A city, a computer chip, a car, a grocery store, a university, a power grid - all these complex systems can only come into being or function thanks to the work of many coordinated teams.
Achievements unimaginable not so long ago can now be realized with sophisticated communication and team management tools, sometimes even supported by A.I. The kind of expertise that develops gradually, but can also be lost quickly.
At a certain level of complexity, improvisation is impossible, so developing effective teams involves training and, above all, retaining a core of expertise over time. Professional teams are therefore built around repetitive projects of a similar nature, or around permanent functions. These teams must also be able to cope with unforeseen climatic, social and economic events of all kinds. To deal with these situations without fail, it's best to simulate in advance "what might happen if..." and to rely on a team trained to deal with them with what's available and according to a plan. For a team, a plan, however imperfect, is better than confusion.
An educational institution operates better as a team, and this is part of the management criteria of the best-rated institutions; the team can even extend beyond administrators and teachers to include parent and student committees.
At the student level, however, the situation is less straightforward, as projects are time-limited and teams are ephemeral. If students are called upon to engage in teamwork, it generally only takes on its full meaning when large-scale projects involving the whole class or school are undertaken, and a certain stable expertise is brought to bear - one that students can imitate and build on. Otherwise, the activity takes on a pedagogical rather than a truly functional function and, as such, seems less satisfying; hence the challenge of teaching teamwork with projects that are better carried out in a team than on their own.
Thot Cursus operates with a skilled and diverse team, nurtured by a rich social system. A dynamic society is made up of interdependent teams and systems, of which education is a vital component.
Denys Lamontagne - [email protected]
Illustration: Adrian Sulyok - Pixabay
