The Apollo Syndrome (Apollo)

Case study: The Apollo Syndrome The researcher Meredith Belbin noticed an occurrence in teams that was subsequently termed the Apollo Syndrome.The Apollo Syndrome is a trend whereby teams of extremely talented and clever individuals under-perform against teams of ‘ordinary’ individuals.When this phenomenon was looked at in more detail, it was discovered that Apollo team members often undermined each other’s strategies while trying to achieve their own solutions to a group problem.They were essentially working as individuals in competition rather that as a united team pulling together.Experiments such as this made it clear that the intelligence, talent and understanding of the team were not the only factors in its success. 1 Why do you think that groups of talented individuals perform less well against those who are less talented?2 Why did individual Apollo team members believe their own goal was the right one to pursue?3 Why did Apollo team members undermine each other?4 What would you do to improve teamwork if you were in charge of an Apollo type team? Re-Entry - The mission is succesful Even though people were for a time working against each other the mission was successful. Training activities used in building teams. Paper-basedDisaster - There are two main kinds of paper-based disaster teamwork scenario.Seminar:This is a discussion-based exercise that is designed to outline to all the agencies involved exactly what their roles and responsibilities are and what the procedures would be in dealing with a particular major incident. This can be done as part of a large team or services attending can break down into smaller groups to discuss one particular aspect of the emergency response or focus on the responsibilities of one particular service.Table top:This is similar in nature to a seminar exercise but it generally involves smaller teams. The public services and any other agencies talk through their responses to a specified major incident in the order in which they would occur if the incident were real. They generally conduct these exercises around a conference table, hence the name of the exercise. Table top exercises are effective for testing major incident plans as they highlight any weaknesses in a safe environment where lives are not at risk.Activity-basedPhysical training: Physical training is an excellent way of promoting effective teamwork.Competitive sports such as football, basketball and rugby encourage team members to work together to achieve the goal of winning a match. Team sports can also foster a sense of camaraderie and encourage less physically able members of the team to strive to improve and encourage more physically able members of the team to assist them.Teambuilding:Teambuilding exercises can be any activity that is used to bring a team together and make it work more efficiently. This could include activities such as outward-bound training courses or bringing in consultants who will help the team find better ways of working together.Military / emergency exercises: Live exercises can test a small part of a major incident or military response plan (such as an evacuation) or they can test a full scale response. The exercise is carried out as realistically as possible including fake casualties and a simulated media response. This provides all the service teams involved with an opportunity to get to grips with the problems arising from a major disaster or military incident and attempt to solve them in real time, just as they would need to do in a real incident.Work-relatedAchieving objectives: A major goal of teams in the workplace is to achieve the objectives set by the organisation. These objectives could range from reducing patient waiting times, to reducing the instances of self-harm in prison, to securing a building against terrorist activity.Planning and achieving a project: Projects and initiatives that require planning and implementation are common in the workplace. Teams are largely responsible for developing a strategy to achieve a project and for monitoring its success. They are also accountable if the project is unsuccessful. How to turn a group of strangers into a team. Business school professor Amy Edmondson studies "teaming," where people come together quickly (and often temporarily) to solve new, urgent or unusual problems.Recalling stories of teamwork on the fly, such as the incredible rescue of 33 miners trapped half a mile underground in Chile in 2010, Edmondson shares the elements needed to turn a group of strangers into a quick-thinking team that can nimbly respond to challenges. So what is teaming? (1.25) How does Professor Edmonson describe a sports team? (1.45) How does she compare teaming to a sports team? (2.10) Where is teaming typically found? (2.55) What is the problem with cross-culture teaming? (6.50) What did individuals manage to do during the Chilean miners rescue operation? (8.25) How does Professor Edmonson say that professional culture clash was overcome? (10.00) What do you think is meant by the above statement that Professor Edmonson quotes in her talk? (12.05) For effective "teaming" to take place, which leadership style is required? Authoritarian Democratic Laissez-faire Transformational Transactional