Talent vs Teamwork:  A Leadership Case Study

Case studies are a very effective learning tool widely used in business schools to engage students in vibrant discussions that explore complex organizational issues.  An example of a popular case study published by the Harvard Business Review is “The Army Crew Team”.

In this case study, the coach of a collegiate rowing team put together all his top-tier talent in one boat (Varsity team) and his second-tier rowers in another boat (Junior Varsity or JV team).  One would assume that of course, the Varsity team would consistently outperform the JV team.  However, the opposite was true – the Varsity team consistently underperformed, and the JV team excelled.  The coach faced the challenge of improving the team consisting of his best performers.

He started by diagnosing the issue, and looked into team dynamics, communication, and collaboration.  The key finding was that the Varsity team’s egos hindered teamwork.  This allowed him to reframe his coaching approach for the Varsity team – instead of focusing on the individual performance of the star athletes, the coach emphasized team identity and results, and encouraged humility and collaboration.  He organized team activities that helped foster trust and unity.   He also reconstructed the way they trained and required the rowers to participate in joint – not just individual – workouts.  They also started creating shared – not just individual – goals.  This allowed the team to better synchronize their strokes and improve their team performance.  Over time, the rowers adopted a new mindset around rowing as a cohesive unit and set aside individual results and recognition for team success.

The team turned things around and beat their own time by 11 seconds – which was a remarkable improvement.

There are a few takeaways from this story, and one is that for teams to perform at the highest level, leaders need to prioritize team dynamics over individual brilliance.  Bringing in good talent is important – however, that is only one piece of the leadership puzzle.  We also have to create an environment that fosters collaboration, trust, and shared purpose, and build a team that has clear guiding principles while being adaptable to new challenges.

My other takeaway from this case study is the coach’s approach to finding solutions – he used a process for diagnosing and addressing the issues which involved the team from start to finish.  This allowed them to learn along the way, hold each other accountable, and get the result they desired.

Kwela’s Team Optimization solution engages teams in a process of exploration, diagnosis, dialogue, and commitment.

Laura Villacrusis, Partner
laurav@kwelaleadership.com