Team level ICT

 

Team level ICT

Learning more about Intentional Change Theory (ICT) draws my attention closer to the individual level of the change. We understand the path involves specific steps within the individual mental process, however, there is much to be learned about applying ICT to a team concept. “At the group level, the ideal self could be described as a shared ideal, or vision, which would be derived through:

·       emergent awareness of a shared hope;

·       collective imagery regarding the ideal purpose and functioning of the group; and

·       realization and articulation of a core identity of the group.” (Akrivou, 2016, p. 699).

Applying this concept to historical events might make it easier to understand. Take for instance the United States Women’s Olympic Soccer teams from the last 30 years and their shear dominance of the sport. These teams operated at such a high level for so long, it had to take something more than individual personalities to be this successful. The teams we saw capture gold medal after gold medal seemingly had one goal, and one goal only – to win. Midfielder Heather O'Reilly said, "I think our team feels like we still have some unfinished business. I think that although a silver medal at the World Cup isn't something to be completely devastated about, I think that we were disappointed that we didn't come home with gold," she said. (Brewer, 2012). This drive and determination as a member of the team helped create the intentional change they needed to overcome the toughest competition in the world.

Switching sports, and genders, we arrive at the United States Men’s Olympic Basketball team from 2004. Each year, as they’ve been known as “The Dream Team”, the US men’s teams had consistently performed well by winning the gold medal. However, the team in 2004 lost their way and suffered more losses than any other US men’s team since the 1988 Olympics. While you can place blame on the process for selecting the team, the individuals, and coach, you can also look to see how an unbalanced mix of very young talent with few veterans as the reason there was no cohesiveness in their eventual shortcomings in route to the bronze medal.

The ICT differences

Soccer and basketball are two very different team sports. Soccer requires more team unity than basketball, in my opinion, whereas basketball leans on individual stars much more. With soccer, there are eleven players on the field for each team, and basketball only has five. Errors or mistakes made in one sport have a different outcome in another. There’s also the potential for younger players to miss the mark when it comes to team comradery. I have seen older, and wiser players realize that to win, you must sacrifice. That sacrifice can come in many forms, but it generally means to allow other players to shine, and not try and do things all by yourself. The differences between the women’s and men’s teams take many of these elements into account. The men’s team had no joint identify to speak of, where the women’s team was clearly a closer unit of teammates. The women’s teams had been playing together for a longer period of time, where the men’s team roster had significant turnover from the previous Olympics. This lack of connection and purpose were some of the driving factors as to why the men’s team failed to show up in 2004.

I believe we can all learn from this example by understanding as individuals we have different needs, but as a team, we must huddle around each other, and understand our roles to the betterment of the team. Only after we understand the shared vision can we truly operate as a team.

References

Akrivou, K., Boyatzis, R. E., & McLeod, P. L. (2006). The evolving group: Towards a prescriptive theory of intentional group development. The Journal of Management Development, 25(7), 689-706. https://doi.org/10.1108/02621710610678490

Brewer, P. (2012). US women's soccer team ready for Olympic gold. Washington: Federal Information & News Dispatch, LLC.