This document discusses how bluegrass music provides lessons for effective teamwork. It explains that bluegrass bands are composed of 4-6 musicians on instruments like mandolin, guitar, bass, and banjo. Each instrument has a distinct role that contributes to the overall sound when blended together. Similarly, effective work teams require individuals to understand their roles and how they complement others. The document outlines key roles for each bluegrass instrument and compares them to roles on work teams. It emphasizes that teams function best when individuals stay focused in their roles but are also flexible, cooperative, and help fill gaps. Shared norms and culture are important for teams to build trust and allow individuals to excel in their roles.

1. Building Your Band:
The Bluegrass Model of
Group Dynamics
October 2, 2017
UNC CAUSE
Greenville, NC

2. Building Your Band:
The Bluegrass Model of
Group Dynamics
Ryan Cameron, Western Carolina University - Mandolin
Leslie Dare, NC State University - Guitar
Eric Smith, Western Carolina University - Bass
Susan West, NC State University - Banjo

3. Who? What? How? Why?
● Who are we?
● What is this session all about?

4. The Big Aha
● How did this session come to be?
● Why do we have musical
instruments?

5. Bluegrass music? What’s that about?
● Form of music that started up in the late ‘30s
● Typically features a 4-6 piece string ensemble and very
tight harmony singing
● Songs are rooted in gospel, traditional Appalachian music
● Distinctive treatment of rhythm, harmonies and
instrumentation
● Highly participatory - grew from communities coming
together to visit and play. Now people come together to
jam.

6. Jamming?
If you go to a
Bluegrass festival,
you’ll find people
jamming
everywhere.

7. Jamming?
And we mean
everywhere!
Pickers can find
spaces with great
acoustics.

8. Jamming?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiRahCKL91s

9. Bluegrass & the Technology Profession
Trains
Old Train Blue Train
Little Black Train Long Black Train
Waiting for a Train New River Train
Back on the Train Riding That Midnight Train
Infrastructure
Networking

10. Bluegrass & the Technology Profession
Alcohol
Kentucky Bootlegger Moonshiner
There’s a Tear in My Beer Drinking That Mash
Whiskey Before Breakfast Virginia Bootlegger
Alcohol
Tiny Bubbles
Margaritaville
It’s Five o’Clock Somewhere

11. Bluegrass & the Technology Profession
Gospel
Down the River to Pray Crying Holy
Amazing Grace Angel Band
I Saw the Light Weary Angel
Prayer Bells of Heaven Daniel Prayed
Platform Religion

12. Bluegrass & the Technology Profession
Founding / Famous Bill
Bill Monroe with his Mandolin
Founding / Famous Bill
Bill Gates with his CRT Display

13. Bluegrass & the Technology Profession
Mountains
Life is Like a Mountain Rocky Top
Blue Ridge Cabin Home Windy Mountain
My Tennessee Mountain Clinch Mountain Rag
Foggy Mountain Breakdown
System Upgrades

14. Bluegrass & the Technology Profession
Animals
Pig in Pen Little Birdie
Rabbit in a Log Whoa, Mule
The Crawdad Song Cluck Old Hen
Five Pounds of Possum in My Headlights Tonight
Software Bugs and Viruses

15. Bluegrass & the Technology Profession
Circle of Fifths OSI Model

16. Bluegrass & the Technology Profession
Growing Diversity & Inclusion Growing Diversity & Inclusion

17. Bluegrass & the Technology Profession
Other Themes
● Murder
● Death
● Gloom, Despair, and Agony
● Prison
● Home
● Mother / Family
Other Themes
The possibilities are endless…..

18. Teams...
● A team is a group of people linked in a common purpose. Human teams are
especially appropriate for conducting tasks that are high in complexity and
have many interdependent subtasks.
● A group does not necessarily constitute a team. Teams normally have
members with complementary skills and generate synergy through a
coordinated effort which allows each member to maximize their strengths and
minimize their weaknesses.
● A team becomes more than just a collection of people when a strong sense of
mutual commitment creates synergy, thus generating performance greater
than the sum of the performance of its individual members.
-Wikipedia

19. Key Concept: Know your role!
Bluegrass - Bass
● Provides rhythmic foundation; pattern,
tempo, on the beat
● Uses “walks” which indicate a chord change
● The glue that holds the song together
Work Teams
● Steady, methodical
● Not easily flustered

20. Key Concept: Know your role!
Bluegrass - Guitar
● Provides melodic foundation; chords that
support the melody of the song
● Supplements the bass for rhythm
● Fills and licks
● Can take the lead on instrumental break
● Guitar Billboard
Work Teams
● Functional leadership
● Reliable
● Organized
● Flexible

21. Key Concept: Know your role!
Bluegrass - Mandolin
● Provides percussive backdrop for rhythm
● Key solo instrument
● Fills and licks
● Shares responsibility for melody
Work Teams
● Shares responsibility for leadership
● Energetic
● Often the face of the team

22. Key Concept: Know your role!
Bluegrass - Banjo
● Big personality
● Signature bluegrass instrument and sound
● Brings bling to bluegrass
● Almost always featured on loud/fast tunes
Work Teams
● “Idea” people
● Creative team members
● Subject matter experts

23. Roles in Action
Four separate instruments coming together...

24. Mr. Spock
Steady,
methodical, not
easily flustered
Key Concept: Know your role!
Bluegrass - Bass
Rhythm
(speed,
tempo)

25. Will Riker “Number One”
Reliable
Organized
Flexible
Key Concept: Know your role!
Guitar
Melodic
foundation

26. Mr. Sulu
Energetic, specialized knowledge
Key Concept: Know your role!
Mandolin
Percussive
Backdrop
Solo
instrument

27. Dr. McCoy “Bones”
Creative
Subject Matter Expert
Key Concept: Know your role!
Banjo
Bling
Featured
instrument
Damn it, Jim...I’m a
doctor, not a picker!

28. Red Shirts
They add color, but not critical to the mission
Key Concept: Know your role!
Other Instruments
Fiddle, Dobro, Dulcimer, Autoharp, Harmonica

29. Good Team Skills
● Listening to others and being
responsive
● Sharing the load of leadership -
knowing when to step aside,
knowing when to step up into
the role
● Dealing with strife, putting the
team first

30. Good Team Skills
● Filling the gaps when roles are
missing or need supplementing
● Being flexible and respectful of
others ideas and contributions
● Staying focused
● Cooperation and collaboration

31. Importance of Shared Norms & Culture
● Teams work well when people understand their roles and
function well in their roles
○ When people function well in their roles, that creates trust within the team
● Shared norms create an environment where people can
function in their roles with confidence
○ What key?
○ Who wants to take a break?
○ We all know the same songs

32. Shared Norms and Culture...
● Building these norms takes effort and intention
○ Discuss them
○ Demonstrate them with our own behavior
○ Coach people who struggle with them
○ Positive, shared experiences are powerful! Invest them effectively
● Ongoing maintenance of norms defines the culture of an
organization

33. What Does Bluegrass Have in Common
with Effective Teams?

34. Lifelong Learning
IT professionals must keep learning…
about technology and how
to be effective...
Musicians must keep practicing...

35. Playing well with others...
Which one would you like to have on your team?

36. And sometimes, things
just come together.

37. Lessons Learned
● Know your role, stay in your lane, but be flexible
● Be ready to lead, and be ready to listen
● Take care of the team, and the team will take care of you
● Practice, practice, practice

38. Final Live Demonstration
Watch this while we get ready!
https://www.facebook.com/MoreBanjo/videos/1471202692928993/

39. Final Thoughts
● Any pickers out there? Bring your instruments
to UNC CAUSE 2018 … we’ll organize a jam.
Beginners welcome!
● Questions?
● Thanks!

40. Contact Information
● Ryan Cameron, Western Carolina University - Mandolin
rscameron@email.wcu.edu
● Leslie Dare, NC State University - Guitar
ladare@ncsu.edu
● Eric Smith, Western Carolina University - Bass
ewsmith@email.wcu.edu
● Susan West, NC State University - Banjo
susan@ncsu.edu