The process of teamwork

13Jan11

Having listened to two excellent lectures on the topic of teamwork this week, I’ve been thinking about my past adventures with working in groups.  For the most part, I would have to say that I’ve not experienced a great deal of teamwork, either at work or at school.  I’ve certainly worked well with some people, but as for “teamwork” as defined by the lecturers, not so much.  Most of the groups of three or more members have been more like the “bad” teams in Professor Irwin’s example, where everyone just divides up the task and then meets two hours before the project is due, only to discover that some of the work is still unfinished and some of it is not up to to a high enough standard.  Or else the group gets bogged down until the person who shouts the loudest gets her/his way.  This is not teamwork.

The main reason for this lack of experience is probably that I’ve never formally learned how to work in a team.  I think that in many ways, we assume that we know how to do this.  However, without any structure or training in teamwork, it’s like assuming one can play music just because one has listened to it and seen other people play.  A very few are naturals and easily understand it, while most others require training and practice.

I’m quite good with time management, and I’m a self-starter, so these qualities will serve me well both in teamwork and with online learning in general.  I’m comfortable with technology and tend to ask for help when I need it.  My challenge with teamwork has usually been handling conflict, so knowing that conflict is supposed to be a normal part of teamwork is actually somewhat liberating.  It’s helpful to know that disagreements will happen, indeed are expected to do so, so it’s better to just put that energy into resolving the situation rather than avoiding it.

Professor Haycock also discusses the stages of teamwork, with emphasis on the process of forming a team.  The forming/storming/norming/performing cycle is a useful template for interaction within the team. As to his assertion that the process is equally as important as the product, I must say that in much of my work experience, where deliverables have been a key component, many managers haven’t seemed to care how the project gets done as long as it’s on time and (where applicable) on budget.  However, this attitude is probably changing as teams become the norm rather than the exception.

I found Professor Haycock’s discussion about the roles played by the team leader in the different stages particularly useful.  Leadership is as much of a task in a project as research, production, editing, or anything else.  Prof. Haycock clearly articulates the qualities of a good team leader and the various responsibilities she/he has.  The leader does what is necessary to balance the various team members and keep everyone on task, mediating when necessary.

These two lectures will, I hope, teach me a better understanding of how teams work together and how to contribute in a positive way to a team.

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