Module 5 ICT at the Team Level

Read the article: The evolving group: towards a prescriptive theory of intentional group development (ProQuest/Hunt Library)Links to an external site. by Kleio Akrivou, Richard Boyatzis, and PoppyMcLeod.

Using the concepts within ICT focused on the team level, reflect on why the Olympic US Women’s Soccer team won so often and the United States’ men’s basketball Dream Team did so poorly in 2000 and 2004?

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Links to an external site.

ICT at the Team Level

    The difference between the successes of the Olympic U.S. Women's Soccer team and the United States' Men's Basketball team in 2000 and 2004 are vast. One of the biggest differentiators is how long the members of the team played with each other and practiced as a cohesive unit. According to Halloran (2017), the coach of the U.S. Women's Soccer team stated that they "built [their] foundation" on the individual level where they "were going to win every head ball," every tackle, etc. The members of the team also had to have enough discipline to self-train/"self-coach" when no one was watching because there were "so few training camps" (i.e., two to three months) (Halloran, 2017). But, most of all, "there was an incredible bond among all of the players" (Halloran, 2017). The members of the U.S. Women's Soccer team were arguably a family that held each other accountable in sport and competition, but also in life, in general. On the contrary, the U.S. Men's Basketball team had the mindset of, "'Let's just pick the 12 best players we can and put them out there. Look we're Team USA; we are going to be able to beat everybody...people see LeBron James, Carmelo and D-Wade on the roster and they're like, 'How could you lose?'" (Helin, 2016). Moreover, this mindset varied from years past where there was a strong desire for players to want to play for the national team (Helin, 2016). For example, "there wasn't a program in which guys had come up through the select team or maybe through the U-16 or the U-18 team...literally a couple of days before training camp we were still adding people" (Helin, 2016). 

    Through reflection and understanding, one can see that the U.S. Women's Soccer team had intangibles that the U.S. Men's Basketball team of 2000 and 2004 did not. Many people believed that the members of the men's basketball team were so talented on an individual level, that they just needed to be put on the same team together and they would be a force to be reckoned with. After all, they were considered the best players in the world. However, in team sports the mantra of 'there is no I in team' is a prominent one for a reason. Team sports require cohesion, good communication, and strong bonds/relationships to succeed no matter how skilled the individuals are; they need to learn to work together. 

    Boyatzis (2006) highlights that great coaches have a strong ability in "group management, also called team building," and that "desired, sustainable change within a family, team, or small group occurs through the cyclical iteration of the group through what can be called the 'group level definition' of the five discoveries...where the ideal self becomes a shared vision of the future of the group." These major discoveries are outlined by Akrivou et al. (2006) which are: 1) emergence of shared ideal, vision, or dream, 2) exploration of norms, paradoxes, challenges, and gaps, 3) the group's learning agenda, 4) group experimentation and practice, 5) resonant relationships. These discoveries illuminate just how important it is to get every person on a team to buy-in to the bigger picture of the group, to have time to work and grow together, to understand each other's nuances, and to form a strong bond. 

    Stein (n.d.) argues that a useful framework for team development is "Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing" as it helps members understand why one's team does things a certain way, and because it is also "an important part of the self-evaluation process." Akrivou et al. (2006) write that "intentional group development involves interaction with intentional change at other levels of human/social organization" which includes the individual, dyad, and organization levels. Therefore, strong teams require each member to develop individually, but also together. Team chemistry is a common term used when talking about successful team's who can almost think of the play or pass that's coming even before their teammate executes it; they just get each other. One could argue that the women's soccer team had great chemistry because they went through group development and discoveries while the men's basketball team did not. Referring to a U.S. Men's Basketball team loss, "The game is still played at its best when five players are working together, and the United States just didn't have enough of those moments, where Argentina it was like five guys on a string" (Helin, 2016).

-Chad R.

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. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621710610678490

Boyatzis, R. E. (2006). An overview of intentional change from a complexity perspective. The Journal of Management Development, 25(7), 607-623. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621710610678445

Halloran, J. (2017, October 3). The rise and rise of the United States women’s National Team. Bleacher Report. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/1614739-the-rise-and-rise-of-the-united-states-womens-national-team 

Helin, K. (2016, August 2). Remembering what went wrong in 2000-2004 olympics for Team USA. NBC Sports. https://www.nbcsports.com/nba/news/remembering-what-went-wrong-in-2000-2004-olympics-for-team-usa 

Stein, J. (n.d.). Using the stages of Team Development. MIT Human Resources. https://hr.mit.edu/learning-topics/teams/articles/stages-development