PART THREE OF FOUR
The story behind the ‘one band seven detachment’ concept , which gave birth to a unified Royal Australian Navy Band.
Core Characteristic, Leadership Characteristics, Individual Characteristic (Performance and Motivation), Teams Characteristics, Values, Beliefs and Aspiration, Measure of Outcomes and Achievements.
This blog outlines the leadership style employed by the Royal Australian Navy Band during my tenure as Director of Music Navy. The text is taken from a review that I conducted at the start of my tenure, which can be found at https://www.bandtuneupsolutions.com/_files/ugd/879e0c_d76758e505bd4f7d876e3332a438ee27.pdf
Core Characteristics
The band operates in a formal, military environment; but its approach to leadership—an approach that is embraced by its Senior Leadership Group—is one that encompasses people-oriented and task-oriented behaviours that balance concern for its people and concern for the task.
This conceptual model is characterised by three core areas of performance—leadership, the individual, and the teams. These areas of performance are supported by our values, beliefs, and aspirations, and along with our broad-range and flexible capabilities give our band its strategic advantage and high standards of task achievement. The model also shows that continued evaluation is required to ensure constructive adjustment and focus. I will now expand upon this model.
Leadership Characteristics
Leadership is the privilege and obligation shared equally by every person serving Australia’s Navy. Our approach to leadership should be one that encompasses people-oriented and task-oriented behaviours that balance concern for people and concern for the task. There are many strategies that we can employ to achieve the right level of concern for our people.
Some key ones are:
delivering effective team and divisional support to one and other,
providing opportunities for job enrichment,
providing flexibility in working arrangements, and
providing equal opportunity for tasking, development and advancement for those who hold the appropriate qualifications.
Individual Characteristic (Performance and Motivation)
Three factors influence individual performance:
individual attributes or the individual’s capacity to perform;
work effort or the individual’s willingness to perform; and
organisational support or the amount of opportunity given to an individual.
Again, management theory tells us that the physical and psychological well-being of an individual must be our top priority, and an inner passion to solve the problem at hand will lead to solutions that are far more creative than extrinsic rewards such as money. When considering motivating factors, intrinsic motivation will have more impact on creativity than extrinsic motivation.
Key ways of enhancing intrinsic motivation are by fulfilling tasks at a high level of competency, giving ownership and accepting accountably, and knowing what we are doing is important to the Navy team. This is not just a concept developed by the business community of Navy leaders: Chief of Defence Force states that Defence leaders need to focus on empowering and motivating our people. Furthermore, feelings of inequity lead to reduced performance; as individuals are motivated to engage in behaviour to correct perceived inequity.
We are fortunate to have within our ranks some of the best military musicians in the country; but many of our people also hold qualifications in non-music areas such as marketing, teaching, human resources, and psychology. Utilising and recognising peoples’ unique skills can boost individuals’ self worth and help them recognise their importance to the team. Part of our success relies on developing individuals’ skills for the benefit of the whole team.
Teams Characteristics
An organisation comprises many individuals and teams working together to achieve given tasks; so, obviously, harmonious relationships are important. Harmonious relationships are established by meeting the ‘belonging needs’ of the individual—this is a concept which enables team cohesion.
There is a place in the band to incorporate both single leader teams and real teams. The real-team concept is best employed with small groups of not more than seven people. For example, the Senior Leadership Group can be one area for real-team performance and decision making. Real-team performance can be devolved to other areas; in particular, to the smaller ensembles within each of the various detachments or within each of the music sections or music groups within each detachment. The real-team concept does not mean that other forms of leadership or single leader decision making is irrelevant or wrong. Rather, this concept is meant to enhance the decision making processes currently employed within our workplaces as well as meeting the fulfilment and intrinsic motivational needs of the individual.
Values, Beliefs and Aspirations
Cultural values are ‘the system of shared beliefs and values that develops within an organisation and guides the behaviour of its members’. Our values, beliefs and aspirations have been explained earlier in this essay.
Measure of Outcomes and Achievements
The band’s Evaluation Plan will comprise a mix divisional and administrative data, a Team Culture Survey, Customer Evaluation, and collection of statistical information to give a clear measure of our outcomes. Divisional and administrative data will include collating requests (supported or otherwise) and opportunities given members. The Team Culture Survey will record individual and collective assessment of the following:
Individual Opportunities and Mission;
Team characteristics;
Common vision and goals;
Team ethos and teamwork;
Communicating and listening;
Mutual trust and respect;
Full Delegation and Acceptance of Responsibility;
Authority and Accountability;
Continuous team improvement; and
Leadership.
Evaluation
Customer Evaluation will be undertaken by monitoring letters of appreciation and informal feedback, and each detachment will report ‘on occurrence’ statistical information with regard to public relations outcomes. The results of these measures will provide us with a unique opportunity to identify both areas of achievement and opportunities for improvement. They will also enable us, by a review and evaluation process, to ensure the achievement of our mission. The Team Culture Survey will be conducted twice each year. The first will be delivered in December this year with results published in early February 2010 and the second survey in June with the results in July 2010.
The Royal Australian Navy Band has a proud record of service and its current generation of musicians generate many good news stories for Navy. Its reputation throughout the wider community is sound and its position within Navy as a highly effective business unit is fully appreciated by our senior leaders. We are fortunate to have a pool of very talented and highly educated people across a range of disciplines. Our business model is robust with a worthy set of quality statements to guide us through the many challenges ahead. We belong to a larger organisation, the Royal Australian Navy, whose values and record of service to the nation have gained the enduring trust of a nation. There is much for us to be proud of and I am personally enthused by the opportunity New Generation Navy brings to each of us; and look forward to seeing the results of our individual and collective contribution.
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