Teamwork&LeadershipCANYONING

Describethetask
Indetail,whatwastheaimofthetask?Howmanyteams?Whatwastheteam
dynamic?Timings?Rules&restrictions?
ThemainactivityofthisyearsLeadershipDragonflytriptoSaiKungwas5hoursof
canyoning,whichwedidunderextremeweatherconditions(therewasathunderstormsowe
spenthalfofthehikeuptheriversoakingwet).Dragonflyinstructorsassistedusupand
gaveeveryoneanopportunitytotakeontheroleasaleaderbynottryingtohelpallofus.
Theaimofthistaskwastoreachtheendofthecanyoningcourseandlearnthevaluesof/
experiencingbeingaleaderbycompletingit.Welaterlearnedthatourdragonflyinstructors
hadplannedtotakeusbackdownaroundhalfwaybecauseoftherainbutourpersistence
andwillingnesstocontinueallowedustocompletethistaskfullytotheend.
Thosewhocametoclimbuptheriverwithuscountedasateammemberinone
teambutasociogramofthesubteams/groupsthatformedunintentionallywithinwouldalso
indicatethattherewereactuallyseveralgroups.
Everyonehelpedeachotheratonepointthroughoutthisactivitywheneversomeone
wasfeelingdiscouragedorphysicallyhurt,creatingaverysmoothteamdynamic.Forthe
firsttohours,wefoundtheactivityreallydifficultatfirstandthetimeseemedtostretchout
becausewewereunusedtocanyoning.However,oncewefoundouthowtopaceourselves
withourtimingandhowtohelpspecificpeopleclimbwiththesamepaceasus,wereally
startedtoenjoyitandbytheendofthehike,myclassmatesandItalkedabouthowthetime
hadflown.
TherewasabasicruleforalloftheactivitiesthatwedidinthisDragonflytrip:
respect.Thisincludedrespectingyourself,respectingothers(myclassmates,Dragonfly
instructors&teachers)andrespectingnature.

Whatwasyourroleintheteam?
Whatdidyoudo?Howdidyoucontribute?Leaderorteamworker?

Duringthisactivity,Itookontherolesofbothagoodleaderandateamworkerofour
teamby
joiningandleavingeachoftheunconsciouslyformedsubteams.AtthestartwhenI
wastravellingwithmyfriendsinthemiddleoftheline,IfeltthatIwasnottakingontherole
ofaleadersoIgraduallyseparatedmyselffromthemandmovedtowardsthefront.
However,Ifoundthatthegroupatthefrontdidnotnecessarilyhavemorepeopletakingon
theroleofleaders,sincetheywereveryfocusedongettingthemselvesupthecanyon.
Therefore,incontrasttothetwogroupsthatremainedineitherthefrontorback,Ifoundthat
itwastheindividualsthatwouldcontinuouslytravelbetweenthetwowhowereeffective
leaders,sotowardstheendofthisactivity,Istrivedtobecomeoneoftheindividualsthat
continuouslymovedbackandforth,workingupthecourage,adaptabilityandcompassionto
gobackdowntohelpforpeoplewhowereslackingaswellaspushingmyselfto
communicateandmotivateinordertofitinwithallthesubteams.Ialsocontributed
helping
others.Forinstance,whenpeople(thispersonwouldalwayschangebecauseIwouldgoup

anddowninthelinematchingthepacesofdifferentpeople)climbingnexttomeorfrontof
mefell,Iwouldhelpthemregaintheirbalanceandcheckiftheywerealright.Incontrast,ifI
slipped,Iwouldpretendthatthefallwasntsobadandwarnthepersonbehindmeofthe
slipperyrock,thornybranch,etc.

Howdidyouperformasanindividual?
FortheM&Dcriteriamakecomparisonswithotherindividualperformancesinyour
teamandrelatetotheory.

Iperformedwiththestyleofapeopleorientatedleadership,beinglargelyconcerned
withtheprogression,harmonyandrelationshipsofmyteammembersbyaddressing
individualconcernsandconflictinordertogaintheirrespectandtrust.AsIwilllaterdiscuss,
Ihelpedsolveconflictsofdifferentindividualsthroughdirectcommunication.
Therewereparticularpeoplethateveryoneagreedwerestandoutperformersas
leaderduringcanyoning.Thesepeoplewholeadwiththetransformationalleadershipstyles
wouldmakeittheirprioritiestohelpothersbeforethemselvesandtalktoeveryoneonthe
tripinordertomotivatethem.Onenotableleader,whotookonaleadershipstylethatwas
differentfrommine,was
someonewhoslippedandfellveryhardonherbackintothewater
butdidn'tmakeafussandcarriedon.I
ncontrasttomyleadershipstyle,t
histeammember
leadwithatransformationalleadershipstyleby
showingthecourageofaleaderand
inspiringtherestofustocontinueuntiltheendofthecanyoningcourse.
Idefinitelyfeelthatbyfacingthechallengeswewerefacedwithw
hilstparticipatingin
theteamworkactivities
,eachofourteammembershadperformedtheroleofaleaderat
leastonceinwiththeirownleadershipstyle,
somewhicharelessvisiblynoticeablethan
others,butarejustaseffectiveunderhighpressuresituations.
Bytheendoftheactivity,we
camebacktothecampsitewithavaluableunderstandingofwhatbeingaleaderisabout
andofeachofourcapabilitiesofbeingleaders.

Howdidyouperformasateam?
FortheM&Dcriteriamakecomparisonswithotherteamperformancesandrelateto
theory.

Althoughitwasestablishedthateveryonewhocametoclimbuptheriverwithus
countedasateammemberofoneteam,a
sociogram
ofthesubteams/groupsthatformed
unintentionallywithinwouldrevealthattherewereactuallyseveralgroups.Thesesociallinks
includedthegroupoffriendsthatwouldprefertoassociatethemselveswitheachother,the
confidentteammembersthatrushedaheadandthelessexperiencedpeoplewhopreferred
togethelpfromtheback.Thepeoplewhocreatedtheinterrelationshipsbetweenthegroups
weretheindividualswhowouldconstantlytravelbackandforththelineofclimbersinorder
tointeract/communicatewitheachgroupthatwasformed.Thissociogramthereforeshows
thelevelofpositionsthateachgroupmembertookontheseindividualswhoactedaslinks
betweenthegroupscanbeseenastheleadersofthegroup.
Asateam,wewerevery
cooperativeandsupportiveofeachother.Noonefacedthischallengeasacompetition
againsteachotherortimeandinsteadtriedtohelpeachothertoimprove.However,Ifeel
thatthesociogramrevealsthegroupstructureofateamthatisquitedividedassomepeople
stayedinthefrontwhilstsomestayedintheback,whichwasbadbecausetherewasless

communicationgoingon.Asamemberofthegroupthatgenerallystayedatthefrontofthe
linearoundhalfwayupthecanyon,Ialsofeltthatitwasproblematictheythatwereentirely
focusedongettingthemselvesup.
Ontheotherhand,whenIjoinedtheleaderswhowere
willingtomovebackandforth,IfeelthatIhelpedtoimprovedoverallcohesionand
performanceofthe
whole
team.

Whatwereyourstrengths?
Communication,problemsolving,timemanagement,supportingothers,physical
abilities,confidence,motivation,resolvingconflict,praise,questioning,body
language,listening,awareness,creativityetc
Mystrengthswhilstcanyoningwasmostlymyphysicalabilitiesbecausemypast
experiencewithindoorandoutdoorrockclimbinghadtaughtmetofacethephysical
challengesofclimbinghugerockswithasmoothsurfacethatweredifficulttoclimb.(Ihad
participatedinanumberofclimbingcompetitionsoverthepastfewyears,learningproblem
solvingskillsandlearninghowtoplantheroutesquicklyinmymindwhilstclimbing.)
Therefore,myconfidenceinmyphysicalabilitiestocanyonuptheriverprovedtobevery
usefulandallowedmetosupportotherswhoweretoofrightenedtoclimbsomethingthat
theyfeltwasoutoftheirreach.Alotofthetime,Ialsomotivatedmyfriendsandmyselfby
keepingupahighmoodwefrequentlysangsongsandtoldeachotherinterestingstoriesas
wewentonwhichincludesmyabilitytolistenandbeawareofothersandtheirbody
language.IthinkthatIwasgreatasamotivatorsothattheotherswouldbeprovidedwithan
incentivetoclimbalongwithmeandsotheeffectivenessofourteamwasimproved.

Whatwereyourweaknesses?
Communication,problemsolving,timemanagement,supportingothers,physical
abilities,confidence,motivation,resolvingconflict,praise,questioning,body
language,listening,awareness,creativityetc
Ontheotherhand,I
foundmyselfnotbotheringtobemoreawareofotherpeoples
problemsonemomentthatIregretalotiswhenIfailedtorushtotheaidofmyclassmate
(thatImentionedearlier)whofellhardwhenIwasntsofarawayfromher.Ithereforethink
thatoneofmyweaknesseswasthatIdidntfeelenoughcompassionforthewellbeingofmy
teammembers,norhadIprioritizedthemovermyself.Ifmorepeoplehadquestionedher
wellbeingandsupportedher,Ithinkthatthisteammemberwouldhavehadahigherwork
enthusiasmandfeltlesspressuretoacttoughfortheothers.AnotherweaknessthatI
demonstratedwasmyrefusaltolistentotheadvicegiventomebymyclassmatesbecause
wasfocusingsohardontryingtoproblemsolvebymyself,whichusuallyresultedinme
slippingorhurtingmyself.

Howcouldyouimprovefornexttime?
Makefuturerecommendationsforyourself,yourteamandotherindividuals/teams.
IthinkthatifIweretodothisactivityagain,IwouldmakesurethatIwouldsupport
othersandprioritisetheconflictsthattheyfacedovermyown,asthisisapartofbeingan
effectiveleader.Asateam,wecouldalsoimprovefornexttimebydoingmore

teambuilding/icebreakingactivitiesbeforehand,sothatwefeelmoreopentocommunicate
toeachotherandbemorecompassionatetowardseachotherwhilstwecanyonsincewe
knoweachotherbetter.Wecouldalsobebetterplannersandarrangetodothisactivity
underbetterweatherconditionstolowertheriskofhurtingourselves.Withtheinformation
fromthesociogramoftheteamswithinourteamfromthisdragonflytrip,wealsocantryto
understandourgroupbehaviourbetterandtherebymanage/developourgroupbetterfora
bettertripnexttime.Theisolationofparticularindividualsthatdidnotbelongtoanyofthe
groupsbeaddressedbyplanningactivitiestodeveloptheirsocialskillsormakingsurethat
theisolatesgrouppositionischanged.
Insteadofrushingatthestart,Ithinkthatitisimportantforthesubteamthatwasat
thefrontofthelinetotimethemselvescorrectlysothattheydontenergeticallyrushatthe
startandendupfeelingtiredquickerandlessmotivatedtowardstheend.Ialsofeelthatit
wouldhelpifallsubteamshadremainedinonebigteamsothateveryonewas
communicatingamongstandmotivatingoneanotherinordertoimprovetheefficiencyofthe
group.
Atthestartofthecanyoningactivitywhenthedragonflyinstructorshadgivenusa
fewminutesofdiscussiontime,encouragingustoestablishleadershiproles.Wespentalot
ofthistimestandingaroundwithouttalkingoverhowwecouldapplytheactivitytothe
varioustheoriesthatwehadlearnedinclass.Forexample,duringourdiscussiontime,we
onlyestablishedtherolesoftwoleaders,asafety/healthmanagerandtwoentertainers.
Althoughitwasevidentthatindividualsnaturallyundertakingdifferentleadershiproleswas
successful,sinceitalsowouldhavebeeninterestingtoreflectonhowwehadinitially
intendedonleadingandhowweendedupleading.Therefore,afuturerecommendationfor
thediscussiontimewouldbetodetermineandconfirmleadershipstyleswewouldeachuse
(ie.autocratic,democratic,laissezfaire)andtoestablisheachofourindividualBelbin
roles/characteristicssothatwecoulddivideoursubteamsupaccordingtotheseroles.
IalsothinkthatifwehadfollowedJohnAdairsmodelofActioncentredleadership,
andfollowedthe8leadershipfunctions,wewouldhavehadamuchmoreoperativeaswell
asaneffectiveexperience.Wehaddefinedthetask,butfailedtoplanitindepth,which
madeitdifficulttobriefandfostersynergy.Althoughwewerequiteefficient,Ithinkthatthat
wecouldhadabetter
controllingfunction.Whilstwewerecanyoning,wealsodidntevaluate
ouractionsororganiseourselveswhichcouldhavehelpedustoimprove.However,our
motivationforoneanotherwasgreatandthereweremanypeoplewhosetgreatexamples
fortherestoftheteam.

Wasthereanyconflictinthegroup?Ifyes,describewhyandhowwasitresolved?If
no,whatdidtheleaderdotoensurethiswasthecase?

Conflictwasdefinitelypresentinthegroup,althoughtheywereonlysmallmoments
ofineffectivenessinourteam.Whilsttheestablishedleadershiprolesatthestartofthe
coursefadedawayfromourminds,everyoneindividuallyquietlytookontheroleofaleader
whenevertherewasanyconflict.Thefollowingareexamplesofconflictthatweencountered
andhowwewouldattempttoresolveit.

1. Atonepoint,everyonefellorslipped,creatingconflict.Ourteammembers
compassionatelytriedtohelpeachotherbyphysicallyliftingthemupandoffering
advice/informingthepersonbehindthemnottosteponthesamelocationthrough
communicationtominimisetherisksofthemhurtingthemselves.
2. Whenaclassmatewouldwanttogiveupbecausetheywerefeelingtiredor
discouragedbyaheavyfall,conflictwascreatedbecausetheywouldrefuseto
continue.Inordertoresolvethis,teammemberswouldtakeontheroleofaleader
andwouldattempttomotivatethemwithencouragingwords.
3. Atthestartofthetripandupuntilhalfwaythroughthisactivity,anumberofstudents
feltuncomfortablewiththeinstructorswhoseteachingmethodswewereunfamiliar
with.Theirseeminglyharshremarkscreatedconflict,butthiswaseasilyresolvedby
talkingitoutwithleaders,whotoldthemthattheydidntmeantomakethemfeel
uncomfortablebutalsosuggestedthattheytellthempolitelyabouthowtheyfelt
aboutit.Therewasalsosmallamountsofconflictbetweentheteammembers,who
feltthattheirfriendswereleavingthembehindonthetrails.Thiswasresolvedby
leaderswhomotivatedandhelpedthemtoreachthesamelevelofclimbingastheir
friendssothattheycouldsticktogether.
4. Whenaclassmatethrewthecoreofhispear(thatwasprovidedtousasasnack
alongwithplasticwrappedcrackers)intothetreesoutoftheassumptionthatitwould
bedecomposedeasilyovertime,adragonflyinstructortoldhimoffforlitteringand
toldhimtofetchitagainbecauseitwasdisrespectfultonature.Therewasatense
momentwherethestudentstartedtoarguewiththeinstructor,butIquietlystepped
intotellthestudentthatheshoulddowhathewastold,makingaquickdecisionto
endthecontroversy.Thisshowsmyabilityasaleadertobedecisiveunderthe
difficultsituation.Iensuredthattheconflictwasresolvedbyreasoningwiththe
studentbytellinghimthattherewasaruleofrespectthathadbeenalready
established:leavenotrace,whichisrelevanttorespectingnature,which
demonstratedmyabilitytocommunicateaboutmyfoundationofidealsandprinciples
effectively.

Howelsecouldyouuserelevanttheorytoanalysetheoverallperformancetoday?
Leadershipstyles,Belbin,Tuckman,Adair,Honey,Margerison&Mccann,Woodcock

OuroverallperformanceasateamcanberelevanttotheTuckmanmodel/theoryof
teamworkconsistingof5stages:forming,storming,norming,performingandadjourning.I
thinkthatattheformingstage,ourteammembersbusiedourselveswithorganisationforthe
hike,suchaspreparingourselvesforsnacksandhowwecouldtraveltogetherwhilst
making/gainingimpressionsofotherteammembers.Wetalkedinformallybeforewestarted
canyoningestablishingroleswithinourgroupasleaders,entertainers,safetycheckers,
etc.inordertoincreaseourteamseffectiveness.Oncewestartedcanyoning,theconflicts
(peopletrippingandhavingahardtimeclimbing)begantoariseandwetherebyreachedthe
stormingstageofthemodel.Thisstageiswhenimportantissuessuchasrolesand
responsibilitiesstarttobeaddressed,requiringpatiencefromallofourteammembers
towardseachother.Attheverystart,therewasabitofconflictfortheroleofleadershipin
termsofdominance,restrictingusfrombeingabletoworktogetherandsolvethetaskof

climbingeffectively.Thestructuralrulesthathadbeenformed(suchastherespectrule)in
ordertosuppressdisagreements,fightsandcompetitionwithintheteamandtokeepthemin
line.Ithinkthatitwasimportantforustohaveallthisconflictbecauseaccordingto
Tuckmanstheory,everyteammusthaveconflictandargumentsinordertoestablishrules
androlesbeforetheycanworktogethertoachievetheirgoal.Around1or2hoursinto
climbing,wereachedthenormingstagewhereweallfeltunitedandworkedeffectivelyasa
grouptofacethechallenge.Ruleshadbecomeestablished,friendships/relationshipshad
beenformed,andeverymemberhadacleartask/insightintotheirresponsibilities.Our
previousargumentsallowedustosupport,understandandlistentoeachotherbetterand
appreciateeachothersskillsandexperiences,andwetherebyfeltmorerelaxedand
happier.Bythetimewereachedtheperformingstage,everyoneontheteamtrustedeach
otherenoughtoallowindependentactivitywithoutanycomplicationsandenoughtoaccept
helpfromeachothertoclimbdifficultpaths.Thelevelofcomfort(ie.reachedwhenwe
startedopeningsingingsongstogether)thatwefelttoworkwitheachothermadeusdevote
ourselvestoworkingtogetherharmoniouslyandworkeffectivelytogetherasateam.Itisin
thestageofperformingthatthereisthehighestlevelofproductivity,successand
achievement.Notallgroupsareabletoreachthisstage,butIfeelthatourgroupwasable
to.Bythetimewefinishedthetask/challengeofcanyoningandreachedtheendofthetrail,
wefeltproudofourachievements,gladtohaveworkedsmoothlywitheachotherbutalso
feelasenseoflossatthisstageofadjourning.
AnothertheorythatIfeltwasrelevanttoouroverallperformanceasateamwasthe
Tannenbaum&Schmidtcontinuum.Theamountofauthorityandfreedomthatwe(as
leaders)wouldimplementonourgrouphadalternatedthroughoutthedurationofthis5hour
activity.Atthestart,weestablished2peopleasleaderswhoimplementedalotofauthority
overusbygivingusindividualroles(asentertainersorsafetymanagers)andtellingus
whattodo.However,astimewenton,theyforgotabouttheirroleastheleaderandgave
everyonetheirfreedomsinceeveryonespacewasdifferent.