Reconsidering Teamwork

Although developing “teamwork” is commonly discussed as a goal for youth work, the meaning of teamwork is rarely articulated. Drawing from field research with programs for children and youth in a Chicago public housing community and with a community of Angolan refugee camps, this article demonstrates that teamwork has multiple potential meanings. The popular meaning, regularly invoked in the media, sports, and business settings and often assumed in youth development settings, focuses on efficient productivity. In the two local communities considered here, however, teamwork often meant prioritizing loyal affiliations or hierarchical social order above and beyond efficient productivity. The author concludes that reflective considerations of developmental competencies, such as teamwork, are important for respecting diverse models of positive youth development.