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Module 2: "That Don't Make NO SENSE!" - O Brother Where Art Thou

Team Design & The Life Cycle

Understanding Sensemaking

A Reflection on Module 2 Readings

Personal Takeaways & Key Insights: 

  • Communication
  • Social Alignment
  • Goal Alignment
  • Trust 
  • Agile sensemaking
  • Interdependencies and Cyclical Nature of Shareholders, Employees, Customers, and Leaders

Reflecting on Mann-Gulch:

In this module we spent a good amount of time evaluating the Mann-Gulch fire to understand how team systems break down and to identify high-performing team imperatives.  While it is challenging to look back in hindsight and judge decisions made, this particular scenario provides an abundance of learning opportunities to reflect on.  In a discussion post reflecting on Mann-Gulch, I outlined a few changes I would have made (albeit knowing what I know now) if I were Dodge.  

First, this team failed to have a clear and aligned goal.  As we learned in Module 1, this is an imperative of a high-performing team.  Goals were assumed in this scenario and lead to a poor foundation for sensemaking when the team faced significant challenges where meaning lost value.  Additionally, lack of alignment around a common goal prohibited the team from achieving social alignment as well which did not allow for re-establishment of meaning and structure.  Chaos ensued as a result of these failures when team members began to rely on individual versus group decision-making.  

Second, communication was unclear during this scenario.  Lacking a strong foundation around communication, the group was unable to effectively communicate in the face of chaos which led to confusion, and ultimately tragedy.  

This particular story prompted me to recall my time as an EMT in the city of Virginia Beach and to think through the difference in communication and goal alignment when responding to chaotic events.  It is common for many teams to converge on scene in response to an emergency event.  As I reflected on my personal experiences, I recognized a major difference between these circumstances and Mann Gulch.  In the midst of chaos, the converging teams fall in line, know exactly what to do, where to go, and who is in charge.  Additionally, verbal communication does not necessarily have to occur in order for all individuals to understand roles and responsibilities.  The difference is preparation, training, and a strong social construct (even if individuals have not personally met) which is achieved through the organizational culture.  

Journal Entry Archive: 

Elaboration 

As mentioned in my discussion post this week, the Mann Gulch scenario reminded me of my time with the Virginia Beach Rescue team.  Reflecting on that experience, several key learnings come to mind related to the learnings from the Mann Gulch tragedy.  Contrary to Mann Gulch, upon my reflection, I better understood how preparation, training, and communication differentiate my personal reflection from the Mann Gulch team analysis.  This preparation and alignment around a common goal enable rescue teams to be nimble when faced with challenging situations.  Environments are not fully understood upon dispatch and often must be surveyed when approaching the scene.  The team has minutes, seconds even, to respond and execute their work, all committed to saving lives.  This strong understanding of the aligned mission creates the structure necessary for the team to perform effectively. 


Concrete Examples

Using the Man Gulch scenario, one can see the loss of sensemaking as soon as the circumstances shifted from what the group initially anticipated.  Additional research regarding sensemaking shed light on the importance of a social construct within a team. Social networks facilitate the seeking, sensing, and sharing of information among team members and increase the team’s awareness of new, innovative ideas.  Teams without an established social construct will not be agile when faced with chaotic situations, as they will not be able to leverage the social construct to re-establish meaning via sensemaking.  

Source: 

Posted 2018-05-17; filed under Innovation, M. (2018, May 17). Agile sensemaking. Harold Jarche. Retrieved November 6, 2022, from https://jarche.com/2018/05/agile-sensemaking/


Dual Coding 

The image from this week’s readings depicts the interdependencies of three critical components of high-performing organizations.  It is critical to note the importance of leadership in ensuring balance and focus.  Also, it is important to note the cyclical nature of these components; one cannot be effective without the other.


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