possible

• ·         Detailed and meticulous planning of the task and roles

• ·         Allocating the tasks and training the people

• ·         Motivating the people to take up the task and achievement of excellence

Ultimately the main objective of any managerial process is to achieve “EXCELLENCE”.

“Excellence is the Result of Caring more than others think is Wise, Risking more than others think is Safe, Dreaming more than others think is Practical, and Expecting more than others think is Possible.”