Creating and Sustaining

Effective Teams

Group Project

Submitted by:
Group 9

A Naehal Shitanshu - MBA/07/187

Mohit - MBA/07/214
Rohit Agrawal - MBA/07/223
Satveer Singh - MBA/07/224
Shubham Garg - MBA/07/226
Nitesh Yadav – MBA/07/236

Submitted to: Teaching Associate:

Prof. Vartika Dutta Ms. Nimra Khan
Introduction:
Lagaan is a story about people. The movie illustrates that a group of mediocre people with a strong sense
of team spirit and a desire to win, can beat a group of competent, experienced, but uninspired individuals.
It depicts the power of an effective team compared to individuals forming that team. From motivation and
initiative of a single person to forming a team of 11 vastly different individuals and then working together
as a unit to achieve a common goal, the movie teaches us lessons of forming an effective team, working
towards a common goal, and a desire to perform against all odds.
Now, coming to the Tuckman's group development stages, the team was initially formed. Forming the
team was in itself the most difficult task. Due to lack of exposure to the sport and some other factors, a lot
of challenges were faced in the formation stage. Forming the team was a perfect example of utilizing
individual unique skills in developing a team to work towards a larger goal. At the storming stage, lots of
brainstorming was done to arrange the required resources. At the same time different options were
deliberated upon to put every team member to the best use, according to his skills. A few interpersonal
conflicts also arose during this stage, which was dealt appropriately. In the norming stage team members
started to resolve their differences, appreciated one another's strengths, and started respecting the
authority of Bhuvan as a leader. Then came the performing stage, where the team was in flow and
performed to its potential. The hard work during the previous stages bore the real fruits when the team
achieved its goal.

GRPI Model: - Goal, Role, Process and Interpersonal Relationship

Goal:
The common goal of the team formed was to win a cricket match against Captain Russel‘s team, thereby
making the food grains produced, tax-free for the next three years. This goal had a downside that if they
lost the match, they would have to pay three times the tax they were currently paying. Captain Russel and
his team were the best at Cricket. It may have seemed implausible or even improbable, but dreams are
made of such things. In this instance, Bhuvan and his team dreamed big and devised a plan to make their
dream a reality. The lesson learnt is, to make things happen the way we desire, we must imagine the
future and work hard to achieve what we want.
Role:
Every team member played a unique role and contributed towards the overall success of the team.
Bhuvan, the captain of the Cricket team, is a young farmer,. He accepts the Britishers' challenge of winning
a cricket game to get a tax waiver for three years. He hits a six on the last ball to win the game for his
villagers in the end.
Kachra, the untouchable cripple, proved to be the star of the bowling attack. His unique ability to spin the
ball rattled the English batting attack.
Lakha, the woodcutter, joins hands with the Britishers to betray his teammates. But eventually realizes his
mistake and helps the team win over the Britishers.
Ismail, the potter, comes out to bat in the end even when he is injured.
Bhaga is a mute drummer. Though he is terrible at fielding and missed a lot of catches, he takes a crucial
catch in the end.
Arjan, the shoemaker, was sceptical about the match in the beginning. He joined the team when insulted
for hurting Russell's horse involuntarily.
Bhura, the hen catcher, helped the team to learn to field.
Ishwar, the village doctor and the father of Gauri, treated the injured team players while contributing on
the field.
Deva Singh hated the Britishers and volunteered to help the Champaners fight over the Britishers.

Processes:
Processes can be the tools that help any leader to overcome the inefficiencies of control, decision-making,
communication, and coordination in any team.
In the movie, as a leader, Bhuvan had excellent team management skills. He is portrayed as a fantastic
planner, organizer, director, and controller of situations. After accepting the challenge, he planned and
made the team even when the conditions were the exact opposite. As a team organizer, he made sure, he
showed no discrimination in picking any member for his team (like he selected kachra, an outcast). He also
ensured the team worked as a single unit. He had a clear goal in his mind, and he made sure to direct the
team in that direction so that team could collectively achieve the objective set for it. Bhuvan also made
sure to put his efforts into controlling the situations against the group's unity continuously. He showed
exceptional leadership skills and made sure no one made fun of Lakha or Kachra. In the movie, because of
his determination and devotion, he was regarded as an admirable leader.

Interpersonal relationship:
To foster a collaborative working environment, interpersonal relationships should build trust, open
communication, and feedback.
The team's conflict with member Lakha, who was spying for Captain Russell, was settled by giving him
another chance. The situation was handled successfully by Bhuvan because he recognized that Lakha could
not be removed from the headcount and that his practice results were remarkable. He rescued Lakha from
the peasants and gave him a chance to perform for the team. This exemplified the beneficial collaborative
nature.
Almost every member of the team was assigned a specific task. Bhuvan recognized each player's strengths,
fostered them, and utilized them when the moment called for it, whether he was known as "the hen
catcher" for teaching everyone how to field, "the drummer" for hitting big shots, or "the differently-abled"
for spinning the ball.
Bhuvan could not have won the match independently, no matter how good or passionate he was. Cricket
necessitates the participation of eleven players. It's a sport in which players work together to achieve a
common goal. The team must come first, not the individual. Consider the time Bhuvan was batting with
Bhura and fell while attempting a run. Bhura sends Bhuvan to the other half of the field, sacrificing his
wicket in the process since he believes the captain is more capable to contribute to the success of the
team.
The team's primary purpose was for the community, not for the individuals. They never put themselves or
their self-interest ahead of the team's requirements in their words and deeds.