What College Taught Me About Teamwork Training

I declared a Communications Major two years into school, after discovering that it was a subject in which I had sincere interest. Now that I have graduated from college, I look back at the myriad of group projects and interactions that I had with the fellow students. I can remember many stressful periods of working together, but also many rewarding times of working together and accomplishing our tasks as a group. In hindsight those tasks would have been much easier to complete had we received some basic teamwork training at the beginning of our program.

From my own personal experiences, I have observed three positive aspects that result from teamwork: Cooperation, Unification and Association.

Cooperation - When groups first form, they should discuss some goals and objectives that they wish to achieve. These can include items such as the coordination of meeting times, the distribution of responsibilities, what strengths each individual member brings, and of course, the deadline. In a perfect world, this team would not have any conflict, but that is rarely the case. Teams must learn to cooperate, which involves negotiation, compromise, and being open to new ideas in order to help them achieve greater results.

Unification - After a level of cooperation is established, the team must work to be unified. A team brings together a group of different minds and viewpoints which affects the direction of the team. Coming together and being unified is not always easy, as individual members give their own judgments and preferences over the other group members. Setting aside petty differences among group members and being open minded leads to a group's unification. Brainstorming ideas and reaching a consensus is another way to build group unification. Unyielding opposition and conflict hinders a team's ability to move in a positive direction. In contrast, unification permits team work towards a successful finish.

Association - In my final course before graduation, I participated in an advertising campaign where our purpose was to form a winning campaign strategy for a potential client. At the beginning of the school year, my professor divided our class into teams of ten students, and announced that by the end of the semester we were going to be well acquainted with each other. I casually knew some of the students from former classes, but as I worked with them outside of class, my one-time acquaintances turned into good friends as we invested time, energy, and ideas into a first rate advertising campaign. Our relationships and associations with each other created a positive environment in which we worked together and achieved positive results.

Commitment to work together as a unified team will produce many rewarding outcomes. Instead of relying upon one individual's contribution, a team contributes many different ideas, experiences and skills. In a successful team, not only are the results greater, but each member benefits from the knowledge and skills that the other team members can offer.

Stephanie Tuia is a Client Account Specialist with 10x Marketing.

To learn more about professional Teamwork Training, visit CMOE.

---

Team Development and Learning

A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals... Read More

What Every Manager, Parent, and Teacher Should Know About How to Unify Employees, Families, & Youth

Project Head Start has been successful not only for the... Read More

Putting the I in Team

This sports cliche is a memorable phrase that reminds people... Read More

4 Tips for Keeping a Team Motivated

Companies often have incentives for reps, but sometimes that isn't... Read More

Go On, Be A Tiger

From the moment he putted with Bob Hope on the... Read More

Team Success with ?Innies?: Why You Want Them on Your Team and How to Help Them Excel

Everyone knows, works or lives with "innies." Who are they... Read More

Building Teams -You see it everywhere

A college football team has it. A corporation has it.... Read More

The Top 7 Things Entrepreneurs Need to Know About Employees

As I work with clients to strengthen their teams and... Read More

Team Member Feedback: A Priceless Communication Tool

Feedback is such an important communication tool. Openness, honesty, candor,... Read More

How to Turn Idea Squashers into Possibilities

Managing a small business continues to become more challenging. However,... Read More

Team Development in the Little Leagues

A grassy field, two nets, a soccer ball and some... Read More

Landscaping Business; Employee Relations

There are few industries or service type businesses, which are... Read More

Story Telling With a Purpose

For a brief time, I tried to sell life insurance.... Read More

Brainstorm

Ever lost for ideas while working in a group? One... Read More

High Performing Teams: 10 Things You Want To Know About Building A High Performing Team

"Conflict becomes politics, commitment becomes 'Only if it's in my... Read More

Empower Your Trainees

One of the most memorable quotes that I heard from... Read More

Having Trouble Motivating Others? Try WIIFM

Recently my fourteen-year old son Matt dressed up as Santa... Read More

Mastermind Team: Do You Have One?

The key to life is to be around the people... Read More

Creating a Winning Staff Team

As a business owner, I've had staff come and go... Read More

Build a Great Team - Ten Easy Ways to Start!

It's all about focusing on where the best value in... Read More

Do You Want to Get Others to Improve Their Performance? Then Expect the Best

Recently I decided to stretch my athletic abilities and add... Read More

Employee and Coworkers Gifts

Giving gifts to your co-workers or your employees can be... Read More

Presenteeism - present in body absent in productivity

Presenteeism is alive and 'not well' in many businesses today.... Read More

Working as a Winning Team

It's a great sunny day so it's time to get... Read More

Building The Winning Team

Winning teams aren't created by accident. Rather, the team or... Read More

Top 7 Ways to Motivate Your Team

1. Involve them. Many employees want to be involved in... Read More

Constructive Group Dynamics: How to Go from the S.N.I.P.P.Y. Syndrome to a C.L.E.A.R. V.I.E.W.

If asked to look at your work calendar for the... Read More

General Patton and Leadership

No figure in history is like General Patton. He was... Read More

Dealing with Difficult People: Ten Ways to Improve Your Communications Success

Have you noticed that some people seem to stop listening... Read More

Team and Organizational Survival Strategies for Turbulent Economic Times

Survival: The Name of the New Economic Game People rarely... Read More

Leadership Quality Through Kindness

In days past, loyalty was a given. The worker in... Read More

Hand Out Warm Glows

Do you remember how you felt after your last interaction... Read More

Team Building Celebration Plan -- Perfect For Any Time of Year

When was your last team celebration? Have you been way... Read More