Varsity Team Summary

Coach P focused on individual team member physical strength as the greatest factor in making team selections at the beginning of the training season. One of the things that he should have done differently was to devise a method to observe the psychological attributes of the team, to determine which team members were likely to work well together. As a coach he should have attacked the new problems he observed without delay. He could have debriefed the Varsity team after each loss, while taking input from each team member, for example the meeting that was held closer to the national championships should have been earlier in the season, and scheduled periodically. Coach P should have found the most appropriate means to motivate the Varsity team after the first couple of losses. One of the two following methods of motivation could have been used. The first, the Goal-Setting Method, would have told the team exactly what needed to be accomplished in order to improve their
performance.
Goal setting would have been a good way to ensure the Varsity team understood and grasped the full understanding of a project, and/or the job ahead of them. This approach is appropriate since most athletes tend to be goal oriented individuals. This process works well in a competitive environment, where specific targets have to be met. A second and complimentary method could have been the Self-Efficacy Method. Coach P could have allowed the Varsity team to find out their capabilities in their own positions by granting them some independence within training (i.e. running them against time instead of the JV team). This method creates a sense of commitment and dependability amongst team members, and ultimately a sense of confidence. Both of the above methods complement each other and could have been used
simultaneously. With only four days remaining before the championship Coach P should select the JV team as the starting team. The JV team has done a better job of working together as a team, than the Varsity team. The JV team members have learned to trust one another, enabling the team to work more efficiently than the Varsity team. Coach P also has a moral obligation to be fair and equitable; Coach P must compare the two teams’ job inputs and the resulting outcomes. The JV team has proven to be the better team and they should be given the opportunity to compete with the other top teams.
The Army Crew team experienced some of the same challenges as corporate organizational teams. The coach, manager of the team, must make decisions based on team strengths and weakness but a perfect balance is inevitable. In addition, the coach must also find positive ways to motivate the team to perform at their optimal level. Also, as in many business environments there is a constant need for motivation – as with the Army Crew methods of motivation could have brought them to work as a team.
Selecting and coaching teams in a corporate environment is no different than managing a small rowing team. Individuals must share a common goal, as defined by the leadership. In order to accomplish goals, each individual on the team must acknowledge the goals of the organization, and then align it with their personal goals for it to be efficient. In terms of the differences, managers in corporate environments have less of a tolerance for failure. In a corporate environment there are usually benchmarks at which to measure performance. The benchmarks lead to a long term goal that is the gauge for evaluating success versus failure. The long term goals are driven by the company’s governing values and/or mission statement. The Army Crew Team lacked the periodic benchmarks leading up to the championship.
The two lessons we can learn from the Army Crew Team are; 1) In any environment we must recognize and correct biases and 2) We must always consider emotions and moods to be important, and that they do affect work. There is no way of absolute control of emotions, but understanding the role of emotions/moods can help better explain and predict behavior. In both the Army Crew case and in business, individuals who have a responsibility to lead have a duty to learn the emotional norms of those around them. Without this knowledge, the relationships can be very uncomfortable and counterproductive. If Coach P had taken the time to observe the emotional state of the Varsity team more closely, the results would have been different. Coach P erred by ignoring the Varsity team members’ emotions, and assessing their behavior as completely rational. Managers who understand the role of emotions and moods will significantly improve their ability to explain and predict their team members’ behaviors. The emotions created over the season directly impacted each Varsity team member’s attitude, mood and character. After such an ordeal the individual’s work attitude will change, Coach P should have used these emotions to sell his vision for the team – allowing them to understand clearly what is expected. Each time a negative situation arises their mood will change, which directly affects their work character and this in turn can change the whole mechanism of the team space.
“Corporate executives know the emotional content is critical if employees are to buy into their vision of their company’s future and accept change. When higher-ups offer new visions, especially when the visions contain distant and vague goals, it is often difficult for employees to accept those visions and the change they’ll bring. By arousing emotions and linking them to an appealing vision, leaders increase the likelihood that managers and employees alike will accept change” . Coach P did not demonstrate this understanding of emotions and failed to appropriately apply empathy, fairness and a sense of the situation at hand. Motivation is an important and critical component to successful leadership. If Coach P had used the emotions to drive the team, he could have had their emotions churn creativity and improve the cohesiveness of the team. In business, managers have a duty to develop and ensure a workplace with a suitable environment for each individual to express their emotions in a professional manner. Managers can do this by influencing the overall mood of the office; using positive re-enforcements, tokens of appreciation and recognition. Managers should also lead by example, since office moods have a direct correlation to a manager’s mood. Coach P could have used some of these motivational factors to help the Varsity team.
In conclusion, we can take from the Army crew team that people in leadership positions must be aware of individuals’ emotional norms. Understanding and managing this can create a more productive environment, since emotions affect moods and attitudes. This is no easy task since the workplace is usually a very diverse and complicated arena which creates a challenge for every manager.