In his book The Element: How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything, educator Sir Ken Robinson discusses the importance of people finding their tribe and being on creative teams as integral components of achieving one’s potential, or being “in the element.” Locating one's tribe enables a person to be around others who are passionate and devoted; the synchronicity that results when excited and committed people thrive off one another brings out the best in everyone.
The concept of people finding their tribe carries great relevance for those of us who spend our days in middle and high schools. We all know the power of peer pressure, and often when speaking about adolescents, we focus on the possible harmful consequences of acceding to the wishes of one's peers. Psychologists like Judith Harris have written on the way that peers come to replace parents as the primary influence on teens’ behavior and attitudes. Anti-drug campaigns, like Nancy Reagan's "Just Say No" in the 1980's, acknowledge the difficulty which high schoolers experience in standing up to their friends’ attempts to influence them to try drugs or alcohol.
However, how often do we point out the powerfully good impact of students finding their tribe? Do we emphasize the life-affirming power of a creative team as regularly as we warn about the negative impact of the bad tribe? In his discussion of the tribe, Robinson points to three key components of creative teams that allow them to be successful.
To begin, Robinson states that creative teams are diverse. He says, "They are composed of very different sorts of people with different but complementary talents. It was their differences that made their creative work together greater than the sum of their individual parts." All too often in schools when students work on projects or group assignments, we allow them to choose their own groups, and unfortunately, they seek out those with whom they think they have the most in common. In doing so, they not only lose out on a social opportunity, but also we fail to teach them the efficacy of heterogeneous groups. As Dr. Scott Page from the University of Michigan has shown in his studies of diversity in the workplace, heterogeneous groups are much more creative and effective in the long run than homogeneous groups since the diversity of talents enables them to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles.
Robinson further says that creative teams are dynamic. He says, "Creative teams find ways of using their difference as strengths, not weaknesses. They have a process through which their strengths are complementary and compensate for each other's weaknesses too." As we encourage students to work in diverse groups, we must help them learn how to go from being a collection of creative individuals to a cohesive group. As a long time basketball fan, I harken back to the New York Knicks teams of the early 1970's as an example of talented individuals coming together to create something greater than merely a collection of good players. The steady leadership of Willis Reed, the tenacious defense of Walt Frazier, the scoring ability of Cazzie Russell, the brilliant passing of Bill Bradley, the rebounding of Dave DeBusschere, and the steady play of Dick Barnett all combined to create a team for the ages. All of these players were good and in some cases great; nevertheless, it was in their determination to win and their willingness to sublimate some of their own egos that they achieved true greatness.
Finally, Robinson explains that creative teams are distinct. As opposed to committees that Robinson says "do routine work and have members who are theoretically interchangeable," creative teams "have a distinct personality and come together to do something specific." Consequently, they may be task-defined and when their work is done, they may move on. The New York Knicks have yet to replicate the glory years of the early 1970's even though they have had many great players over the past forty years. Like other great teams, glory may be temporary and ephemeral.
The same convergence of individuals creating something amazing can be seen in other areas, whether it was Abraham Lincoln's "team of rivals" in his wartime cabinet, the scientists working on the Manhattan Project, or the periodic coming together of musicians to create an album, as seen in bands like the English blues-rock group Blind Faith from 1969 that included Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood, and Ric Grech. In the book and movie Moneyball, author Michael Lewis shows how Oakland A's manager Billy Bean approaches the building of a team differently than his predecessors or contemporaries. Bean looks for different indicators of success than others do and, in the process, builds good teams that exceed the expectations of scouts and opposing coaches.
As we teach students the content they should know and the skills they must have, we need to show them the power of creative teamwork and how to bring out the best of everyone in their group. In a world that increasingly requires collaboration across geographic boundaries and time zones, teaching students requires showing them that when they are on teams that are diverse, dynamic, and distinct, they will produce superior work, which will make them better people in the process.
