Enablers of team effectiveness in higher education : Lecturers’ and students’ perceptions at an engineering school

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to confirm whether the factors that act as enablers of team effectiveness in professional context are also relevant for team effectiveness in higher education. Design/methodology/approach – From a review of the factors that act as enablers of team effectiveness in professional contexts, this paper explores whether they are also relevant in learning environments, in particular, in higher education. After conducting a literature analysis, a Delphi study was conducted to obtain a consensus proposal of a set of input factors that can act as enablers of team effectiveness; next this paper explored, via questionnaire, in a specific context the perceptions of lecturers and students involved in teamwork. Findings – A set of factors reached by consensus that seem to be enablers of team effectiveness in the specific context analyzed is presented. These factors can be the basis of future studies to generalize their validity. Originality/value – There are many studies that identify the factors that act as enablers of team effectiveness in professional environments. The set of input factors that emerged in this study would be a useful starting point for making higher education institutions and lecturers aware of the importance of taking these factors into account when using teamwork as an educational methodology. Fostering these factors will help higher education institutions to generate shared team mental models (TMMs); these TMMs, in turn, influence team effectiveness.