Written by Alex Scoville and Priscilla Quiah
Working in teams isn’t easy, but it’s not supposed to be either.
Coordinating with others requires time. There are different schedules and commutes to work out. Decisions need to be okayed by everyone on the team. Nobody can get their way entirely.
Teams can test an individual member’s patience and ego. Relinquishing one’s own ideas, direction and voice can at first be upsetting. However, I think the attitude of a good team member is that they adopt and learn (as opposed to giving up) new ideas, direction and voice!
This education through others is the greatest individual benefit from working in a team. You see new perspectives and learn new skills.
On a larger level, the diversity that a team can bring is so important. Teams can be engineered to contain homogenous ideas and peoples, but they can also bring together vastly different ideas and members.
Journalism is one industry that thrives on both collaboration and diversity. You’ll always be working with someone else, whether it’s your editor or the graphic designer assigned to your story. Being able to work in a team is essential to being a reporter.
Diversity enhances stories. New reporters on a beat can bring in new people, topics and perspectives. What appears to be an everyday crime or situation to one person will be a story that explores race or gender relations in society to another person. Journalism becomes lazy without unique points of view!
Teamwork is so very important, even the Holy Book Bible teaches that, “one puts a thousand to flight; and two put ten thousand to flight.”
Here are few quotes on teamwork:
– Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. — Henry Ford
– Talent wins games. But teamwork wins championships. — Michael Jordan
– “What I learned in teamwork: How I can work with people. How much I hate people. How I can agree with people. — anonymous
– We are not a team because we work together. We are a team because we respect, trust and care for each other. — Vala Afshar
Hello Alex & Priscilla,
I really enjoyed that you account for teamwork providing not only different viewpoints but often homogenous ideals for group members. I find that teamwork really isn’t radical and can often be easy, especially when working with people of like-minds.
I found your ideas about diversity in the newsroom to be especially important. There are many reporters that remain on the same beat for many years, and can often shed a limited view on topics at hand. This is why I agree that a newsroom should change things up every now and then to keep everyone on their feet.
Hi Alex and Priscilla,
I really loved Michel Jackson’s quote in your blog. He appeared on the stage alone but it’s great that he valued so much the teamwork. I am also touched that he put teamwork above the talent which, maybe strange, but proves his talent.
Armen
Hey Alex and Priscilla,
Great post! I thought the anonymous quote you used was brilliant, “What I learned in teamwork: How I can work with people. How much I hate people. How I can agree with people.” That pretty much sums it up for me, there will be times you all get along and agree and there will be times you end up in a heated debate over something you disagree on. The point is, however, that working with other people can help you produce better quality work and for that it is essential.
Hi Alex and Priscilla,
I enjoyed your post and the quotes you included in the end. In fact, Tabu and I included Henry Ford’s quote in our blog post as well! Working in a team can be difficult because as you mentioned, everyone has different schedules and ideas. When working with others, it’s important to remember that you have to be open to other people’s opinions. The great part about working in a team is that it allows us to learn from others and hear different perspectives. I think if everyone is willing to be open to varying ideas, working in a team doesn’t have to be difficult and it can be a good learning experience.
Mei