Synergy - A Patinated Leadership Principle

While I firmly believe synergy is used all too frequently as a buzzword, I also believe the principles behind the term are invaluable. As Stephen R. Covey writes in his book The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, synergy is the zenith of cooperation where a team can become greater than the sum of its parts.

I’ve written before that working in teams that have diversity in backgrounds and skill sets is practically a necessity to solve challenging problems. However, that’s only the first step in approaching a challenge. Synergy is what allows us to capitalize on the potential of teams of highly diverse skill sets and backgrounds. We should value differences, build on strengths and have each other’s strengths cover others’ weaknesses.

In my own experience leading my course staff, I’ve found many opportunities for synergy.

Within the staff there is, of course, synergy between skill sets. There are a large variety of different aspects of the course from developing on the codebase to holding discussion sections to managing logistics. The more intriguing opportunities for synergy is that of ideas, perspectives, and operating styles. In a recent example, our staff was considering the proctoring strategy we should employ to ensure academic integrity was upheld. The professors favored a thorough approach while another member of the staff championed an approach that protected student privacy. After much discussion, we managed to synthesize each approach, eliminating the flaws in each and reaching a solution that was easier to set up and protected the privacy of students while still deterring academic dishonesty. What seemed dichotomous actually represented two aspects of the issue that both needed to be taken into consideration. Using synergy of ideas, we were able to eliminate the flaws in each, leaving behind common elements and ideas in a beneficial conclusion.