Making the Team: A Guide for Managers, Fifth Edition

Chapter 1 Teams in Organizations

Facts and Myths

Late in the evening of May 1st, 2011, two MH-60 Black Hawk helicopters embarked from Jalalabad Air Field in Afghanistan on a covert mission into Pakistan to kill Osama bin Laden. Twenty-three Navy SEALs from Team 6, the Naval Special Warfare Development Group, were on board. The plan was for the SEALs to drop from the helicopters into the bin Laden compound, overpower the guards, and shoot to kill. During the 90-minute helicopter flight, the SEALs rehearsed the well-planned operation in their heads. The mission was a well-orchestrated plan complete with dress rehearsals, practice sites, and months of planning. A replica of the bin Laden compound had been built and the team spent 5 full days practicing ...