String Quartets Have Lessons for Teams
My friend Cheryl Groot attended a string quartet competition at the Banff Centre recently. During the competition she began to take note of the dynamics she was observing among the musicians of various quartets, particularly when comparing the successful with the not-so successful groups.
She writes , “When a quartet ‘worked’ it was amazing, but other groups clearly didn’t. The quartet that won … all had even the same general body type, looked like they ran a marathon together each morning, and moved their bodies in waves almost as if they were connected by threads. But, another group that was also wonderful (though they didn’t make the final three) looked as though they were all operating in their own spheres.”
Intrigued by this phenomenon Cheryl did some research on string quartets and came up with a very insight article, written in 1991, titled “The Dynamics of Intense Work Groups:A Study of British String Quartets” .
The article presents research into the internal dynamics of the “intense work group” called the string quartet and the relationship of those dynamics to success. Quartets of course are different from work groups and teams we find in the workplace, but I believe that high performing string quartets face, and resolve, the same universal challenges as any team. The authors of this article identify what they call three major paradoxes that successful String Quartets must resolve in order to perform at a high level.
I am more inclined to rename these “paradoxes” as dilemmas because the dynamics they represent pull the group in two opposing directions at once. The good thing about these dilemmas is that they encompass many of the myriads of challenges, obstacles and problems teams, as well as work groups, encounter on their way to become effective and high performing .
The dilemmas that successful string quartets and teams must face and their resolution are presented below:
I. The Strong Leader versus Democratic Involvement Dilemma
In a string quartet the first violinist is the undisputed leader, however most members of a quartet join to have a say in how the quartet plays. This is similar to the problems that team leaders face . A team must have a leader but the leadership has to be dynamically balanced between full democracy and authority for success
Resolution: In the successful string quartets the leader is recognized as the strong authority and he or she exercises that authority in a way that allows meaningful participation in decision –making.
For teams it is important that a leader maintain a “balance of authority” , setting purpose and direction as well as getting buy in for the direction and garnering input for measurable performance goals. As a team matures decision making becomes more of a shared, consensus developing process.
II. The Second Fiddle Dilemma
The second fiddle in a string quartet must be very talented and accomplished as a violinist but must always play a role subordinate to the leader, the first violinist. They are rarely recognized as the fist violinist and must subsume their individual needs for the success of the group.
Resolution: Critical to the groups success is the second violinists acceptance and commitment to his/her role. Highly successful quartets are described as like being a bottle of wine: the first violin is the label, the cellist is the bottle while the second fiddle and viola are the contents.
For teams as well as quartets this underlines the idea of clear, committed roles as well as an understanding of how playing those roles well contributes to achievement of superordinate goals.
III. The Conflict Dilemma
When we face the inevitable conflict that occurs in groups and teams do we confront or compromise? Conflict can be hurtful, disruptive and chaotic but is often a spur to creativity, healthy change, and group maturity. Avoiding conflict generates its own problems while relying on compromise can result in mediocre performance.
Resolution: Five Strategies for handling conflict in successful string quartets adapted for teams:
i. No concessions , no compromise as a general rule. Strive for synergy where possible.
ii. Work through the creative tension that conflict can present and be open to new ways of getting things done. “What is right and what is wrong will emerge”.
iii. Recognize implicit rules about what is worth debating and what is not.
iv. Team as well as quartet members share the same clear overarching goals as guidelines to the way forward..
v. Successful quartets and teams view conflict and the tension it generates as good.
