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Although there is abundant commentary on and analysis of the “crisis of the work team,” all emphasizing the harmful effect that the unbonding between members has on quality, work safety and “workers’” health, these various discussions do not all seem to attribute the same meaning to that catch phrase, the “work team.” Thus it seems important to clarify the concepts involved once again from two perspectives: psychoanalytic group theory, on the one hand, and various trends in the clinical approach to work, on the other. This perspective has led us to stress the central importance of a cultural legacy, the history handed down to individuals and groups which they are responsible for keeping alive. Recounting our analysis of a consultation in a geriatrics unit, we hope to show how, when work stories lack experience, it is history that cannot be passed down.