Affiliation:
Chief Operating Psychologist, Military MIND Academy, India
Short bio:
Lt Col Dr Samir Rawat is a combat veteran and a cognitive-behavioural developmental psychologist from India who lectures globally extensively; with a Ph.D. in Psychology and in Management and a MPhil in Defence & Strategic Studies, he is a decorated soldier with proven leadership skills in Siachen Glacier, which, at 21000 feet is highest battlefield in the world where he commanded an Infantry rifle company. He has also been conferred President’s gallantry award for recapturing enemy held positions during war.
Dr Samir Rawat organises WARMCAMP International Military Psychology Conference in India; he has edited over a dozen books on military psychology and has also contributed chapters in over a dozen military psychology books which have been published in six countries.
Title:
Learning Teamwork from the Military: Lessons in Camaraderie and Cohesion for Corporates
Abstract:
Teams have often been construed as critical to organisational edifice, especially in the military where complex and dynamic nature of missions mandate shared commitment, synchronisation of competencies, knowledge, skills , abilities and other characteristics (KSAOs) that transcend beyond those of a single individual and reiterate that there are ‘ no RAMBOs in the battlefield’ where military teams must function through interdependent actions of its members collectively working towards a common goal of mission accomplishment .
Consequently, team research in the military has provided a strong bedrock for better understanding of team effectiveness which may percolate to other organisations for them to emulate and as such, the corporate can take a leaf out from the military landscape to provide better insights into how important teamwork is as an indicator of organisational commitment and organisation success, especially during sudden, volatile, and disruptive events.
Based on scientific evidence based recent research, this presentation aims to shed light on teamwork among leaders in the military and corporate with a focus on better understanding differences in perceptions and practices of leaders in diverse organisational contexts. Findings and conclusions may inform learning and development initiatives and help prioritise training programs for current and future leaders in corporate settings as well as offer valuable insights into complexities and intricacies of leadership and teamwork in different domains and work environments.
Keywords: Teamwork, Corporate, Military, Cohesion , Camaraderie