Let us begin by stating what a TRIAD is not.
It is not JUST
a group
a committee
a team
part of a network
for consultation
for support
although it may be any or all of those things -- or not -- depending upon how the TRIAD members define it and its purpose.
In some general sense, a TRIAD is always a group of three persons, but a
group of three persons does not necessarily make a TRIAD.
A TRIAD is never coincidental; it takes a conscious effort to form a TRIAD, and to execute its functions.
TRIADs function at different levels, and to achieve each higher level requires an intended additional effort.
Other types of social organizations can perform some of the same functions as a TRIAD, and perform some of them better.
BUT no other form of social organization can perform ALL the functions
that a TRIAD can perform. And there is none other type of social
organization that will form some of the functions as well.
Let us consider some functions that other social organizations can perform better than a TRIAD.
Consultation:
Consultation may be very important to some TRIADs but, oftentimes,
usually, a somewhat larger group of trained consulters will do better at
consulting than a TRIAD, simply because they have more resources to
call upon.
Committees:
Committees can often find solutions and implement them better than a
TRIAD because they can be larger in number and therefore have more
skills and resources.
TEAMs:
Larger TEAMs can often perform better than TRIADs at many tasks because
there are more individuals, and perhaps a greater number of skill sets,
to divide a task among.
Mastermind Groups:
Mastermind groups can be especially beneficial. They are groups of
especially skilled individuals dedicated to finding solutions to
particular problems. The Mastermind term and concept was started by the
Steel Baron philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and is explained about in
his book the Gospel of Wealth, and elsewhere. They combine the
qualities of noted successful people skilled in consultation, and
involve a larger body of people than TRIADs.
Networks:
Networks, especially those that are large and well monitored, can
pinpoint resources both as to specificity and geographic location. They
make possible finding the right person for the right task. A
three-person TRIAD may seem quite limited in that regard.
Support Groups:
Support groups also can be quite large and call upon a large body of resources and experience.
Marriage partners:
Marriage partners often bring moment to moment and continuous support to
life activities. The marriage of two people with each being a helpmate
to the other, has been the primary social structure in the history of
humanity and may well remain so.
Buddy Teams:
Buddy Teams have their places, especially as a pair. If there are more
than a pair, as in a TRIAD, for one reason or another one may become
separated from the others. This can be critical in safety situations.
Paired teams work very well in many circumstances all the way from the
two-man saw, the two-person bicycle, teeter totters and the
spotter-shooter arrangement in the military. Oftentimes it is one to do
and the other to guard, one to perform and the other to audit. More
would be in the way and endanger the mission.
There are many other social organizations such as parents, employees,
partners, associates, servants, tutors, coaches, mentors, nurses -- more
than I can mention. All may have their place and purpose.
The theme here is not that the TRIAD is the be-all/end-all of social
organizations but, rather, that it has a special place in society and is
of such social significance that, if the culture can learn to implement
and utilize TRIADs, they may in the future well play as important a
role for individual development as have parents and marriage in the
past.
In the next chapter we will discuss the feature that makes TRIADs unique
but, as I have stated before, every situation is a unique situation and
here in the following story is another unique application of a TRIAD.
Fire TRIAD
Every decision counts
by Joseph Pflueger
TRIAD Level Rating 9.0
It was Terry's first summer as a rookie wild land firefighter. The
firefighters, paired in twos, would spend the day extinguishing hot
spots to no end. He'd spent weeks searching out hot spots in blackened
areas where fire had passed.
The veteran crew boss knew that keeping moral positive was essential to
avoiding a hazardous, bored crew and was concerned the crew was growing
restless in the monotony of the same job day after day and they had
another week to look forward to the same operations.
As the crew lined up to hike back up the hill, the crew boss counted
them off in TRIADs of three. The teams of three would not only shake up
the bored pairs, he thought, but would provide every firefighter with
an added lookout, a safety angel as each took turns swapping in and out
of the laborious paired working position.
Terry (A) was now joined with Cody (B) and Danny (C) who both had a few summers of experience.
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B-A "Let's check that log up the hill," Cody said and pointed to a large blackened log propped against a stump.
A-B "That log has been there for a week," Terry said. "I'm tired
of cutting up logs that don't need it. I don't want to pack the saw up
there for nothing."
B-A "I don't remember seeing it sit like it is now; it must have
shifted last night," Cody said. "I don't want it rolling over us when
we are really tired and aren't expecting it."
A-B "It's not going to fall," Terry said trying to avoid the work.
B-C "Danny, what do you think?" Cody plopped down and hung his head between his knees.
C-(A/B) Danny noticed the mental fatigue that causes even veteran
firefighters to make dangerous mistakes. "Yeah, let's get up there and
buck that log," Danny said. "We don't want to be responsible for an
injury out here just because we were tired of being cautious."
C-A "Terry, I want you to grab the saw and I'll swamp for you. I'll clear the brush and log pieces."
C-B "Cody, can you take that high point and watch us for any hazards we might be missing?"
A-(B/C) "If you two really think it's necessary, let's do it,"
Terry said. He agreed that, should the falling log cause an injury, it
would have been an obvious mistake on their part, and would remember the
experience as a part of his growing maturity as a firefighter.
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