Management Perspectives

Neil Armstrong was the first ever human to step on Moon. But it was not him alone who made this remarkable mission, known as Apollo 11, which put man on Moon, possible. There were scientists, engineers, technicians, logisticians, managers, support staff, and numerous others working as a team towards this goal. According to NASA, about 400,000 people toiled for years to help make Neil walk along with Edwin ‘Buzz’ Aldrin on the surface of Moon. Had there not been a team or a common goal, this prodigious expedition would not have happened. Even after over five decades, the Apollo 11 mission is marked as one of the best team efforts humans have ever put in.

Be it small mom-and-pop stores or large conglomerates, workforces come together as team with a common goal. In a small shop, the employees’ could be good sales. In big organisations, the aim could be the larger vision of the company. In both instances, the word ‘team’ is common. As Henry Ford, founder of Ford Motors, put it, “Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success,” building and managing a team requires a good mix of knowledge, skills, and thoughtfulness. While a plenty of pedagogies are practised for team work in organisations across the globe, here are some ideas from nature and an ancient Indian epic that tell about building and retaining team spirit.

Building trust

Broken trust led to the fall of the biggest empire in Hastinapur, as narrated in the great Indian epic Mahabharata. Pandavas had trust in Dhritarashtra (brother of their father Pandu) who was the king of Hastinapur. After their father’s demise, Pandavas lived with Dhritarashtra and believed that he will protect their rights. But, Dhritarashtra always assayed to deceive Pandavas by snatching their right to rule and giving it to his own son Duryodhana. This shattered Pandavas’ trust in him (their then leader) and the Kauravas (the other team members). The situation caused a great war between two groups in the same family. Had Dhritarashtra respected the trust of Pandavas and maintained team spirit, there would not have been a split up and both the Pandavas and the Kauravas would have remained in the same team.

Building confidence among the members of the team is key in holding up a good team spirit. Trust, a conviction which is built over a period of time, creates stronger connection between the employees. Acknowledging people emotions, being honest and supportive, being transparent, building accountability, soliciting feedback, and appreciating generously are some of the best ways to build and maintain trust in a team.

Sharing of responsibility

Every winter, the bar-headed goose flies in big flocks from its breeding places such as China, Tibet, and Mongolia to most parts of India, crossing several thousands of kilometers to spend the winter. When migrating over such a long distance, the birds follow a characteristic, v-shaped pattern of flying which reportedly improves their efficiency. Some birds fly in the front, leading the team, some birds fly on either sides of the formation, following the chief, but every bird in the group has a role to play. This is an ideal example of how all the members in a team should own their responsibility to achieve a common goal. If being responsible is a good team synergy, being considerate is a great virtue. These birds take turns to lead, as the birds that fly at the front are most prone to fatigue. So, the key objective is to keep moving while taking care of each other.

Steering the team

A few years ago, over 40 individuals of shot-finned pilot whales, a large sea animal that belongs to dolphin family, got stranded on the beach near Tuticorin in Tamil Nadu and died. As the name suggests, these whales move in groups guided by a leader whale, known as pilot. One of the reasons for the tragic death of this group of whales, according to environmentalists, was that the pilot might have been misguided by water current and the bewildered leader whale swam towards the shore. Others in the group simply followed the pilot and got beached too.

Team leaders should be cautious when steering a team—as the wrong move can have an adverse impact on the entire team.

Encouraging participation

Lord Krishna is known for performing miracles. With his infinite set of supernatural powers he could have wiped out the Kauravas in the blink of an eye. But he chose to remain as a guide and mentor, throughout. His philosophy was that if he himself fought the Kauravas and defeated them, the Pandavas would never learn anything and would never realise their true potential. So, he prepared the Pandavas for the fight. During the Kurukshetra war, Lord Krishna showed great superintendence by leading the Pandavas to victory. This episode teaches us that a leader should enable his team members to explore and utilise their talents, instead of micromanaging.