Team Development Through Music Creation

The current study aims to explore a new method for creating an effective working team, using music terminology as a metaphor for team work. Teams have been proved to play a crucial role in organizations, with most organizational activities being conducted through teams. Success in organizations depends upon the quality of their teams, meaning the teams have the necessary competencies for their operation. Establishing efficient working teams requires a thorough and constant development. The rationale of using music terminology as metaphors in the current work relies on the assumption that metaphors advance insights into team activities and act as spotlights on related phenomena, often in novel and surprising ways. Graduate and undergraduate students in Business Management classes volunteered to participate within 10-member teams in an experiment following a lecture that dealt with groups and teams in organizations. None of them had any musical background, according to a pre-condition of taking part in this activity. The students were first given a short introduction regarding music terminology such as rhythm, dynamics, phrase, beat, etc. Following this introduction they were given a short rhythm section as well as a variety of musical (mostly repercussion) instruments. Their objective was to perform the whole rhythm section as a team according to instructions provided to them. The other students in the class served as observers, watching the team's members coping with the assignment up to the final performance. After the experimental session was completed, the team, along with the observers, filled out various rating scales and held a discussion about their feelings and insights. The contribution of the current study is both conceptual and practical. The experience of acting in a musical group with a defined goal may enlighten more clearly the characteristics and competencies required for those who take part in a team work within organizational settings. The musical activity examined here does not pose psychological threats that may hinder natural behavior on the participants' part. This kind of activity provides the team members, as well as their observers, with new tools for evaluating their behaviors.