Have you heard it recently said that the teachers at your school make up the “Learning Team?”  Or, that the “Administration Team” will be having a meeting on Friday morning?  Or, perhaps, if you’re a teacher, you’ve been placed on a “team” with some of your colleagues to focus on important items in your school, such as the “Technology Team,” the “Security Team,” or the “STEM Team.”

“Team” seems to be one of the newer buzzwords in corporate America today, which has filtered quickly into the educational space, primarily through the use of collaborative technology.  While it was immediately adopted to describe the vertical reporting construct, it has also been used to describe the horizontal team, a construct where members from several reporting verticals are put together for a particular purpose.

While “Team” is considered to be a positive construct to move projects forward or pilot a new approach, it is nonetheless a gathering of people, just as a family or a community is.  Patrick Lencioni, a noted author, speaker and successful management consultant, points out the five “dysfunctions” of a team.

Mr. Lencioni’s insights are excellent, and his presentation (and writing) style is engaging and can be transformative.  Visit this link – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCxct4CR-To to watch one of his quick presentations on the topic.