Having a talented
individual can produce results only partly. For a complete solution/success, we
need strong teams. That is why Organisations prefer a Team worker to an
individual contributor even if the latter one is much more talented, because it
increases reliability, flexibility and sustainability. There may be cases when
that particular person is unavailable, simulated by hanging man in valley
crossing exercise. Suddenly there may be some huge workload (two person
carrying weight of pole and 3rd person)
or a new work may come where the same person may not be competent enough.
Every manager knows the power of Teamwork. In fact the
very existence of a manager can be attributed to creation of Teams. The following Valley Crossing exercise is
telling the same story.
Understanding of the exercise:
·
Three people who are one side of a valley have to
cross the valley using a rod. The gap between the valleys is more than one step
long but less than two steps. At any time, all the three people have to hold
the rod and using synchronous movements cross the valley.
·
Any person, while on top of the valley (the “risky”
position to be in) will be supported by other two people. All the three members
here have interchanging roles in the completion of task. As can be noticed in
the above image, all the three members have equal distribution of risky,
half-risky and safe situations.
·
The success of this
exercise will depend upon how closely the three people work as part of a team,
coordinate and communicate with each other through sound/signals and follow a
synchronous movement
With all the strategies
& processes in place we went ahead with the execution. But while executing we
found that the Trust factor is missing which is the key ingredient in team
building. Furthermore the Unity of Command a key ingredient for team success was not adhered to.
Apart from the necessity
of teamwork this exercise showcased the need of following lessons too:-
1.Involvement: - Employee
involvement, teams, and employee empowerment enable people to make decisions
about their work. This employee involvement, team building approach, and
employee empowerment increases loyalty and fosters ownership.
2.Neo-classical Tool of
Management:- This simple demonstration actually leads us to some wonderful
concepts of neo-classical management. Unlike classical theory of management,
wherein the roles are delegated in a pyramid-like manner as to ensure unity of
command, neo-classical theory speaks about empowerment of the employees. Here
underlies the concept of matrix structures of organizations, where the groups
are self-managed and everyone is capable of making decisions.
3. Shared vision:- It is important to have a shared vision, which
is clear and informs about where the organization wants to head in the future. Vision needs to
be shared with all the members of the organization so as to enable the members
to work collectively in achieving the organization’s defined goal.
4.Need of Communication: For the successful
completion of the task, it is very important to have proper communication and
feedback mechanism. In fact, the feedback mechanism is instantaneous and hence
of paramount importance.
The truth is that individuals are the smallest units within their teams and that their personal abilities affect various outcomes in their teams. Teams often arise when employees come together to accomplish a common goal. Teamwork within the workplace not only benefits your workers but also significantly affects in your business.
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