Student-Friendly Guide: Successful Teamwork!

Contents <p>Teamwork in universities. READ THIS FIRST! <p>Part One: Basics and context<p>What do we mean by ‘a team’? <br>The benefits of working in a team<br>Teamwork skills<br>Academic teamwork and the job market<p>Part Two: Getting started<br>Get in your groups<br>Get to know one another<p>Formulate your ground rules<br> The value of ground rules<br> Mission statements<br> Communication<br> Meetings<br> Taking decisions<p>Check out your assignment and plan your work<br> The project brief<br> The elements of project work<br> Programmes of work: the ‘critical path’<br> Allocating tasks<p>Part Three: How are we doing? <p>Progress on the project<br>Progress from ‘group’ to ‘team’<br>Personal progress<p>Part Four: Perspectives on team behaviour<p>Tensions: the task, the team and the individual<br>Team roles<br>Management systems and team organization<br>Team development: forming, storming, norming, performing …<br>The decision-making process<br>Negotiation<br>Cultural traits and differences<br>Individual traits: ‘cats’ and ‘dogs’<p>Part Five: Teamwork issues and solutions<p>The task: getting the work done<br> Getting help from your teachers<br> Sharing the work load: ‘social loafing’<br> The ‘free rider’ problem<br> Focusing on the task<br> Taking decisions: ‘risky shift’, ‘group polarization’ and ‘groupthink’<p>Personal and inter-personal issues<br> The group that doesn’t storm<br> Getting your multi-cultural group to ‘bond’<br> Do teams need leaders?<br> Dealing with a team member who tries to dominate<br> Working constructively with someone you don’t like<br> Finding your place in the team<p>Part Six: Benefiting from the experience<p>Getting feedback – including appreciation<br>Reflection<br> Learning logs<br> Reflective reports<p>Applying for jobs<br> Polishing up your CV<br> Being interviewed<br> Group tests in assessment centres<p>Notes and references<p>Further reading<p>Background and acknowledgments<p>