Your draft reads very well, and demonstrates beginnings of creative mastery (B+
to A-potential at this point). Strive towards building on your creative mastery.
You might explore how your concept of how self-managing teams forge group
strength to overcome individual weak links (“As the team discovers the
weaknesses and strengths each individual carries, they can piece together a
team that has strengths in each area.”) lends itself to a potential statement of
paradox, a slogan, and an organizing principle for building creativity in your case.
Avoid passive voice and overuse of verb “to be” and “must.”
Keep up the positive momentum!
Date: December 10, 2009
To: Reinhold Messner
Everest Expeditions
From: Will, Addie, Mike, and Kimberly
RE: Self Managing from Base Camp
You show little doubt that creating a company strictly focused on guiding
inexperienced people to the summit of Mount Everest will be a major
challenge, but a challenge that can be achieved. You have been the most
successful climber in the history of Mount Everest; therefore, clients should be
naturally drawn to Everest Expeditions. As a new company, safety must be the
main focus assured to all clients. Since individuals are naturally different in
their overall willingness to trust, Everest Expeditions should make it a
necessity to build a relationship with each client (Whitener and Stahl, pg.
466). The way you organize the company from the beginning will influence
your key focus, which will either persuade or limit people’s ability to develop
new strategies towards improving climbing (Nadler and Tushman, pg. 641).
Innovation will improve over time, so you must incorporate patience.
Climbing mountains does not happen daily for everyone, so each leader must
eventually be able to become knowledge coaches by sharing some of their
deep smarts with clients through conveying their experience to them
(Leonard and Swap, pg. 94). You should design each expedition around the
predetermined knowledge of the employees. That determines how to better
the experiences of clients for the present and the future.
We have designed a self managing team with excellent expertise on guiding
clients to Mount Everest’s Base Camp. Due to the location of the Mountain, all
clients will meet at Kathmandu, Nepal. The journey will not be easy; therefore,
all climbers should be well acquainted with one another. This will provide a
sense of understanding of the group dynamics and each other’s personalities.
Leadership roles will be assigned and clients must know where they stand
within the group for the next two months. Being a part of Everest Expeditions,
Level Five leadership roles become essential to the group because the most
important interest is not of ourselves, but of those around us, which will assist
in creating a successful journey (Collins, pg. 477). Once we all meet at
Kathmandu, a helicopter will be provided to transport climbers to Lukla,
Nepal before beginning the endeavor to the Base Camp.
As they begin the hike along the path to Base Camp, it will be important to
take notice of the capabilities of each of the hikers, both physically and
mentally. Once the stronger and weaker clients are differentiated, it will help
distinguish who you can rely on towards group dynamics, which provides an
important skill when reaching the summit (Gibson, pg. 324). When we arrive
at Base Camp, it will be important to contact the respective camps and
determine what supplies and demands they may desire for making the hike
less strenuous and more enjoyable for the individuals. Upon contact, it will be
essential to not only listen to the demands of other camps, but to state what
we expect or need in return. Having a clear, organized time line of required
supplies will allow time for all materials to be available at the appropriate
time. To properly treat and care for hikers, communication between the
camps becomes a necessity (Lawler, pg.581). Listening to each participant will
provide an open environment where everyone's interest can be shown. This in
turn will achieve the best possible solution in the steps needed from camp to
camp and eventually the summit (Bourgeois, Eisenhart and Kahwajy, pg. 406).
To effectively self-manage your teams, you must be able to establish
relationships and effective communication within the group. Additionally, you
must be able to have a well thought and processed plan of action for the trip.
The job functions need to be well-defined and everyone is responsible for
monitoring and managing their own performance (Druskat and Wheeler, pg.
340). The team can have additional help outside of the group, such as,
feedback. As the climbers ascend Mount Everest, their breathing becomes
strenuous, resulting in the lack of clear thinking skills. By reporting back to
Base Camp on a continual basis to provide updated conditions, Base Camp can
supply feedback and guidance. Seeking information from broader sources
bring together more information to help the team to make educated decisions
(Druskat and Wheeler, pg. 343). When a team learns to effectively selfmanage, they begin to build a strong, “self-directed” group, which is essential
when climbing Mount Everest. Base Camp will encourage the process of selfmanagement through training and team building. Base Camp will further
provide help to the other camps and the teams during travel through
relationship building, organizational skills, and communication.
The beginning process of building a team consist of screening clients, selecting
individuals that will be compatible with one another, and are capable of the
long journey. These climbers must be able to demonstrate leadership skills,
team work, and effective communication skills. These selected clients will
then continue on to the next level of building relationships within the team
and physical training for the hike. Safety procedures, guidelines, and rules
must be clear and reiterated within the group. The team should be able to
form a self-managed team that will effectively stay together as a group in an
emergency situation. As the team discovers the weaknesses and strengths
each individual carries, they can piece together a team that has strengths in
each area. There is no room for people who lack the ability to make a useful
contribution simply to artificially create diversity in an incident management
team (Roberts, pg. 28).
References:
Collins, J. (2001). “Level 5 Leadership.” Organizational Behavior Reader, pg.
477.
Druskat, V. & Wheeler, J. (2004). “How To Lead a Self-Managing Team.”
Organizational Behavior Reader, p. 340, 343.
Eisenhart, K., & Kahwajy, J., Bourgeois, L., (1997). “How Management Teams
Can Have a Good Fight.” Organizational Behavior Reader, pg. 406.
Gibson, C. (2005). “Virtuality and Collaboration in Teams.” Organizational
Behavior Reader, pg. 324.
Lawler, E. (2003). “Why Treating People Right Pays Off.” Organizational
Behavior Reader, pg.581.
Leonard, D. & Swap, W. (2004). “Deep Smarts.” Organizational Behavior
Reader, pg. 94.
Nadler, D. & Tushman, M. (1999). “The Organization of the Future: Strategic
Imperatives and Core Competencies for the 21st Century.” Organizational
Behavior Reader, pg. 641.
Roberts, P. (2007, October 23). Crisis management requires pragmatism.
Computer Weekly, p. 28. Retrieved from Business Source Complete database.
Whitener, E. & Stahl, G. (2004). “Building Trust Within Global Organizations:
The Theory.” Organizational Behavior Reader, p. 466.