New England’s  natural environment is littered with stones of all sizes. For colonial farmers, these stones prevented them from effectively tilling the soil. So, they pulled up the stones and used them as walls to mark their property boundaries. Robert Thorson, a professor of geosciences at the University of Connecticut, estimates that there are more than 100,000 miles of old, disused stone walls throughout New England.

Beyond walls, stones were readily available and inexpensive, so the same stones that got in the way of farming were also used for buildings, bridges, gravestones, and other structures. They became important elements in creating the built environment. And they illustrate context.

Context is defined as the set of circumstances or facts that surround a particular event, situation, etc. The circumstance is that these stones impeded farming, so the settlers found a solution.

When we moved into our New England home, we didn’t know what to do about a seemingly ugly chandelier in our dining room. While we found the chandelier’s design pleasing, there is a faux green tarnish on the metal that makes it seem the chandelier is made of copper and glass. We knew we would have to replace it at some point.

But first, we made painting the walls the priority, so we transformed them from a peach color to a shade of blue-grey-green intended to convey feelings of tranquility and restfulness. Surprisingly and to our delight, the chandelier colors harmonized with the new paint scheme, and this ugly light fixture became quite attractive.

Rocks and chandeliers can be impediments and ugly fixtures in certain contexts. Change the context, however, and rocks and chandeliers can become assets. This holds true for people. We all come across people that appear out of place, don’t fit, or are unworthy in some way. It is helpful to understand that this most often has less to do with the person and more to do with the context in which we find that person.

Context applies whether we find this out-of-place individual in our workplace or in broader society. The challenges of context in the broader society are worth addressing, but for now, let’s address how this idea of context applies to work.

This line of thought implies that most people can contribute to something great, and we should accept that. Certainly, there are exceptions, as some people cannot possibly adapt to team-centered work. Exceptions aside, we should be looking at how to use context to design the organization and teams within the organization so individual strengths and talents are embraced. By focusing on context and not seeking individual greatness, we shift the focus of our team-building efforts from seeking “A” players to creating an “A” culture in which all players provide the best of themselves, thus benefiting the organization.

Here are two questions you can ask yourself and others the next time a team member appears not to fit.