In my role as technical editor for agileconnection.com, I have the opportunity to read many terrific articles. I also have the opportunity to review and comment on those articles.
One such comment is what do teams do? Do they “gel” or do they “jell”?
Gel is what you put in hair. When you “gel” things, you create a thick goo, like concrete. Teams are not a thick goo. Teams are flexible and responsive.
Jell is what you want teams to do. You want them firm, but not set in concrete. When teams jell, they might even jiggle a little. They wave. They adapt. They might even do a little dance, zigging here, zapping there.
You want to keep the people in the teams as much as possible, so you flow work through the teams. But you want the people in the teams to reconsider what they do on a regular basis. That's called retrospecting. People who have their feet in concrete don't retrospect. They are stuck. People who are flexible and responsive do.
So, think about whether you have a gelled or a jelled team. Maybe I'm being a nitpicker. I probably am. Our words mean something.
If you have an article you'd like to publish, send it to me. You and I will craft it into something great. Whether or not your team jells.
What a great example about how words matter! I will now imagine people with slick hairdos when I think about a “gelled” team.
Allison, thanks. I saw a guy with a very cool mohawk the other day. It was multiple colors and everything. That hair was not going to move. Talk about “gelled” 🙂
Jell would be short for Jell-o, a brand-name.
The metaphor is that teams gel which is what happens what you provide a carefully constructed protein-substrate and water will then form a crystalline structure around it.
If you start calling it “team jell” you will be acting an idiot.
Shannon, thank you for your comment. Neither Allison nor I are “idiots.” We happen to disagree with you.
Take a look at this link: https://www.wordhippo.com/what-is/another-word-for/jell.html for why I use “jell” for people who manage to create a collaborative team.
I encourage you to comment again here. However, please do not call people names. That does not fit with how I want people here to contribute. Thank you.
It rather seems to be British vs. American English here. See http://www.talkwordy.com/2008/11/jell-vs-gel-go/
Rolf, thanks for the link!
Both words are derived from the same Latin word that gives us “gelatine” (“gelata”) and mean the same thing. “Jell” took a stop through “jelly” first, though, and swapped out it’s “g” for a “j” during the 1800s, while “gel” didn’t start getting used until about WWI.
Whether one uses “jell” or “gel” typically indicates whether one has learned American or British English.
Sam, well, that figures 🙂
The team never did jell like last year.
Thanks for the clarification.
Dennis, glad to be of service.
Gel is fine too. Just as individual components come together to make gelatin, which is one cohesive unit, teams can do the same.
Joe, well… “Jell” is a verb. “Gel”—most often—is a noun. For more information, see https://grammarist.com/homophones/gel-vs-jell/
I’m sticking with “jell” for teams. I will not be the grammar police for you!
In the UK we use Gel for both a thick substance and cohesive result. Jell was made up by you lot lol!
Danny, too funny! Thanks.
OK, except…gelatin is flexible and so ‘gel’ makes sense. Concrete is not a thick goo. Concrete is a rock-like, solid material. Jell would come from jell-o which is a brand name of gelatin and a name, not a common use word.
Adam, I’m delighted you a fellow word-picky-person! According to Wikipedia, a “gel” is a semi-solid. In contrast, Merriam-Webster says “jell” is to become cohesive.
You don’t have to like these definitions. However “Jell” is not just from Jell-o (which is a brand name so we should capitalize it). Jell is a verb in its own right. (I don’t know if that company meant cohesiveness or not.
When I talk about teams with the word, “jell,” I do mean cohesiveness.
Johanna Rothman!!!
Wow! Last time I saw you was before the year 2000. I cannot remember the exact circumstances. I just did a web search for spelling of “Jell” as in when a team jells. The #1 link that came back had your name, your firm’s name, the title of this blog article with the link…and now, here I am. I am so happy to have found you this way.
As for the topic here…..the team coordination and cohesion that is happening where I am working today is too preliminary in its development match the distinctions I see in your article. That said, I think the coming together starting to happen on this team of is causing us all to work more efficiently, with more confidence, and causing us to communicate requirements and status with one another much better. I am in the middle of writing a note to the technical leader of this team, to let him know this jelling or gelling has started happening in a way I think might help him.
So, how to spell the word. According to self-proclaimed grammarist (https://grammarist.com/homophones/gel-vs-jell/), there is a lot to consider when deciding between the words gel and jell. I was thinking one word was correct for my purpose, and the other is not. Now I see that either can be correct, and the answer comes down to debatable perceptions. Just like almost every decision when working with software. This ware isn’t called soft for nothing!
Hi Dan. If I remember you correctly, yes, it has been a very long time. I’m so glad you rediscovered me! (Feel free to fill out a contact form and send me an email.)
Thanks for your comment. Your perception that the gradual collaboration is causing you to work efficiently is true. That’s because the team is starting to manage its WIP (Work in Progress). (See Flow Metrics and Why They Matter to Teams and Managers for why your perception is true.)