The 4-player model for building healthier team behaviour

A Healthier team is an indispensable factor in the success of an organisation. A team is imposed with every single aspect in an organisation starting from the base idea to creating a project and executing it. Deborah Ancona and William Isaacs put forwarded an effective approach to team theory to make a healthier team system. Ancona and Isaacs advocate that creating positive relationships in organisation through ‘ four player models ‘ is a way to produce healthier teams. They disagreed with consider humans as just a machine in the team and to have a measured and controlled output. They also urged the researchers for considering the creative and unique abilities of different living beings in the team. They also added how bringing creative ideas to the team is effective.

Ancona and Isaac derived this framework from the work of David Kantor and William lehe, 1975. Acording to the model there are four core acts that is very vital in building dysfunctional and healthier team behaviour.

• Move: this act fledgling the action and gives the headstart
• Follow: this supports the move act and serve the function of completion
• Oppose: this act opposes the move that has been initiated and criticizes the start or move by questioning it.
• By stand: this provides perspective and invites the innovative ideas from other teams.

By applying this act effectively and properly, it creates ‘’direction and energy; momentum and connection; correction and elaboration; and point of view taking, reflection, and openness to the working of teams. ’’This acts also let the working team to think out of the box and find alternatives in depth. Also, by combining ideas from both inside and outside the team, they can pick an alternative to act.

Balancing Act

Balance between these four core acts regulate the health of the team. So, these acts must be performed in proper way. at one point one of the acts can dominate, or four acts can be weakly displayed or suppress. These creates an imbalance in team. Therefore, the members of the team must put a heedful effort to success. Every individual in the team has crucial role to play.

Another aspect is that team should be able to distinguish between the intentions and the impact actors have on the situation. Noticing and correcting mismatches that are happening in the team forms out a healthy team system.

Team members should be feeling free to carry out the acts which seem appropriate to them at the moment. The progression and dynamics across acts determine the team’s effectiveness. According to Ancona and Isaac, by effectively and properly applying this act creates a healthier team and avoids any kind of domination. This also provides a route for positive change in the heart of team function.