What are specific examples and metaphors of excellent synergy that exists (or 
existed) within companies/organizations/teams?  I am defining synergy as the 
ability to fully leverage the strengths and skills of teams, work groups, 
departments so that superior results are achieved in even the most chaotic 
conditions.  Where synergy exists, the talents of people are highly transparent 
(visible), weaknesses are offset and the whole is much greater than the parts.
The 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team epitomized synergy.

The US Military in Operation Desert Storm is an excellent example of
Synergy. The DOD is the nations largest employer with 5.3 million
employees, 6,000 locations worldwide, an operating budget of
$371billionUS and a 24% annual turnover of employees.

If you accept them as an example of a company, then taking Operation
Desert Storm, watch how the integration of sea transport, close air
support, strategic bombing and rapid moving ground forces easily
overcame the non-integrated Iraqi forces with almost no losses.

There is no way the Air force could have forced a surrender that
quickly, and without air support the ground forces would have taken
considerably heavier casulties. In terms of man power, the Iraqi army
was the 3rd largest in the world (behind China and Russia) and was
expected to last much longer.

--SENATUS

Within a branch of service (Air Force for example) Consider the
integration of Intelligence analysis, reconnaisance, research and
development, and pilots. And how alone they can do very little, but
together they can drop a bomb down a chimney of a target building
without touching the buildings around them.

|Where synergy exists, the talents of people are highly transparent 
(visible)|

Transparent means invisible.

Get your jargon right.

Synergy generally develops when you have a 50% competent group facing
a common threat (with perfusion it could be 20% competent - at a
minimum synergy is two people - although it could be one .. in the
right environment)

Confused ?