...and other stupid ideas about teamwork.

We talk a lot about teamwork in Civil Air Patrol. Flight Commanders at encampment give speeches about it. Cadets chant and sing jodies about it. But I have found that very few Civil Air Patrol members understand even the fundamentals of how teams form, how to effectively contribute to a team, or what things can degrade a team's ability to perform. This article is meant to take you from the "chanting and cheerleading" form of teamwork you learned in your basic cadet training and help you understand the concepts of teamwork. Let's look at this step by step:

Why are teams a big deal?

How does a team form?

In the forming stage, people are trying to meet each other and get a sense of who the natural leaders, friends, and foes in the group are. During this stage, people tend to be on their best behavior, but they aren't necessarily getting anything done.

In the storming stage, people are starting to show their true colors and some members of the group will tend to compete for leadership (or as I like to put it: alpha dog position). During this phase people tend to argue and get mad at each other, and are rarely getting anything done.

In the norming stage, people are settling into their roles in the team. The leader leads, the followers specialize into the roles they are good at, and the team comes up with informal (and often unspoken) rules and customs for how they do things. At this point, things start getting done.

In the performing stage, people are established in their roles and they are finally performing the task.

In the adjourning stage, the task is complete, and the team members get ready to separate and realize the bonds they have formed with each other. You see this at the end of encampments and school years where people exchange phone numbers and email addresses and promise to be BFFs (best friends 4ever!).

How do you contribute to the team?

Decision making- Taking part in the process to bring in information, interpret it, make a decision, and ultimately act on it, is critical to teamwork. Many people are afraid of making a decision under pressure because they are afraid to be wrong. Sometimes it is better to act on the wrong decision than just stand there waiting for someone else to make a decision for you.

Assertiveness- The willingness and readiness to actively participate, state and maintain a position, until convinced by the facts that other options are better. You need to speak up when you are holding a critical piece of the puzzle. Many people on a team tend to sit back and become passengers while the rest of the team is working on a solution, not realizing or not speaking up when they have a solution.

Mission Analysis- Participating in developing the plan, the timeline, and the roles each member will take in the execution of the plan. The team members also need to actually follow the plan when it comes time to execute.

Communication- Every member of the team must effectively and efficiently convey information within the group and with the outside world.

Leadership- Stepping up and taking charge, and being an assertive follower to the person in charge. In the Code of Conduct for Members of the Armed Forces of the United States, we are told: “IF I AM SENIOR, I WILL TAKE COMMAND, IF NOT I WILL OBEY THE LAWFUL ORDERS OF THOSE APPOINTED OVER ME AND BACK THEM UP IN EVERY WAY.” Each member of the team needs to understand that they have a duty to take charge and to support the guy in charge. You can be a leader on the team without being the leader.

Adaptability/ Flexibility- No plan ever survives its first contact with reality, and every member of the group needs to be able to handle change and re-plan on the fly when the situation dictates a shift. You have a responsibility to the team to handle change well.

Situational Awareness- Every member of the team needs a clear understanding of the operational environment, the situation, and what the rest of the team is doing. You have a responsibility to keep your eyes and ears open and to pass critical information to the rest of the team.

So what can degrade a team’s ability to come together and perform?

Factions- The tendency for people to form alliances and subgroups (cliques) with their own agenda separate from the whole team. You can overcome this by reminding people in the faction that they have a duty to the bigger team and to the mission.

Groupthink- The tendency to let the group do your thinking for you and to stop making good independent decisions. You can overcome this by making your own decisions and being assertive in speaking up when you know the group is wrong.

Fog- Fog is the loss of situational awareness that occurs when you are actually executing the plan. You can overcome this through a focus on situational awareness and communication.

Friction- Friction is the chaos that occurs when a plan hits reality. Murphy is always there looking for holes in your plan. You can reduce friction by doing effective and thorough mission planning (for example, playing devil’s advocate with your plan and looking for "what ifs") and through flexibility by adapting the plan when you realize you need to.

The "Halo Effect"- When you have a strong, charismatic, or highly respected leader, people tend to sit back and let him act on bad decisions. You have a responsibility to be an assertive, skeptical follower and back up your leaders by independently verifying them. Any good leader expects his subordinates to speak up when he is wrong. Even the best leaders make mistakes.

Whining- Some people believe they are helping simply by pointing out problems. Never just point out a problem. Always try to state a solution (or at least the beginnings of a solution) with the problem.

The Key Ingredient

For further reading on teams and group psychology, check out these resources: