Module 4: Teamwork

Student resource

Introduction
Teamwork brings people together to work towards a common goal. In education and industry, teams
thrive when they have a diverse group of people with a variety of skill sets. Collaboration between
team members can help solve difficult problems through the exchange of creative ideas. Effective
teamworking can help to increase productivity in the workplace.
In completing this module you will:
• Develop and apply different teamworking strategies and skills
• Consider the characteristics of successful teams and the concept of ‘psychological safety’ when
working as part of a team in the workplace
• Gain experience in answering an interview style question about your teamworking skills
and experience

Watch this video ( 2 minute watch) as part of the 9-5 with Stacey Dooley, to hear from young people
talking about their experiences in different workplaces and how teamwork was important across
different settings.

Activity 1 (10 mins)

Teamwork features in every day life more than you might think, throughout your time at
school / college you will have been part of a number of teams taking part in a range of
activities. Complete the table below to give some examples of successful teamwork.

List 3 examples of teams who have achieved considerable success.

Try to think of one team from each category below.

Name (or type) of team Brief outline of success

A team or team activity

I have been involved in

A famous team

A team I have
researched

Now identify a trait (characteristic) that these teams might have in common?

• For example, strong leadership. Often successful teams have a strong leader
who listens to the views and ideas of other team members, but ultimately takes
responsibility for decisions made.

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Activity 2 (15-20 mins)
Watch the video clips below outlining the findings of Google’s ‘Aristotle’ research project
into the dynamics of successful teams in the workplace.
• Secrets of successful team work: Insights from Google: ( 4 minutes watch)
• How Google builds the perfect team ( 2 minutes watch)

Once you have watched both videos, organise the following statements from 1-5
depending how important you feel they are in building a successful team.
(1 being most important, 5 least important)

Statement Importance (1-5)

Everyone speaks roughly the same amount in meetings

Having a balance of introverts and extroverts

People actively listen to each other

Team members are friends outside of the workplace

Developing a culture around how people treat each other on the team

If possible, share and discuss your views with others. Does everyone agree with
how you have ranked each statement?

The study identified that the number one determining factor in a team’s success is the concept of
‘psychological safety’. What does this mean and why is it so important?

Use this space to write your answer

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Activity 3 (15-20 mins)
In this activity you will reflect on your own teamworking skills and discuss examples where you have
demonstrated effective teamworking.
Indeed provide examples (included) of skills contributing to effective teamwork. Using the table below,
list your top 3 qualities which will help you work as part of a successful team and provide an example
of how you have used this skill in the past, this could be as part of your education or in your life outside
of school / college.
The skills you choose might be different to those suggested by Indeed, this is ok as there are lots of
skills that contribute to effective team working.
Watch this video ( 2 minutes watch) for some ideas as to how you might improve your teamwork skills.

My top 3 teamwork related qualities: A brief description of a situation when I used this skill:

1.

2.

3.

If you are working as part of a team, you may wish to discuss each other’s strengths.
This will be important when delegating tasks to complete your workplace challenge.

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Indeed Teamwork Skills:

The ability to communicate in a clear, efficient way is a critical teamwork skill. When working
Communication with others, it is important that you share relevant thoughts, ideas and key information. There are
many different types of communication skills including both verbal and nonverbal.

Within the dynamic of teamwork, it is important that the parties involved both understand the
work they are responsible for and make the effort to complete said tasks on time and up to the
Responsibility
expected standard. With the entire team functioning properly by taking responsibility for their
own work, they can work together towards a common goal.

Practicing honesty and transparency at work might mean working through a disagreement,
explaining that you were not able to complete a certain task on time or sharing difficult updates.
Honesty
Without transparency, it can be difficult for a team to develop trust and therefore work
together efficiently.

Much like communication, active listening skills can help a team to understand and trust each
other. Active listening is the act of making an effort to focus intently on one person as they share
Active Listening
their ideas, thoughts or feelings. You might also ask follow-up questions to dig deeper into what
they are communicating.

Having empathy for your teammates can allow you to better understand their motives and
Empathy feelings. Taking the time to listen and understand how others think and work can help you to
communicate with them in the right ways.

Teamwork exists so that a group of individuals with a diverse set of skills and talents can work
Collaboration together towards a common goal. It is crucial to work with other teammates to share ideas,
improve each other’s work and help one another to form a good team.

In teamwork, it is important that you hone your ability to be aware of the team dynamic at all
times. For example, if one person is dominating the conversation or does not allow others to
Awareness share ideas, it is important that balance is restored so each teammate to contribute evenly.
Alternatively, if one person tends to be more shy or hesitant to share ideas, it is important to
create space so that all teammates feel comfortable to contribute their unique skills and abilities.

Activity 4 (30 mins) ‘Teamwork is important to our business, what skills and/
or experience can you bring to the company?’
This activity is designed to provide you with
the opportunity to articulate your skills and
experiences as if you were applying for a job. Use this space to write your answer

When applying to a company, they will ask

about your skills and how they are relevant to
the role you are applying for by asking questions
such as ‘Teamwork is important to our business,
what skills and/ or experience can you bring to
the company?’
Prepare a short answer to this interview
style question.
You could include information on what you know
about teamwork, and what skills and experience
you can bring to the team you are hoping to
work with. You may also wish to refer to your
answers in Activity 3.

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