Muhammad Umer Yasin

Making

Order Out of Chaos

Imagine the scene. A FedEx 727 jet and a giant U.S. Air Force cargo jet at an impasse on the taxiway, another jet trying to reach a parking spot at the terminal, another headed for a runway, U.S. Navy and Canadian helicopters swarming overhead, a Bolivian DC-10 just landing, and a Boeing 757 carrying former President Bill Clinton just landing. What a nightmare! In the first few days after the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the airport in the capital city, Port-Au-Prince, was a chaotic free-for-all.70 Aid planes were jostling for space on the single open runway and landing randomly. Then, the evening after the earthquake, a small team of U.S. Air Force special-operations troops whose job is to control air traffic set up to do what they’ve been trained to do.

The airport’s control tower was too badly damaged to be used. So, operating from a folding table on a patch of dirt, the team worked to safely bring in much-needed supply-laden cargo jets. It didn’t take long to establish a system. Haitian aviation officials, assisted by American and Canadian air traffic controllers, contacted planes 30 or 40 miles out and kept order as the aircraft headed toward Portau- Prince. When the planes got within 10 or 20 miles, the Air Force team of controllers took over and guided the aircraft onto the lone runway. Despite the system, the team of controllers found themselves in conflict with arriving pilots and their governments. For instance, one argument arose with a French crew over who got to land first and stay parked the longest. Despite the challenges, the small team safely directed traffic in the crowded skies. Over the days and weeks, planes were able to take off and land every five minutes, bringing in 4 million pounds of supplies.

Q1 # As this story illustrated, sometimes teams have to move quickly. How do you get a team up and running quickly?

Answers: To get a team up and running quickly takes everyone understanding and adopting the group goals and professionalism on the part of members.  In this case, lives were on the line.  The population was devastated and needed immediate assistance.  The air traffic controllers also understood the danger posed by having so many aircraft fly and land in a congested area.

Q # 2: In a crisis situation such as this, what role does a team leader need to play? Explain.Answers: Strong leadership can help members adopt the group goal and direct the action of members.  In time, teams can develop norms and member roles on their own, but in situations where time is short a strong leader can speed up the process.

Good team leader

Bad team leader

Q # 3: Using Exhibit 13-10, what characteristics of effective teams would this team need? Explain.

Answers: From exhibit 13-10, the characteristics of an effective team include clear goals, relevant skills, mutual trust, unified commitment, good communication, negotiating skills, appropriate leadership, and internal and external support.  Students should see where all of these goals are important in this type of situation.