Each One Teach One: The Communal Nature Of Knowledge

Teams tend to have one of three information-sharing structures, with the hierarchy structure being the most common.

Without proper information sharing systems in place or as part of their culture, teams are doomed to fail…

Each One Teach One: The Benefits of Peer-Mentorship

Smarter Stats and Better Decision-Making

The Link Between Hockey and Cricket

Welcome to Here’s An Idea, a newsletter from Chadwick Drive. The purpose of the newsletter is to share ideas that you might find useful, something worth taking a moment to pause and think about. Though they are just ideas, this newsletter is dedicated to sharing meaningful insights. No noise. No fluff.

Social systems tend to operate within the confines of one of three structures: hierarchical, hybrid and network. Sports teams, being social systems, also operate within these structures, and it is within their boundaries that information is shared.

On one extreme there is the hierarchical structure where control is centralized, and as such, the dissemination of information goes from top to bottom. The main advantage of this that purpose and information is not vague. It comes from one source and puts everyone on the same page. The more traditional coaches tend to prefer this structure.

However, one of it's greatest shortcomings is that it is a rigid system that often leads to stagnation and decline, sooner rather than later, because of a lack of new ideas. Also, where players are concerned, in their communication, the dressing-room is drowned by the voices of players at the top of the ladder, the HIPPOS (HIghest Paid Individuals) leaving those at the “bottom” voiceless.

On the other extreme, there is a network structure. It is almost like a gathering of friends with no formal organizational structure, no centre of control. A network structure has many lateral connections corresponding to people talking to each other and deciding what to do. In this structure, lots of ideas bounce off so many people and there is a greater possibility of innovation. However, the lack of structure also means a lack of direction.

The third one is right smack in the middle, the hybrid. The hybrid has the advantages of both, and weaknesses of none because the strengths of each offset the weaknesses of the other.

The hybrid structure embraces the communal nature of knowledge.

A Little Story

A story is told that a long time ago, as a low flying plane flew over, a huge mirror fell and broke into many pieces. A number of villagers ran to the place where the huge mirror had 'landed'. Of those who thought they could find a use for the pieces of the mirror, each picked a fragment to carry home. When asked what they were carrying, none ever said they were carrying a fragment of a mirror, everyone said they were carrying a mirror.

This is how knowledge is like. We all have fragments of it. As individuals, we know almost nothing compared to what we think we know. Our knowledge requires the knowledge of others to be 'complete'.

Most of what we consider to be our knowledge is an illusion as, in reality, it is distributed in the minds of other people. Therefore, knowledge is communal. Whatever the subject, a lot more tacit or informal knowledge is deeply rooted in the experiences of individuals and the culture of their work communities. No one individual is a complete resource of knowledge in a particular field.

We all rely on the minds of other people. It is a form of division of labour – a division of cognitive labour, as someone once said.

This is why it is so important to share our knowledge with others and to be receptive to the opinions and views of others. Teams are weaker when members keep their knowledge to themselves. Communities are also weaker when members keep their knowledge to themselves. Nothing good comes from knowledge-hoarding or closing yourself from what others know.

This Week’s Articles:

For a team to successfully develop a strong culture, the players have to take ownership and responsibility for it, and they have to be willing to be held accountable and hold others accountable to it. - Each One Teach One: The Benefits Of Peer-Mentoring

The most common ways, and probably easiest, through which we evaluate players after a tournament or series is by simply identifying the top run-getters and wicket-takers. While this is useful, it also has its weaknesses because it does not tell the full story. - Smarter Stats and Better Decision-Making

A number of sports have training routines that can easily be adapted to others, and in some cases, skills that can be transferred from one discipline to the other. Do hockey and cricket share the same routines and are there skills that can easily be adapted for either? - The Link Between Hockey and Cricket: Myth or Fact?

An Article From The Archives:

Succeeding generations will always outdo their predecessors, breaking the records they put in place. Their milestones, which at one time defined greatness, are reduced to minimum requirements for one to be considered a worthy athlete in the sport. This is because succeeding generations have the luxury of learning from their predecessors, have increasingly more access to resources and tools that help them improve and bolster performance. Not only that, but they also get more access to information on competitors and are then able to plan accordingly before encounters. The equipment also improves. All this works to improve the level of competition. - Forgetting Past Legends

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