Einstein and the art of sailing
Window 1
Common sense
Together Everyone Achieves More. Western culture emphasises individual performance,
whereby you are not dependent upon the (lack of) ability and the (lack of) skills of others.
Conclusions about effective teams:
- An important challenge to perform gives a team energy
- Team performance is best stimulated by a strong performance ethic
- Individualism does not have to stand in the way of forming a team
- Discipline promotes effective functioning of the team
A team is not a chain of values and norms, but a small group of people who concentrate on a
mutual objective and a number of specific results it wants to achieve.
Adrenaline and warmth
There are two matters that are of vital importance for the success of a team:
- Adrenaline: fuel and energy for the necessary performance
- Warmth: a climate in which people do a lot for each other and want to work with
each other
The role of the manager is to generate a maximum amount of adrenaline and warmth, with
the right balance between the two. We can differentiate four types of teams in our minds in
terms of adrenaline and warmth.
- Team awful: no connection, collection of individuals, no adrenaline or warmth
- Lean and mean team: solely about performance, task-oriented, no warmth
- Country club team: feel at home, everyone is appreciated, no adrenaline
- Dream team: well-connected, clear shared objective, both adrenaline and warmth
Lean and mean:
• pay attention to team-oriented behaviour
• genuineness, honesty and autonomous behaviour
• express appreciation
Country club:
• discipline is normal behaviour
• stimulate improving individual knowledge, skills and attitudes
• provide direction to agreed objectives
Window 1
Common sense
Together Everyone Achieves More. Western culture emphasises individual performance,
whereby you are not dependent upon the (lack of) ability and the (lack of) skills of others.
Conclusions about effective teams:
- An important challenge to perform gives a team energy
- Team performance is best stimulated by a strong performance ethic
- Individualism does not have to stand in the way of forming a team
- Discipline promotes effective functioning of the team
A team is not a chain of values and norms, but a small group of people who concentrate on a
mutual objective and a number of specific results it wants to achieve.
Adrenaline and warmth
There are two matters that are of vital importance for the success of a team:
- Adrenaline: fuel and energy for the necessary performance
- Warmth: a climate in which people do a lot for each other and want to work with
each other
The role of the manager is to generate a maximum amount of adrenaline and warmth, with
the right balance between the two. We can differentiate four types of teams in our minds in
terms of adrenaline and warmth.
- Team awful: no connection, collection of individuals, no adrenaline or warmth
- Lean and mean team: solely about performance, task-oriented, no warmth
- Country club team: feel at home, everyone is appreciated, no adrenaline
- Dream team: well-connected, clear shared objective, both adrenaline and warmth
Lean and mean:
• pay attention to team-oriented behaviour
• genuineness, honesty and autonomous behaviour
• express appreciation
Country club:
• discipline is normal behaviour
• stimulate improving individual knowledge, skills and attitudes
• provide direction to agreed objectives
