Teaming Like The Animal Kingdom

Teaming Like The Animal Kingdom

The Jungle Books Rudyard Kipling said, "For the strength of the pack is the wolf, and the strength of the wolf is the pack."

A workplace may be rich with colourful and talented team members, but it can lack cohesion and be weak, and look nothing like a well-orchestrated wolf pack.

There is beauty in a well-orchestrated team and the animal kingdom gives us some fantastic insights into building effectively structured and cohesive workplace teams.

Strong sustainable teams are often multigenerational, a combination of men and women, rich with cultural and talent diversity, have a mix of introverts and extroverts, leaders and followers and teamers and loners. Yes, even lone wolves have their place in the right pack.

Teams are also made up of all personality types and team members do not have to get on well to collaborate well. The main attribute of a cohesive and productive team is a shared knowledge of the team’s purpose and each team member understanding their individual functions, responsibilities, and contributions towards the achievement of that purpose. It is also important that each of the members recognise that it is the sum of their parts that will enable the achievement of their purpose and that their strength and success is dependent on their unified efforts. As John Dickinson said, “united we stand, divided we fall”.

Here are a few examples of animals working together for the greater good:

• Geese fly in a V formation reducing wind resistance enabling them to travel over long distances reaching their destination ‘on time’.

• Bees are either the queen or a drone or a worker, but they all exist for the survival of the hive.

• Elephants travel in herds relying on the wisdom and guidance of the matriarch to find food and water.

• A pride of lions hunts together relying on their coalition to achieve a tactical outcome.

• Zebras herd together in the face of danger confusing the eye of their predators with their distorted stripes.

In the workplace a team has a leader and ideally one that they follow willingly and choose to seek guidance from. The team relies on their leader to support them and have their best interests at heart. They expect them to have a bird’s eye view of the ‘big picture’ enabling each member to fulfil their obligations. The team members expect their leader to keep them focussed and motivated, support them in their work and be a guiding light through any tactical adjustments that may be needed along the way. Team members expect to respect their leaders including their knowledge, their work and moral ethics, and their people management skills.

Without leadership there is no team, just individuals bouncing around with no collective purpose but if a team has a leader who proves ineffective anarchy can ensue with dire consequences for a business. So, it is important to have well-structured teams with the right leadership. If you need help with your teaming reach out to us