THEORY FASTBALL:
A Good Pitcher Cannot Win Without A Good Catcher
By John R. Grubbs, MBA, CIT

"A team's spectacular achievements are always preceded by unspectacular preparation." - Roger Staubach

Editors Note: John Grubbs, Manager of Employee Development for Lone Star Steel Company of Lone Star, Texas, is a regular contributor to APS Quarterly. He was a presenter during the APS Litchfield 2001 Coordinator Training Conference Grubbs cites the following sources for his article on Theory Fastball: DePree, Max. Leadership Is an Art. New York: Dell, 1989. Hughes, Richard L., Robert C. Ginnett and Gordon J. Curphy. Leadership: Enhancing the Lessons of Experience. Chicago: Irwin/McGraw Hill, 1996. Nanus, Burt. Visionary Leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1992.

Community has always been a part of man's existence. For this reason, social scientists apply science to the interaction of human beings.

Webster defines team as "a number of persons associated together in work or activity." Without teams and teamwork, man's existence would be more chaotic than orderly. Accomplishments such as the great pyramids and modern skyscrapers would not be possible without some form of teamwork. Yet, within the framework of each team, the perspectives of the members are very different.

Often, managers and employees have completely different views of the same situation. Employees are often forced to choose between leadership (company) and workers (union). This adversarial existence validates the "Us vs. Them Mentality" that exists in many companies today. Too often, employees feel that the company is exploiting the worker while management feels the worker is taking advantage of the company.

This obvious divide in perspective leads to division rather than harmony in most organizations.

Is a group always a team? While similar in many ways, teams and groups are not synonymous.

Generally, teams differ from groups in four basic ways:

1) Teams have a stronger sense of identification.

2) Teams have common goals and tasks.

3) Teams are more task interdependent than groups.

4) Teams are usually highly specialized in purpose.

Perception and vision will also play a role in the comparison between groups and teams. One group member may feel like part of a team while others do not share the same sense of belonging or esprit de corps.

Vision provides a realistic, credible, attractive future for the organization. It provides a sense of direction that is better than the present. Vision represents what the team will create. Individuals that spend considerable time and effort on strategies affecting vision will have great power to affect the future. In almost every group, people will play different roles at different times. The roles of "creator" and "implementer" are often mistakenly compared to"boss" and "subordinate." Often "implementers" have to be as creative as the "creators" in order to accomplish a given task. At this point, managers and leaders find it most difficult to be open and influence others.

"Theory Fastball" is derived from the need of the pitcher in baseball to have a good catcher in order to be able to throw an effective fastball. A poorly skilled catcher will limit the ability of the pitcher.  In baseball and business, the needs of the team are best met when the needs of the individual are met. Following is a list of rights of each member of the team:

1) The right to be needed. This includes a meaningful relationship to the group's goals.

2) The right to be involved. Leaders must arrange for the input of all group members.

3) The right to a covenantal relationship.  There must be a commitment from all members.

4) The right to understand. Team members must understand the overall mission.

5) The right to affect one's own destiny. Team members must have certain autonomy.

6) The right to be held accountable.  Teams members must be held accountable.

7) The right to appeal. A non-threatening avenue for appeal must exist among members.

8) The right to make a commitment.  The team must allow the member to succeed.

These rules are comparable to the catcher's mitt. They allow the catcher to catch the pitcher's fastball.

Since leadership is a group or team function, leadership can be measured by objectives that are met. The Team Effectiveness Leadership Model (TELM) is a tool that measures what makes teams effective and identifies "roadblocks" that hinder team progress. TELM takes "Theory Fastball" one step further by providing a more detailed "systems" approach to team study. It identifies constructive approaches for leaders depending on where the team is in the developmental process. Leaders are given the opportunity to assume leadership roles at the beginning of a team's life. This allows the leader to assume the position that best benefits the purpose of the team.

Obviously, the interdependence between members of the group is critical to the analysis of team dynamics.

Members at all level must meet certain obligations of belonging. While informal teams rarely identify these obligations, they are quite essential to the success of the team. "Theory Fastball" allows team members to maximize the coordination effort to ensure the team's success.

It also allows teams to identify areas that need attention and improvement. Teams are similar to chains in that they are only as strong as the weakest member. Focusing on improvement at this point serves to improve the team as a whole.