Founder of Linda Martin Results: team training and cultural workplace transformation that drive extraordinary results.
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We live in interesting times.
Within management circles, the 21st century has been coined the VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex and ambiguous) world. The global pandemic; the Great Resignation; uncertain supply chains; unstable environmental, social and financial issues; and persistent cybersecurity threats are only a few hallmarks of the VUCA world.
Change requires change. Now, more than ever, businesses realize that to thrive in the modern world, they must think and operate differently. Yet exactly how do they mobilize the power necessary to acclimatize to the vast amounts of change, solve the great problems of our interconnected world, stay agile and innovate for a brighter tomorrow?
Believe it or not, the creation of harmonized teams may offer exactly what a VUCA world requires.
First, let me define what a harmonized team is. A harmonized team is
• two or more people
• moving lockstep toward a shared goal,
• through cooperative behavior and
• collective intelligence.
Now, this is not an entirely new idea. Yet it's an idea that's time has come of age.
As an example, think of the elite American military team commonly known as the Navy SEALs, heralded as one of the most powerful teams in the world. Their identification with the VUCA world stems back to their early formation in the ’40s dealing with unpredictable conditions, constraints and threats.
Cognitively and behaviorally, the SEAL operative is harmonized around
• a shared goal
• cooperative behavior, acting as a single operational unit (versus a group of individuals)
• the creation and direction of collective intelligence toward the achievement of its goal
Let’s explain how the concept of harmonized teams allows the SEALs to collectively deal with unyielding change.
First, every SEAL is united through a clear mental picture of the shared goal (in this case: the preservation of democracy). The goal was set by the U.S. Department of Defense. It is easily understood, emotive and purpose-led. In the SEAL selection and training process, they are tested mentally and physically to determine their level of desire for the outcome of the goal, the accomplishment of the mission. It is this emotive energy (called desire) that fuels the SEAL to achieve the mission. This desire fuels a sense of pride, an intense need to contribute to the mission and to win. Each team member is therefore aligned with a single purpose.
Ultimately, they dedicate their lives to the mission. As many business leaders believe, desire is the one thing that can’t be taught. It can be unleashed, but the core need and belief in the mission must be innate in the individual.
Second, cooperative behavior is a key requirement for the harmonization of any team. It allows the team to act as a single unit, providing power. Without a cooperative spirit, members can go their own way, reducing the power (and safety) of the whole. At its core, cooperative actions require a unique belief system in which each member must believe two things: First, individually that he or she is better off as part of a collective. Second, collectively, that this is only possible together, not alone. So, it is a combination of me and we that must be ever-present, versus me first and maybe we. Without this, you will have lone wolves and renegades who put the team at risk, take unnecessary time to manage and negatively impact the psyche of the team.
This belief is observed and tested over time by the individual — meaning if they do their part, the collective must give them what they want or they will leave.
This belief sets the stage and reinforces the third principle of harmonized teams: collective and critical thinking, known as collective intelligence. Without collective intelligence, we remain addicted to our own, repetitive thought patterns or ideas. A VUCA world requires a team to muddle through differing viewpoints and expertise to find the optimal solution to complex situations. Critical thinking on a team is difficult as we humans like to be right. Yet when we innately believe that we are better off as part of a collective mission, we listen for ways to become our best through others. We seek understanding through debate and only then are capable of acting collectively.
Ultimately, the formation of harmonized teams maximizes power (i.e., the ability to make things happen) by being highly aligned both cognitively and behaviorally. A harmonized team is powerful and smooth because people row in the same direction. This makes them efficient and effective: There is no energy waste going in different directions, and their unified mind/body generates the perpetual energy to complete the mission.
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