Introduction
How do winning sports teams utilize repeating patterns of behavior to achieve success? How do military units leverage structured behaviors to secure victory? How do businesses implement consistent behaviors to grow and sustain success?
In Liminal Space: Reshaping Leadership and Followership, Fuzie (2024) introduces the concept of tessellations in leadership and followership, emphasizing that repeating patterns of behaviors at different organizational levels—strategic (3-core behaviors), tactical (4-core behaviors), and operational (6-core behaviors)—contribute to sustainable success. While high-performance behaviors are common, organizations must tailor their core behaviors to align with mission, culture, and operational demands. This explains why professional teams may play the same sport differently, businesses may produce similar products with different operational approaches, and military branches may conduct operations uniquely. The key to effectiveness lies in identifying and reinforcing the right behaviors at each level to optimize success in sports teams, work teams, and military units.
Historical Examples of Tessellations in High-Performance Teams
Sports
The Chicago Bulls, led by Michael Jordan in the 1990s, exemplified repeating behavioral patterns such as disciplined execution of the "Triangle Offense," rigorous practice routines, and a culture of accountability instilled by coach Phil Jackson (Lazenby, 2014). These behaviors enabled the team to win six NBA championships between 1991 and 1998, reinforcing the importance of trust, teamwork, and consistency in achieving sustained success.
Similarly, the New Zealand All Blacks, known for their dominance in international rugby, embody behavioral patterns like teamwork, respect for tradition, and a commitment to continuous improvement. Their "sweeping the sheds" tradition, where players clean the locker room themselves, fosters humility and discipline, reinforcing a winning culture (Kerr, 2013).
Military
The Roman Legion's success stemmed from repeating behavioral patterns such as rigorous training, adherence to disciplined formations like the "Testudo" (tortoise) shield wall, and strict chain-of-command protocols. These behaviors ensured adaptability to diverse battlefield conditions and contributed to the expansion and maintenance of the Roman Empire (Goldsworthy, 2003).
During the Battle of Midway in World War II, the U.S. Navy's success was predicated on disciplined reconnaissance, adherence to tactical planning, and coordinated carrier-based airstrikes. These behaviors, honed through continuous drills and a culture of readiness, enabled them to shift the balance of power in the Pacific War (Parshall & Tully, 2005).
Business
Toyota's success is deeply rooted in repeating behavioral patterns codified in the Toyota Production System (TPS), including "Kaizen" (continuous improvement), standardized workflows, and waste elimination (Liker, 2004). These behaviors drive efficiency, innovation, and quality, establishing Toyota as a global industry leader.
Under Steve Jobs' leadership, Apple thrived on behaviors such as design simplicity, iterative innovation, and a relentless focus on customer experience. These repeating patterns of behavior facilitated the development of groundbreaking products like the iPhone, reshaping the technology industry (Isaacson, 2011).
These are just a few examples of repeated core behaviors. I doubt many of these organizations purposely set out to find a specific number of behaviors at the different levels of the organization, but that’s where we have the advantage of hindsight that maybe the Romans, U.S. Navy and Toyota didn’t have then. We can see that if we put three, four, and six core behaviors into place, then we create a repeating pattern of behavior with no overlap and no space in between that can cover an entire surface of the organization. But why use different shapes for each?
The Mathematical Basis for Tessellations of Behavior
Tessellations derive from mathematics, where a regular tessellation consists of repeating a single polygon (triangle, square, or hexagon) to completely cover a surface. These patterns appear in nature, art, architecture, and design. Similarly, organizations can apply tessellations of behaviors to create structured, gap-free frameworks for leadership and followership at different levels (Fuzie, 2024).
Selecting Core Behaviors for Organizational Success
The following list of 86 behaviors and traits of exemplary leaders and followers was compiled over a decade through workshops and seminars, where participants identified behaviors defining great leadership and exemplary followership. This is by no means the only behaviors considered those of great leaders and exemplary followers. These behaviors provide a foundation for selecting strategic (3-core), tactical (4-core), and operational (6-core) behaviors.
Strategic Level (3-Core Behaviors) - Triangle
At the strategic level, organizations should identify three key behaviors that define their long-term vision, values, and leadership philosophy. These behaviors guide decision-making and ensure alignment across all levels.
Visionary: Inspires forward-thinking and innovation (Kotter, 2012).
Integrity: Builds trust and ensures ethical practices (Trevino & Nelson, 2016).
Adaptability: Enables resilience in changing environments (Heifetz et al., 2009).
Tactical Level (4-Core Behaviors) - Square
The tactical level emphasizes behaviors that enhance execution, teamwork, and decision-making.
Empowerment: Encourages ownership and engagement (Spreitzer, 1995).
Problem-Solving: Addresses challenges effectively (Drucker, 1999).
Collaboration: Fosters smooth teamwork and alignment (Edmondson, 2012).
Accountability: Reinforces reliability and commitment (Lencioni, 2002).
Operational Level (6-Core Behaviors) - Hexagon
At the operational level, behaviors must ensure efficiency and effectiveness in daily tasks.
Discipline: Maintains consistency and precision (Sinek, 2014).
Resilience: Endures challenges and recovers quickly (Duckworth, 2016).
Communication: Ensures clarity and prevents misunderstandings (Goleman, 1998).
Proactivity: Addresses issues before escalation (Covey, 1989).
Competence: Maintains technical excellence (Katz, 1974).
Team Orientation: Fosters mutual support and shared success (Hackman, 2002).
Implementation Steps for Tessellations of Behaviors
1. Behavior Identification
Organizations must begin by systematically identifying the behaviors that align with their mission, culture, and strategic objectives. This process involves:
Conducting leadership and team assessments to determine the existing behavioral strengths and gaps.
Engaging stakeholders, including executives, managers, and frontline employees, to gather insights on desired behaviors.
Analyzing historical data, case studies, and industry benchmarks to identify behaviors associated with long-term success.
Refining the list of behaviors by prioritizing those that contribute to sustainable performance and alignment with organizational values.
2. Behavior Mapping
Once the key behaviors are identified, they must be structured within the organizational framework at different levels:
Strategic Level (3-Core Behaviors): Identify behaviors that shape long-term vision, innovation, and cultural integrity. These behaviors should be guiding principles that influence high-level decision-making.
Tactical Level (4-Core Behaviors): Define behaviors that enhance team coordination, problem-solving, and execution of strategic objectives. These behaviors should be specific enough to support daily team interactions and mid-level management functions.
Operational Level (6-Core Behaviors): Establish behaviors that drive efficiency, communication, and resilience in everyday tasks. These behaviors should be actionable and directly linked to operational success.
Utilize visual tools such as behavior matrices, organizational charts, and role-specific competency models to ensure clear understanding and application.
3. Behavior Reinforcement
To ensure that identified behaviors become an integral part of the organization, reinforcement strategies must be embedded into daily operations:
Training Programs: Incorporate behaviors into leadership development, onboarding, and role-specific training modules.
Performance Management: Align performance metrics with the selected behaviors and integrate them into evaluation criteria.
Team-Building Exercises: Develop workshops and simulations that reinforce core behaviors through real-world applications
Mentorship and Coaching: Pair employees with mentors who exemplify the desired behaviors and provide continuous guidance.
Communication Strategy: Regularly reinforce behaviors through internal communications, town halls, and recognition programs that highlight employees demonstrating core behaviors.
4. Behavior Evaluation
Organizations must continually assess and refine behaviors to ensure alignment with evolving challenges and objectives:
Regular Feedback Mechanisms: Use surveys, peer reviews, and one-on-one discussions to gather input on behavioral effectiveness.
Performance Analytics: Leverage data-driven insights to measure the impact of behaviors on organizational performance.
Adjustments and Refinements: Periodically reassess and modify behaviors to stay relevant in changing business environments.
Reinforcement Audits: Evaluate whether training, team-building, and communication strategies are effectively reinforcing behaviors.
Leadership Involvement: Encourage leaders to model and advocate for continuous behavioral improvements.
By following these structured implementation steps, organizations can create a seamless and sustainable framework of tessellated behaviors that enhance performance, resilience, and adaptability at all levels.
Conclusion
Liminal Space: Reshaping Leadership and Followership’s tessellation framework provides a structured approach to selecting and reinforcing behaviors at strategic, tactical, and operational levels, enabling organizations to align their culture, mission, and operational goals. The inclusion of the 86 behaviors of great leaders and exemplary followers serves as a comprehensive foundation for organizations to tailor their selection of 3-core, 4-core, and 6-core behaviors to their unique needs. At the strategic level, organizations can draw on traits such as integrity, visionary thinking, and adaptability to establish a strong leadership ethos and long-term direction. At the tactical level, behaviors such as accountability, collaboration, problem-solving, and empowerment ensure the effective execution of strategies and foster teamwork across departments. At the operational level, practical, daily behaviors like discipline, communication, resilience, technical competence, and proactivity build the foundation for excellence in execution and continuous improvement.
By consciously identifying, reinforcing, and integrating these selected behaviors into daily practices, leadership development, and team dynamics, organizations can ensure that their core values and goals are consistently reflected at every level. The repeated application of these tessellations of behaviors creates a ripple effect throughout the organization, cultivating a culture of excellence, adaptability, and sustained success. This framework is highly adaptable, making it valuable across diverse sectors such as sports, business, and military operations. Ultimately, the combination of Dr. Fuzie’s tessellation model with the rich pool of behaviors offers organizations a roadmap to not only meet but exceed their performance and cultural goals.
For further insights, refer to Liminal Space: Reshaping Leadership and Followership (Fuzie, 2024), available on Amazon.
References
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