Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

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Written By: Krista Kull and Amanda Ames

Chances are at some point you’ve had to work with a team on a project. Given the right team we can accomplish much more in a group then we ever could as an individual.

Some of us thrive on group work and others dread it. Which you are depends on your past experiences with team work, because not all teams work well together.

In order for the team to catch their dream they must first determine what type of people make up the team. Some research has shown that the best teams are the most diverse teams, teams who have varying personalities and perspectives.

Now this might seem a little strange because if we look at the type of people we tend to choose as friends we may see that they’re like-minded people. They think the same way as us and it makes things a bit easier because we agree on most things. However, when working on a team project being like-minded can work against you. You need people who excel at different things. Different personalities produce different perspectives, and while that can sometimes be frustrating, it’s those differences of opinion that bring new ideas and thoughts to the table.

Dodgeball (2004)
Dodgeball (2004)

Take a sports team as an example, you could put the five best basketball players of all time on a single team and they still may not make up the best basketball team. You need five players who bring a singular aspect of the game to the team. These five players and their five specialties then come together to form a whole. The same can be said for teamwork in any field. You need people who specialize in different things, who will push you to new heights because they challenge you and help you see things in ways you would not have without them.

Each member of the team plays an important role and it’s important to determine which role you play. Are you the visionary, the go-getter, the cheerleader, or the skeptic?

 

3 Comments on “Teamwork Makes the Dream Work”

  1. Amanda and Krista,

    Your video was really cute. I was drawn in by the penguins, which are one of my favorite animals. Cuteness aside, it raised some great points about accomplishing things together as a team. Sometimes it is much more beneficial to do things with others than it is to do them individually. Also, I think you are right about the different perspectives and I think each person can bring something valuable or interesting to the table whether someone agrees with it or not.

    Elizabeth

  2. Hi Amanda and Krista,
    I enjoyed your blog post. It was good to start with a good mood – with this wonderful video. By the way I used the link you mentioned at the en, the Team Roles Test. It really provided information about the my roles in teamwork and abilities to work in group. Thank you.

  3. Amanda,

    First of all, the video made me laugh. Very cute.

    On another note, I agree that like-minded people are not the best to put into a project. However, it’s also not entirely beneficial to have a team full of individuals who all have a different idea of what the ending goal is because of their distinct and different perspectives. Finding a happy medium of diverse people with the same goal in mind is the ultimate success in putting together a group for a project. Considering that there are so many personalities though in the world, that could be much easier said than done in some situations. Thanks for your thoughts on teamwork and working within groups.

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