Army Crew Team - Case Solution

Introduction – Army Crew Team

In May 2002, Colonel Stas Preczewski, the coach of the Army Crew Team, was met with a unique problem. He had selected two teams, the top eight rowers in the Varsity crew and the bottom eight rowers in the Junior Varsity crew.

Since the top 8 rowers were in the Varsity crew, it was assumed that as a team, their efficiency would be better than that of the Junior Varsity crew. However, the Junior Varsity crew often beat the Varsity crew despite being a team of bottom eight rowers.

With one week left for the national championship race, coach P has to make a decision such that his team wins the championship. The coach has tried all sorts of permutations and combinations to find the mistakes the Army Crew Team is making but has been unsuccessful.

Main Problem

There are essentially three problems within the varsity team. These are the lack of leadership, lack of positive communication, and lack of trust.

These traits can be very easily recognized as it has been clearly communicated in the emails the varsity team sent each other and to the coach.

Varsity team members are more focused on their individual performances instead of the team’s performance.

For the Varsity team and the whole Army Crew Team to have the chance of finishing positively in the national championship, these problems have to be addressed by Coach P.

Analysis

Although the Varsity team consists of the best and top players available in each form of evaluation, they are not able to pull off a good show.

When a group of people with the same goal come together to reach their aim, they work in solidarity, uplifting each other and moving forward.

Contrary to this, the Army Crew Team consists of team disrupters, arrogant snobs, and blame gamers.

Rather than correcting themselves, they accused Coach P of wavering their confidence by pitting them against the Junior Varsity team, thereby creating a rift within the Army Crew Team.

They were apprehensive of the CEP training and always had issues with every single thing. This qualifies as a lack of teamwork and increases their chances of losing.

The team members are always criticizing each other and do not have positive or reaffirming slogans. The members of the Army Crew Team have a communication barrier wherein no one wants to admit their mistakes.

Very rightly, as said in the study, “the whole is less than the sum of parts.”

In order for a team to function effectively, they have to…