Content-type: text/html Downes.ca ~ Stephen's Web ~ Why Self-Organizing Teams Don’t Work

Stephen Downes

Knowledge, Learning, Community

The title of this piece should probably say "When Self-Organizing Teams Don't Work", since the author is describing the conditions under which self-organization fails, not arguing that it is never successful. What happens is, "half the time, new teams experience serious conflict." At this point one of several things may happen. Sometimes a leader emerges, and these "ad-hoc leaders achieve their de-facto leadership role by dominating discussions. Those who are quiet and thoughtful will often shut down when there are aggressive and vocal people present." That has often been my experience with groups, which is why I prefer a looser structure. Leadership, in this context, should be about orchestration rather than direction.

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Stephen Downes Stephen Downes, Casselman, Canada
stephen@downes.ca

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Last Updated: Nov 21, 2024 3:02 p.m.

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