When I was a child, I played various team sports. One
lesson shared with each team was ‘there is no I in team.’ I heard my coaches
and parents say this multiple times but it did not sink in until I tried out
for the eighth-grade basketball team. The coach stated that no matter how
talented you think you are, you will not shine on this team. He stated that his
team would work as a group, not a supporting cast. It was not until that moment
that I understood the words I heard countless times in my life. Teams are
stronger when they work together to accomplish a goal or win a game. This post
will look at two teams that tell a different story. In 2015, the United States
Women’s Soccer team became the first team to win three world cup championships
(US Soccer, 2015). The United States Men’s Basketball team (known as the Dream
team) struggled in the Olympics in both 2000 and 2004. The 2004 team lost to
Puerto Rico in the opening game in one of the biggest upsets in Olympic
basketball history (CNN, 2004).
Both teams were made up of the country’s best athletes
in the sport, so why do the outcomes differ? According to Greggory (2017), two
elements of a successful team are (a) creating a team chemistry that allows for
success, and (b) sharing the accountability. This line of thinking goes back to
the age-old statement about there being no I in team. Each member of the team
must feel like they belong. They each must believe in both themselves and the
team. Finally, they must try not to outshine the rest of the group. One thing
about star basketball players is that they have a huge belief in themselves.
There is a chance that they all think they are the best and want to prove it.
There are times when it is difficult to let go of our egos and in a team game,
one’s ego can be the key to defeat. The women, on the other hand, were able to
create a team chemistry that was utilized to be successful. To be successful,
teams must create team chemistry but also initiate an intentional change.
Akrivou, Boyatzis, & McLeod (2006) stated that one
of the key principles of group development through ICT is the emergence of
shared ideas or a dream. What as a team do we want to accomplish together?
There is not a doubt in my mind that both groups of athletes wanted to create a
winning dynamic and celebrate a tournament championship. The men envisioned
themselves wearing a gold medal and the women saw themselves winning the World
Cup. However, there is most likely one difference in these two visions. I
believe the men saw themselves shining and winning the gold where the women saw
themselves sharing the win along with the accountability. One thing I have
realized in watching sports throughout my life is how quickly finger pointing
can destroy a team dynamic.
Another key principle in successful group development,
according to Akrivou et al. (2006), is the exchange of feedback and opinions
among group members. I see both of these teams as high-performance teams.
According to Folkman (2016), team leaders must communicate the vision and direction
in order for a high-performance team to remain successful. Women tend to be
much better when it comes to feedback and communication than men. The women
more than likely shared feedback during practice and team meetings whereas they
NBA players relied on their talent to drive their success. Talent is a major
part of success in an individual sport, but in a team sport, communication and
feedback play a major role in the success of the team.
According to Akrivou et al. (2006), positive emotions
create intrinsic motivation and group development. Let us revisit the team
missions we discussed earlier in the blog. Both teams more than likely had
positive emotions toward the outcome of the team. If you are not positive that
the team will perform well then you have already lost the game. However, in
order for a team to reach the pinnacle of success, they must have positive
emotions as a team. Once again this concept is centered on the definition of a
team. Each member of the team must believe that they will perform well together
not individually. I would argue that only thinking about oneself as a member of
a team will create negative emotions. According to Akrivou et al (2006),
“Strong negative emotion at the group level is seen as hindering the group
task, or the formation of a shared identity” (p. 696). The women’s team was
devoted to the team where the men were still wrapped up in their ego and
individual performances.
Another difference in the teams may lie in how the
teams were developed. According to Mark Cuban (2004), the 2004 Olympic team
consisted of various all-stars and resembled nothing close to a unified or
cohesive team. Cuban (2004) went on to say that basketball is a team sport and
that in any team sport unity and cohesion are keys to a successful outcome. On
the other hand, the US Women’s team usually does not consist of pure all-stars
but, instead, a cohesive team that plays well together. According to Foer
(2011), the 2011 US Women’s team did not have the star power of the 1999 team
but played with grit, heart, and cohesion.
Akrivou (2006) stated that teams must be successful in
practice. The women’s team makes a point to be together for long periods of
time to work on teamwork and practice. On the other hand, according to Cuban
(2004), the 2004 team was quickly placed together and did not have the time to
practice.
One of the best lessons I’ve learned about teamwork was
shared by the assistant baseball coach at Daytona State College. I attended a
leadership meeting one day and the coach told a story about two teams he was a
part of a college athlete. The first team consisted of various high school
superstars. This team was ranked in the top 10 in the preseason and the season
came to a disappointing end when they lost the first two games of the college
baseball tournament. The other team he played for was not made up of
superstars. This team had a different fate. They meshed as a team and their
season ended one game shy of the college world series.
In her 2015 TED Talk, Margaret Heffernan described an
experiment that took place to determine the productivity in chickens through
six generations. The experiment included two groups. One group consisted of
average chickens and the other was a group of super productive chickens. The
result was that the average chickens were productive six generations later
where the ‘superchickens’ were now down to three chickens as they had pecked
each other to death (Heffernan, 2015). I believe that the Women’s team
resembled the average chickens who worked well together whereas the dream team
represented the ‘superchickens’ that had held each other down and created an
unsuccessful team.
Personally, I believe that teams are more successful
when one person is not a superstar or ‘superchicken’ as Heffernan (2015)
stated. When I am placed in a group at work, my supervisors attempt to put a
team together that will communicate, listen, and work together as a high-performance
team. I have seen instances where department stars were placed together that
ended badly due to ego and disconnected thoughts and attitudes. I’ve learned
that teamwork is always the best answer to completing a mission as a group.
References
Akrivou, K., Boyatzis,
R. E., & McLeod, P. L. (2006). The evolving group: Towards a prescriptive
theory of intentional group development. The Journal of Management
Development, 25(7), 689-706.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.libproxy.db.erau.edu/10.1108/02621710610678490
CNN.com (2004). Dream
team beaten by Puerto Rico. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2004/SPORT/08/15/olympics.basketball/
Cuban, M. (2004). What’s wrong with team USA
basketball? Retrieved from http://blogmaverick.com/2004/08/15/whats-wrong-with-team-usa-basketball/
Foer, F. (2011). What
makes the US Women’s soccer team truly exceptional. Retrieved from https://newrepublic.com/article/92064/world-cup-soccer-mia-hamm-abby-wambach
Folkman, J. (2016). 5
ways to build a high-performance team. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/joefolkman/2016/04/13/are-you-on-the-team-from-hell-5-ways-to-create-a-high-performance-team/#461813137ee2
Gregory, G. (2017). Why
all-star teams fail: Strategies to get everyone to play together. Retrieved
from
http://www.reliableplant.com/Read/11603/why-all-star-teams-fail-strategies-to-get-everyone-to-play-toger
Heffernan, M. (2015). Forget the pecking order at work [TED Women]. Retrieved
from https://www.ted.com/talks/margaret_heffernan_why_it_s_time_to_forget_the_pecking_order_at_work
US Soccer. (2015).
World Champions: USA wins 2015 Women’s FIFA World Cup. Retrieved from https://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2015/07/05/21/19/150705-wnt-v-jpn-game-story
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