Team Building and Problem-Based Learning in the Leadership Classroom: Findings from a Two-Year Study

Leader educators know that demands on leaders of organizations are increasing, requiring different strategies of leading, for example, working in diverse and global environments, using shared decision-making, and developing effective work teams. To educate future leaders in a postmodern era, instructors must attempt nontraditional teaching methods that combine theories and practices of team leadership. With a focus on team leadership, I conducted a classroom study to investigate how to design classroom teams and experiences that would help future leaders lead teams. Three discoveries were made from this study: (a) the importance of the instructor guiding students through the processes of teaming and leading teams as well as providing the content knowledge imbedded in the course, (b) the role shifts of the instructor and students throughout the semester, (c) and the use of problem-based learning as a promising pedagogical tool in the instruction of future leaders in global, diverse, team-based settings.