Case facts: what are we

dealing with?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=QetnuKbo1XI
Video explaining the competition
USMA Army crew teams-Varsity and Junior
Varsity
National Competition starting in 4 days
Speaker explains basic rules-team size,etc.
V were frequently defeated by JV in
practice(Hudson river)

Negligence at Coach Ps
part
Coach Ps dilemma-which team and/or team
members to select for nationals?
Established a higher status for V boat
Considered solely physical performances and
ignored psychological aspects during team
selection
Strived to recruit top talent for V boat with a
blind eye toward team performance
Did not sufficiently facilitate the necessary
team building attributes

Elements of success in rowing:

Succesful racin gand crew required a
unique combo of individual skills and
team coordination:
1.Strength and conditioning
2.Rowing technique
3.Psychological dimensions
4. Program Organisation

Rowing is all about:

Physical mental technical challenges
Timing, feather the oar in sync,
stroking,sliding, swinging oar
One mistake by one rower
and..cascading effect
A crew boat was only as strong as its
weakest rower
Trust and confidence

About V and JV team

Senior and experienced team

Consisted of star players who
were at their individual best
Supposed to be better than JV
Winning streak over JV in pairs
& small groups
No shared Leadership, Team
spirit
Communication barriers
V members critique each
other individually
Skeptical Perception of CEP
training
Neutral slogans: row hard,
never die
Comparitively stronger
(physically)
Missing congruence and

Junior and novice

Performed better as a
team than individuals
Had no Team disruptors
Winning streak over V in
teams
Smooth communication
JV members made global
comments
Team spirit very high
Optimistic about CEP
training
Positive slogans
nothing to loose
Psychologically stronger
Highly congruent and
cohesive
Humble, grounded and
bonded

Problem Statement:
A team is to be sent to sent for the
national championship.. Constraints:
4 days left
V has not been delivering to its
abilities
JV, which historically is the 2nd best
performer has been
recentlyoutperforming the prized V
team in heats

Alternative solutions :
1.Switch Individual Boat Members
Search of an ideal personality
combination for better performance
Assign right members Right positions
NOT a viable choice given the 4 days
timeframe
JVs unwillingness to adjourn from its
team
Risk involved in rebuilding a compatible
team
Ego clashes amongst V and JV members

2.Intervene to improve Vs
performance

Enhancement of Vs performance by
awareness of psychological differences
Rigorous physical training
Having tried before the coach had failed
to reach the V team on a mental level
Not reasonable to accomplish in the
short timeframe
Instil a sense of urgency
Convey that communication is the key

3.Switch V and JVs ranks

Promoting the JV to V
Tuckmans 5-step model of team
development comes into play here
The model will include high
congruence and cohesiveness to
achieve maximum performance

Tuckmans Model
The tuckmans model includes:
Forming (role clarification)
storming (testing policies, assumptions,
leadership)
Norming ( agreement on roles and
expectation)
Performing( Cooperation and problemsolving)
Adjourning ( Completion)

 Varsity is in the storming stage

Yet to create norms/ Perform
JV is in performance stage

Concepts essential for the

team
Viability:
Team members satisfaction and willingness to contribute
Crew relies heavily on teamwork
Eight members require to move synchronously
Discuss team goals:
Establish a sense of trust or leadership:
Recognize the potential for disruptive behavior and conflict.
Composition ( how similar or different members are)
Norms ( expected behaviour from each member)
Cohesiveness ( Level of commitment/ adhesiveness
amongst members)
Congruence (well-aligned team with a purpose)

Recommendations:
Switch the ranks and send JV to Nationals.
Fine-tuning JVs performance
JV team is well ahead of V team. Why?
Trust, Morale, Mutual-respect
Absence of disruptors
Overall positive team psychology
Smooth progression of JV A/c to Tuckman
model
Consistent Swings experienced