1. The first thing that comes to mind when thinking of human
performance improvement is teamwork in the army. When a unit is first formed,
there is a learning curve while everyone learns to adjust to their teammates.
Everyone already knows how to do their specific jobs but that special camaraderie
is still missing. The camaraderie is more than just a feeling of brotherhood;
it affects reaction times and improves the safety of the entire platoon. I think
the best way to describe it is knowing what your teammates will do and being
able to adjust to improve not only your own job but theirs as well. Camaraderie
isn’t something that can be taught in an instructional setting, it just takes
time and practice. In a war time setting camaraderie can build very quickly
because you learn to trust your teammates with your life. In garrison it can be
tougher to build camaraderie between soldiers but it isn’t impossible. Social settings
and events can help a lot. While it isn’t necessary for everyone to be friends,
there must be trust. Teamwork building exercises and drills help and can be
very effective.
2. Most performance support systems consist of four
components: (a) an advisory component, (b) an information component, (c) a
training component, and (d) the user interface component. I can’t really see
using a PSS to build camaraderie in soldiers. It seems too rigid and systematic
to be used as a trust building exercise. Camaraderie is built on feelings of
trust and emotions. It is hard to develop a system that would train emotional
reasoning.
3. While camaraderie can be difficult to train it is rather
easy to measure. Live fire exercises and similar real world response training
can be times. As camaraderie improves times will go down and responses to the
unexpected will be quicker. It is easy to tell the difference between a newly
formed unit and one which has been working together for a while. The older unit
will have better times in training and will be capable of reacting quicker
faster and better. Camaraderie will also affect morale. A high level of camaraderie
will equate to high solder morale.
4. Informal learning in the Army occurs on a daily basis. Soldiers
are professionals and we constantly strive to improve. This leads to informal
teaching between soldiers, from ideas for quick reaction force deployment to
the best way to load your m16. I don’t think this type of learning should be organized.
If it were standardized it wouldn’t have the same impact of either the teacher
or the learner. Being informal it helps build camaraderie between soldiers
because it allows a private to teach even a sergeant a quicker or faster way to
accomplish a task. It also allows for peer review of the technique which can
lead to more improvements or new ideas.
Camaraderie is very hard to teach. I would guess some soldiers are natural reluctant to trust others. I know combat situations (even simulations) build and improve teamwork but surely there is some way to teach that as well. Perhaps, just learning new skills together helps build that team spirit. How many soldiers sign up already knowing how to dismantle and rebuild an M-16 or already being a sharpshooter? Daily lessons and skill training help build camaraderie as units gain confidence in themselves as well as each other.
ReplyDeleteWhile there is plenty of formal training, I know a lot of spare time is spent in informal training. If you are not very good at something, you can find someone to help you out with that during free time so that next time, you will be better. This also builds teamwork.
Consequences are also shared with a unit. When one person messes up, the whole unit pays the price. This certainly encourages the unit to work together and watch out for each other and help each member become stronger (or perhaps become better at not getting caught.)
While I do not specifically foster the camaraderie in my classroom, I do encourage working together to improve everyone's skill. Communication and collaboration are a big part of what we do. I encourage students with extra credit if they want to present their project after completion. This allows students to share their work and allows other students to see how others accomplished the assigned task. It also builds mutual respect within the classroom. Most kids are impressed with those who are willing to get up in front of the class and talk.
All these sounds interesting, but but is important is team work and a sense of trust among the solders, that feeling that my comrade will be there for in the times of need is very important and comforting. Everything good comes through practice, it is an interesting thought that it is not necessary for people to be friends but it is important to trust ones who is in your team.
ReplyDeleteTrust and camaraderie between soldiers would be something that would need to occur naturally. I do think there are instances where you can create opportunity for this to take place. Team building exercises and healthy competition would make for opportunities to promote relying on others. I also think that leadership plays a huge role in this. Having strong leaders that inspire their soldiers would help them at developing these interpersonal skills to improve overall morale and confidence in the ability of others with whom you are working. I think this is very applicable to teaching students how to work to please their teachers and then future bosses. Sometimes we have to put the interest of others first to do the best job possible. I believe that group work is a great way for students to work on these skills. While a performance support system might not be in place for building camaraderie, there could be one to train and support military leaders. This support would hopefully make a direct impact on all soldiers.
ReplyDeleteWilliam,
ReplyDeleteI apologize for the late post. I had to bury a friend this week. I think you are absolutely right. Doing my Air Force career, the more time I was assigned to a unit, the deeper the camaraderie was, the better we performed as a team. One example was when I was assigned to a combat rescue unit. We flew Huey Helicopters and were attached to the Rapid Deployment Force. We had to be prepared at a moment’s notice to breakdown our two helicopters, load them into a C130 cargo plane along with all of our gear, and fly to another part of the world within 36 hours. As a unit when we were all first assigned together, it would take us 8- 10 hours to accomplish the tear down and load. However, as we practice as a team (Performance Improvement) we eventually were able to accomplish the task in just over 5 hours. As we practice as a team, the camaraderie grew and I showed as a form of what I now know as Performance Improvement. So yes, I agree with you totally.
David