Whether you have had a bad experience working in groups in the past or you believe working alone is more efficient, there will come a time when working in a group will not only be helpful—but also vigorous.
Teamwork skills will serve you well in your future career, but it is also extremely beneficial during your time at University. Regardless of what program you’re enrolled in, teamwork skills will likely be integrated in your coursework and could help you, a lot, excel academically. It is time to stop fearing group work and pull these opportunities to practice a valuable skill set.
Teamwork skillset University
As a teacher, you often hear the collective groan of your students whenever you announce a group assignment as it seems to implant a horror in them. Much of the dislike of group projects comes from students not trusting their peers to place an equal amount of time and effort into the work.
The best strategy then to avoid negative group outcomes is to communicate. It’s a simple fact; the secret to accomplishing work with others is to talk about it. Plan who is doing what, know what your role is, and if you’re bearing too much work, then let that be known.
Usually, the benefit of group work is learning frankness to critique, which is essential for healthy working relationships.
This kind of communication is much easier to learn in an educational setting than on your first project in a new job. And it can save you lots of frustration, or even costly mistakes, later on. Teamwork can also improve the outcome of a school project because you are able to draw upon one another’s unique strengths.
Teamwork skills in a career
While it is true that some jobs depend less on teamwork than others, the uses for collaborative skills in a career are pertinent. Outside of school, the working world is all about interacting and cooperating with other people, but it can be hard. Managing time and planning meetings need practice and patience.
In technology fields, the ability to collaborate and work as a team is critical for a project’s success. In this environment, team members interact constantly. Research has shown that these small, collaborative teams are highly effective.
“Teamwork is always an incredible lesson, and an excellent way to gather basic life skills that make you a better candidate for any position in the business world
It is agreed upon that an individual with excellent teamwork skills is an attractive candidate for most positions. But how do you showcase those soft skills to your potential employers?
At work, a common interview question is ‘Tell me about a time when you worked on a team,’ and at school, many students will talk about a team project if it involved challenges, such as coordination difficulties.
How can I improve my teamwork skills?
The answer is pretty simple; join a team! Whether it is forming a study group for one of your classes or joining club or organization in your field of study, putting yourself in situations that force you to work with others will help you become more comfortable. Those real-life scenarios can help you highlight your competency in this area.
Teamwork is important, and the more experience you have, the better. Get started today by joining forces with others to accomplish a task or project. Whether or not you have worked with groups before, there’s always chance to improve.
Group work will prepare you for when you become a graduate and make you immediately useful for employment. Many companies require tasks to be completed in teams with the teams functioning to best of their abilities.
Advantages of teamwork
1)-Development of Social Networks
Working in groups gives you an excellent opportunity to get to know one another. It can be useful for encouraging social interactions and for developing strong social/learning networks.
2).Development of Group Dynamic awareness
Teamwork is likely to become an important aspect of your working life. Central to effective group working is group dynamics, and practicing group work at university may help you gain a greater understanding of the various factors that apply in a group-based scenario (e.g. group roles, communication, delegation).
For small groups to function effectively in a course context, students must attend to their group and the process by which they accomplish their tasks. Critical to a healthy climate and an effective process are strong communication skills. Below you will find the basic characteristics of effective communicators, plus tips to help students with group climate and process.
Although students can gain many of the skills described below through informal social interactions, they still benefit from having them made explicit. To improve their skills they also need opportunities to practice as well as to receive regular feedback on how they’re doing. Share the information below with your mates, use it to set activities for them, and work to incorporate three components of feedback into your plan: instructor comments (oral and/or written), reflective group discussions and/or peer assessment.
3).Communication skills
To function successfully in a small group, students need to be able to communicate clearly on intellectual and emotional levels. Effective communicators:
- can explain their own ideas
- express their feelings in an open but non-threatening way
- listen carefully to others
- ask questions to clarify others’ ideas and emotions
- can sense how others feel based on their paralinguistic features
- will initiate conversations about group climate or process if they sense tensions developing
- reflect on the activities and interactions of their group and encourage other group members to do so as well
Regular open communication, in which group members share their thoughts, ideas, and feelings, is a must for successful group work. Unspoken assumptions and issues can be very destructive to productive group functioning. When students are willing to communicate openly with one another, a healthy climate will emerge and an effective process can be followed.
References
• Levin, P. (2002). Teamwork tutoring: Helping students working on group projects to develop teamwork skills.
• Reynolds, M.(1994). Groupwork in Education and Training. London: Ko gan Page.