new frontier s e r v i c e s TEAMWORK

2 new frontier s e r v i c e s TABLE OF CONTENTS 1.HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEAM 2.HOW TO CHOOSE THE TEAM MEMBERS 3.LEADERSHIP 4.ADVANTAGES 5.DISADVANTAGES 6.POTENTIAL CHALLENGES 7.REFERENCES

3 new frontier s e r v i c e s The whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Teamwork is ubiquitous: on the playing field, at the office, raising children, lifting a couch. Humans are social animals, and civilization is the result of pooled effort. So it pays to figure out what got us here, and how we can continue to join forces going forward (Psychology Today 2010)

4 new frontier s e r v i c e s 1. HOW TO ESTABLISH A TEAM Division of roles Choose a group leader Establish a manual, from the beginning: working conditions, unaccepted behaviours, etc Division of work: it is faster than doing it alone Establish regular meetings, discuss Write down all your ideas, questions and suggestions so that you do not forget them Set deadlines

5 new frontier s e r v i c e s See what others have done Do not impose your ideas, let the team decide Ask for and provide feedback to the other members The different parts have to be homogenous: a project is not completed by VARIOUS students but by ONE team

6 new frontier s e r v i c e s 2. HOW TO CHOOSE THE TEAM MEMBERS Think about who you want to work with You do not always work better with your closest friends Separation of your private and professional life (favouritism, conflicts...) Team work is not always easy communication and democracy Give and keep contact details! Conflict with one member, need to solve it: establish a meeting It is a WE not an I what is better for us as a team

7 new frontier s e r v i c e s 3. LEADERSHIP Leader or follower? Social intelligence, empathy, communication Leaders are made, nobody is born with all the qualities needed According to Riggio (2009): Remember, most of leadership is made, not born. So, if you aspire to positions of leadership, then the best course is to embark on a leader self-development plan Organise, guide, moderate Being a group leader does NOT mean that you are better or have more valid ideas than the others Presented voluntarily or chosen by the other members

8 new frontier s e r v i c e s 4. ADVANTAGES More support, problem-solving More quantity and quality of skills Higher performance Achieve more in less time Variety, experiences, ideas, opinions, culture, brainstorming See others mistakes avoid repeating the same mistakes, less risky and responsibilities are shared Learn from the other members (Ingle 2010)

9 new frontier s e r v i c e s Express your ideas, how effectively do you communicate them to others? Communication skills Social skills, interact with other students Experience for the future: many jobs require teamwork skills

10 new frontier s e r v i c e s 5. DISADVANTAGES Time consuming (meetings, discussions...) so organise yourself and do not procrastinate! There can be conflict between different members, different working styles...

11 new frontier s e r v i c e s 6. POTENTIAL CHALLENGES Open-minded: when working with other people you have to be able and willing to learn about others and consider different ideas, opinions and/or way of working Participation: it is very important that other members actively participate and give their opinion. If someone is constantly passive this can be very frustrating for the other members Arrange meetings: if the group has many members with different schedules it can be more complicated but it is essential that all the members are involved in the meetings and that they are updated (Baker and Fisher 2005) Coordination: many problems are caused by lack of communication or understanding of each other (Minssen 2010)

12 new frontier s e r v i c e s 7. REFERENCES Ingle, S Dr New Enterprise Development. Lecturer at Dublin City University Business School. Teamwork. Baker, B. And Fisher, M IPSP. Challenges to Team Work. [Online]. Available from: [Accessed 16 Nov 2010]. Minssen, H Organization Studies. Challenges of Teamwork in Production: Demands of Communication. [Online]. Available from: [Accessed 16 Nov 2010]. Psychology Today Psych Basics. Teamwork. [Online]. Available from: [Accessed 16 Nov 2010].

13 new frontier s e r v i c e s Legal disclaimer: The sole responsibility for the content of this presentation lies with the authors. It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Union. Neither the EACI nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.