Week 4: Summary & Reaction of Chapter 5 L@E

Strategy 5: Reinforce the team message constantly: “We are one – we live or die together.”

Hello. Today I am going to give the summary of chapter 5, The Team Message, and then state my brief impression of this chapter as well. In this chapter, the author explains how important the teamwork is and how leaders can establish and increase the sense of the unity in the group. I am summarizing the chapter following each sections.

              In “Establish a Shared Identity”, it is argued that teamwork is crucial to overcome a problem and moreover, the common identity or shared identity of a group is essential in order to create unity as well. Then, how to maintain the sense of unity? According to “Maintain the Bonds of Communication”, keeping communicating with group members is one of the most effective ways to do so. Furthermore, the author suggests that not only a conversation, but also an eye-contact and handshaking, or even electronic communication like email or phone call will be useful communication tool as well.

In a unified team, everyone is supposed to understand what he/she should do for a group goal and is supposed to be responsible for the group success too. The section “Keep Everyone Informed, Involved, and Thinking About Solutions”, tells that the group members should be shared enough information and options openly and more importantly, leaders are required to make their members involved actively. However, this section also suggests that timing and context is really important for successful leadership. In the final section, “Leverage Everyone’s Talents – And Deal with Performance Problems Constructively”, it is discussed how to deal with poor performers while keeping attention to their emotions and the sense of unity. Successful leaders can allow everyone to contribute as possible as they can and even if there is a poor performer, they avoid isolating him/her, rather, they provide him/her another chance instead. They always need to seek the best way to utilize their group members’ talents.

I, then, would like to show my brief reaction. I am truly impressed by the story of rescue from the aircraft accident, which is on page from 74 to 76. Especially, I am amazed what a significant role the nonverbal communication has, since I have an interest in communication. I assume that even small or slight motion could change the world or situation really heavily.