Travel to Mars is probably within our grasp, if we're clever. In one scenario, we prepare the way with robotic missions that establish a constellation of GPS and communications satellites; deliver supplies, power plants, ground vehicles, landers, and return vehicles; find resources for mining fuel, oxygen, and water; and construct smelters, launch facilities and habitat. By the time people arrive much of the work is already done.
![Mars as seen by Hubble Space Telescope Mars as seen by Hubble Space Telescope](../images/mars.png)
In preparation for the Mars Pathfinder landing on July 4, 1997, the Earth-Orbiting Hubble Space Telescope took this high resolution photograph, which shows the onset of Martian summer in the northern hemisphere, when the northern polar cap recedes to uncover dark sand dunes. Photo by D. Crisp and the WFPC2 Team of JPL/Caltech, courtesy NASA.
Still, making the trip would mean years of isolation and confinement, when perhaps the most daunting challenge would be maintaining functional relationships among the astronauts. We might want to put the explorers into an extended sleep state, not so much to save on life support, but to reduce the likelihood of interpersonal disasters.
Choosing the right combination of personalities would be a key to success. We're beginning to make significant advances in our understanding of personality, but assembling high-performance teams — and maintaining their functionality in stressful conditions — is another matter. We know a lot less about that.
The technology of interpersonal relations might not yet be up to this challenge. Certainly, if we look around at our project teams, we can find few that could tolerate a trip to Mars. Would yours make the cut?
Since a high-stress project can often feel like a trip to the moon, if not Mars, it's helpful to know what the experts look for in members of such teams. We all can exhibit these traits when we want to, in both polarities. Which polarity is best? It depends on the situation.
Here are some of the dimensions to consider.
- Flexible/Resolute
- Openness to new ideas, approaches, and experiences makes it possible for teams to transcend the capabilities of any of their members.
- Determination to stand by your beliefs can protect your team from groupthink or trips to Abilene. See "Trips to Abilene," Point Lookout for November 27, 2002, and "Appreciate Differences," Point Lookout for March 14, 2001, for more.
- Agreeable/Independent
- A high-stress project
can feel like a trip
to the moon,
if not Mars - Volunteerism, yielding in conflict, empathy for others, and frankness about yourself, help your team get through the rough patches.
- Loyalty in opposition, and a willingness to raise objections, ensures that your team faces its doubts and the hard realities before it commits to a course of action.
- Conscientious/Unprincipled
- Reliability, organization, a results orientation, and a drive to completion help the team stay focused on the mission.
- A willingness to deviate from cherished principles if circumstances demand it can help the team deal with extreme situations, especially emergencies. See "Managing Technical Emergency Teams," and "Declaring Condition Red," Point Lookout for August 22, 2001, for more.
- Sociable/Solitary
- An outgoing, charming manner lifts spirits and both provides and supports leadership, especially when the team celebrates or faces challenges.
- When confronting difficult, complex problems, comfort with quiet and with solitude can produce novel first-of-a-kind solutions.
Although many of us prefer one particular pattern of response, choosing the approach that best meets the team's needs in a given situation is the real challenge. If you want to make it to Mars, look for people who can tolerate and celebrate differences in others. Top
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For more on human factors in spaceflight, see M. Ephimia Morphew, "Psychological and Human Factors in Long Duration Spaceflight," McGill Journal of Medicine 6: 74-80, 2001. Available at www.medicine.mcgill.ca/mjm/v06n01/v06p074/v06p074.pdf. For more on models of personality, see, for example, www.personalityresearch.org
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Related articles
More articles on Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness:
Virtual Communications: II
- Participating in or managing a virtual team presents special communications challenges. Here's Part
II of some guidelines for communicating with members of virtual teams.
Four Popular Ways to Mismanage Layoffs: II
- Staff reduction is needed when expenses overtake revenue. But when layoffs are misused, or used too
late, they can harm the organization more than they help. Here's Part II of an exploration of four common
patterns of mismanagement, and some suggestions for those managers and other employees who recognize
the patterns in their own companies.
Discussion Distractions: II
- Meetings are less productive than they might be, if we could learn to recognize and prevent the most
common distractions. Here is Part II of a small catalog of distractions frequently seen in meetings.
Teamwork Myths: Formation
- Much of the conventional wisdom about teams is in the form of over-generalized rules of thumb, or myths.
In this first part of our survey of teamwork myths, we examine two myths about forming teams.
Collaborations That Need to Be Cooperations
- Modern products and services are so complex that many people cooperate and collaborate to produce them.
When people are collaborating but the work actually requires merely cooperating, risks arise that can
threaten the success of the group's efforts.
See also Personal, Team, and Organizational Effectiveness and Project Management for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
Coming July 3: Additive bias…or Not: II
- Additive bias is a cognitive bias that many believe contributes to bloat of commercial products. When we change products to make them more capable, additive bias might not play a role, because economic considerations sometimes favor additive approaches. Available here and by RSS on July 3.
And on July 10: On Delegating Accountability: I
- As the saying goes, "You can't delegate your own accountability." Despite wide knowledge of this aphorism, people try it from time to time, especially when overcome by the temptation of a high-risk decision. What can you delegate, and how can you do it? Available here and by RSS on July 10.
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