PAUL NYAUSARU / CHIEDZA KADARE
Mankind can learn a lot about the importance of teamwork by observing animals in their natural habitats.
Many animals, from tiny insects to large mammals, depend on their teammates to survive in harsh environments and fend off would-be predators.
Similar principles apply to the survival of your business.
In order for your business to withstand the challenges of a free market, your team must be firing on all cylinders.
In this article, we talk about some of mother nature’s best teams and what we can learn from them.
- Honey bees: role delegation on a massive scale groups of honey bees, otherwise known as “swarms”, are one of the most efficient teams in the natural world.
In order to pollinate plants and produce honey, they’ve developed an ingenious role-delegation system which ensures maximum efficiency.
Clearly defined roles for every bee
Every bee hive contains three different types of adult bees, each with its own dedicated function:
The Queen Bee: Every honey bee hive contains just one queen. They are the only bee in the hive capable of producing and laying eggs. She has the unique ability to control which type of bee she produces, rendering her one of the natural world’s most highly skilled HR managers.
Drones (Males): Drones are the largest bees in the hive. Their sole purpose in the colony is to fertilise the queen’s eggs during her mating flight. Without drones, the colony would have no means of reproduction and would subsequently die out.
Worker Bees (Females): Worker bees are responsible for the daily running and maintenance of the hive. They clean and polish the cells, care for the queen, build beeswax combs, defend the hive and more. There are approximately 100 worker bees for every male drone bee in the hive.
The queen, drones and worker bees are acutely aware of their individual tasks and responsibilities.
Through effective communication and hard-wired genetics, honey bees have established a clear hierarchical structure which allows them to operate at maximum efficiency.
Key takeaways
Role clarity improves efficiency: Clearly defined roles, particularly in large teams, allow your employees to develop expertise in their field of work. By breaking jobs down into repeatable task lists, your team can move quickly and efficiently.
Role clarity boosts job satisfaction: When employees understand how their job contributes to the long-term mission, they’re more likely to be happy at work and satisfied with their role.
Effective communication is essential for role clarity: In order for clearly defined roles to work, your workforce must be able to communicate effectively. The best way to improve communication skills is by playing team-building games.
Drawbacks
Lack of autonomy: When you divide responsibilities into rigid roles, you diminish an employee’s ability to think and act freely. This can harm job satisfaction because it restricts an employee’s ability to make important decisions.
Silo mentality: When departments work independently of one another, it can create what’s known as a silo mentality. This typically occurs when there’s little to no interaction between teams, which leads to issues like employee disenfranchisement and reduced productivity.
- Wolves: a contrarian approach to leadership
Wolves are natural-born predators, but the animals they hunt, polar bears, elk, moose, bison, etc., are much larger than they are.
In order to successfully take down these strong animals, wolves must rely on their superior collaborative abilities.
But, while their team-hunting skills are undoubtedly impressive, the most interesting thing about them is the way they approach leadership.
Leading from behind
Perhaps the biggest lesson we can learn from the wolves is their approach to leadership. Wolf leaders, otherwise known as “alphas”, have a very unique way of organising their team.
Instead of guiding the pack from the front, as you might expect, alpha wolves follow up from behind.
Why?
Because by trailing at the back, wolf leaders can ensure the young, elderly and infirm members of the team don’t get left behind and become vulnerable to attack.
Role delegation and vocational agility
Contrary to popular belief, alpha wolves are not always the biggest and strongest pack members. Alpha wolves achieve their status simply by mating and rearing pups.
They’re essentially parents.
Therefore, their role is not to jostle for the “top-dog” position, but simply to identify the strongest and weakest members of the pack and delegate responsibilities accordingly.
Key takeaways
Avoid micromanagement: Effective leaders don’t attempt to do everything themselves. Instead, they utilise the individual strengths of their team members and delegate tasks accordingly.
Employee well-being: By taking a more passive approach to leadership, leaders are better positioned to observe the ‘pack’ and offer support to those who need it.
Drawbacks
Overburden: Leaders mustn’t depend too much on the strongest members of their team. Putting too much pressure on strong members in an attempt to relieve others can lead to exhaustion and ultimately burnout.
- Dolphins: a masterclass in communication
Dolphins live and travel in groups known as ‘pods’, which typically consist of about 5-20 members. Sometimes, multiple pods can come together to form ‘herds’ of up to 1,000 dolphins.
Dolphins use teamwork to corral and catch their prey: shoals of smaller fish such as mackerel and herring.
Without their ability to communicate, strategise and organise, dolphins would be easily outmanoeuvred by their faster, more agile prey.
Many hands make light work
Dolphins depend on one another to hunt and survive. Without the assistance of their fellow huntsmen, dolphins would never be able to catch a meal.
But when dolphins hunt together, their individual strengths are amplified.
With a common goal in mind, they’re able to stalk their prey, back it into a corner and take turns swimming through the bait ball.
Everyone has a chance to shine
Unlike honey bees, dolphins share equal responsibility in their roles. Once the prey has been corralled, each dolphin takes a chance at swimming through the bait in the hopes of catching a fish.
You can mirror this concept in your team meetings.
Instead of allowing the same old manager or CEO to jabber on time and again, offer the floor to other colleagues and give them a chance to contribute to the discussion.
Who knows what ideas and insights you’ll uncover?
Key takeaways
Teamwork makes the dream work: In business, there are some challenges that are simply insurmountable when tackled alone. When you next face an intimidating hurdle, remember the power of teamwork.
Communication is key: Without crystal-clear communication, the dolphins would never be able to organise themselves so strategically. The same applies to your business. For your team to work effectively, you must employ streamlined channels of communication.
Drawbacks
Conflict and competition: Freeform hierarchical structures like these help your business to innovate and adjust quickly. However, when too many ideas come together at once, it can lead to personality clashes and arguments. If your team doesn’t have a clearly defined organisational hierarchy, you must make efforts to mediate discussions and quell disputes before they escalate.
- Orcas: knowledge is power
Orcas, otherwise known as “killer whales”, are some of the most powerful, dominant and intelligent creatures on the planet.
They typically live in colder waters like Alaska, Norway and Antarctica, where they feed on large prey including sea lions, squids and seals.
Similarly to dolphins, they live in “pods” of up to 40 individuals. These are usually families, and they’re led by the eldest matriarch.
Continually handing down information
Orcas learn how to survive in harsh environments by absorbing information from the eldest and most experienced members of the pod—the mothers and/or grandmothers.
With this continuous transfer of information, the leaders of the pod ensure that their group is set up for future success.
It also means that the Orcas and continually learning and developing their skills.
Disregarding biological and environmental limitations
One of the most impressive things about Orcas is their ability to overcome natural barriers.
At first glance, it seems impossible that an Orca would be able to hunt and kill amphibious prey residing on land.
But they’ve devised an incredible—not to mention dangerous—strategy which makes this possible.
Working as a team, the Orcas create a wave of water which allows them to hunt seal pups from the shore.
It’s a huge risk, but it’s a creative strategy that broadens their horizons and maximises their chances of survival.
Learning through trial and error
The execution of such a complex plan requires accuracy and precision—something many of the younger Orcas are yet to possess.
Therefore, a successful hunt is usually preceded by numerous failed attempts.
But adult Orcas are forgiving, despite the fact a failed hunt could be fatal.
They understand the level of expertise required to pull off such a strategy. They are patient with the younger Orcas and understand the importance of on-the-job learning.
Key takeaways
Patience and forgiveness: Intelligent leaders don’t expect perfect results from the get-go. They understand the value of learning from failure.
Continuous growth: Training shouldn’t stop once the onboarding period has passed. For your employees to reach their full potential, you need to offer a well-structured learning and development programme.
Creativity and innovation: Just because something seems impossible right now, that doesn’t mean you’ll never achieve it. Set goals, break them down into actionable steps and be prepared for things to change.
Drawbacks
Competitiveness: Orcas have learned that the reward of hunting on the shore outways the risk. Before you delve headfirst into the unknown, ensure you’re not being foolishly reckless.
- Spotted hyenas: an unexpected genius
They may not seem like it, but spotted hyenas are some of the fastest problem-solvers in the animal kingdom.
This came as a surprise to researchers who, given the hyena’s comparatively small brain size, hadn’t anticipated their intelligence to be noteworthy.
Compared to animals with larger brains such as elephants and chimpanzees, hyenas remain cognitively limited. Yet, they have a unique ability to rally around a problem and find solutions as a team.
Cooperating to solve problems
A study conducted by Christine Drea and co-author Allisa N. Carter at the University of Berkeley tested the problem-solving capabilities of hyenas by confronting them with a series of food-reward tasks.
The test was simple: numerous pairs of spotted hyenas were led into a pen where they were confronted with two identical platforms 10 feet above the ground. Two ropes dangled from each platform which, when pulled downwards in unison, would release a tasty meal of bone chips and a sticky meatball.
Intelligent beings such as chimpanzees would require extensive training before comprehending such a task.
But spotted hyenas? Some figured it out in less than two minutes.
The more experience a hyena had with the experiment, the less often he/she would pull down the rope without its partner. Instead, the experienced hyenas would quickly teach their inexperienced partner what they needed to do.
Interestingly, pairs consisting of hyenas from opposing ends of the hierarchical ladder were the quickest to crack the problem.
Pairs of dominant females, however, would engage in a power struggle which prevented them from solving the task quickly.
Key takeaways
The importance of diversity: Filling your team with like-minded individuals doesn’t guarantee success. For a team to work well together, you need diversity. Not just ethnically, but also culturally and cognitively.
Experience is irreplaceable: There is no substitute for on-the-job experience. Look after your veteran employees, as they will play a key role in training the next generation.
Drawbacks
Be wary of aspiration: When too many people start reaching for the same thing, it can quickly descend into over-competitiveness which clouds the collaborative process. Ensure to keep tabs on the long-term aspirations of your employees to avoid these types of conflicts.
- Ants: punching above their weight
These are tiny insects that live in huge colonies of up to 10 million ants. These enormous teams consist of a queen (sometimes more than one), female workers and male ants known as drones.
Similarly to a hive of honey bees, every ant plays a vital role in the survival of the colony.
Queens cannot hunt, so they have female worker ants to do this for them. Worker ants cannot reproduce, so they need a queen.
And the males? They play an important job in scouting out new locations to start a colony.
Size doesn’t matter
Ants are well-known for their ability to carry objects much larger than themselves. In fact, a single ant is capable of lifting up to 20x its own body weight.
That’s like you lifting an entire giraffe above your head.
But despite their immense strength, ants still rely on each other to transport food back to the nest.
When a worker ant encounters a nutritious meal, she will carry a piece of it back to the colony, leaving a potent scent trail in her wake.
Once she’s alerted her fellow workers, more ants follow the scent trail and set about transporting the food source back to the nest in preparation for winter.
Overcoming obstacles together
Ants are capable of communicating complex strategies with just 10 to 20 signals.
Army ants are even capable of building bridges with their bodies when they encounter a gap that must be crossed.
The lead ant stops when it encounters the gap, and the other ants commence building a bridge with their bodies until the gap is closed.
Key takeaways
Clearly defined roles: Defining roles clearly, particularly in large teams, allows employees to develop expertise in their field of work. By breaking jobs down into repeatable task lists, your team can move quickly and efficiently.
Forward planning: Planning and preparation are vital for the long-term viability of your business. Instead of resting on your laurels, you need to be constantly aware of industry changes and emerging technology.
Drawbacks
- Lack of agility: Being too strict when defining roles can cause a team to become stagnant. For your employees to feel inspired and satisfied at work, they need to feel that there are upward mobility opportunities and chances to get involved with important decisions.
- Elephants: surviving in the wild
Elephants are among the world’s smartest animals and they exhibit phenomenal loyalty and teamwork.
Their brains are very large which gives them high intelligence and impressive memories. In fact, their strong memory is a key component to their survival.
Continuous learning and development
Elephant groups, known as ‘herds’, are led by matriarchs—the eldest female figures. These wise creatures rely on their knowledge and experience to survive in dangerous habitats.
In order to ensure the long-term survival of the herd, the matriarchal leaders continually teach the younger members.
This involves teaching them which foods are safe to eat, where to find water, what constitutes a safe shelter, which predators are most dangerous and much more.
Paul Nyausaru is an OD Practitioner and leadership coach. For all your OD interventions and leadership development training you can get in touch with him on WhatsApp/call +263774062756 or Email pnyausaru@gmail.com
Chiedza Kadare is an OD Practitioner. You can get in touch with her on WhatsApp/call +263 77 283 0986 or Email chiedza.kadare@gmail.com
