OBJECTIVES In this session we will: Learn about group work in higher education Examine the typical teamworking process Consider the roles which we can play in teams Explore cultural aspects of teamworking

DEFINITIONS WHAT IS A TEAM? Two or more people Specific performance objective or recognisable goal to be attained Coordination of activity among the members of the team is required for the attainment of the team goal or objective Larson & LaFasto (1989) Oxford Dictionary (2012) A collection of individuals who have regular contact and frequent interaction, mutual influence, common feeling of camaraderie, and who work together to achieve a common set of goals.

GROUP WORK IN HIGHER EDUCATION TYPES OF GROUP WORK group discussions in tutorials group projects group discussions in lectures reading groups informal study groups group posters group presentations group reports simulations ‘crit’ groups lab groups

GROUP WORK IN HIGHER EDUCATION WHY IS THERE GROUP WORK? Can provide students with cognitive, motivational and social benefits (Biggs 2003) Group work can be used to: Encourage deeper learning (Jacques 1984) Promote student autonomy (Freeman 1995) Develop interpersonal skills (Biggs 2003) Provide exposure to others’ points of view (Mello 1993) Because employers want graduates with teamworking skills (Boud et al. 1999)

EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK Process Roles Culture EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK

TUCKMAN’S GROUP DEVELOPMENT MODEL Forming Storming Norming Performing Mourning Bruce Tuckman Source: Tuckman, B. (1965) “Developmental sequence in small groups”, Psychological Bulletin, Vol.63, No. 6, pp

TUCKMAN’S STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT Forming Storming Norming Performing contracting conflict collaboration celebration

GROUP DEVELOPMENT – STUDENTS TODAY Forming Storming Norming Performing

GROUP DEVELOPMENT – A DECADE AGO Forming Storming Norming Performing

EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK Process Roles Culture EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK

RESEARCH CONTEXT Research on effective teams Contribution of the individual to the team Belbin’s research People have preferred roles Situation dependent All roles are equally important Key roles for success Source: Belbin, R.M. (2004) Management Teams: why they succeed or fail, Butterworth-Heinemann: Oxford. See also:

BELBIN TEAM ROLES Shaper - drive to push things forward Coordinator - chairperson Plant - creative, imaginative Resource investigator - networker Team worker - maintains relations, efficient, good listener Monitor evaluator - logical observers, strategic, impartial Implementer - practical thinker Completer finisher - analytical, meticulous Specialist - brings expertise, skill and discipline

PROJECTS AND ROLES Ideas SUCCESS Resource Investigator Plant Co-ordinator Shaper Implementer Monitor Evaluator Specialist Completer finisher Team Worker Optimal solution Clear goals, objectives Work

EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK Process Roles Culture EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK

CULTURAL DIVERSITY There may be differences in gender, age, ethnic and social backgrounds, educational history, motivations for studying, communication preferences, skills, learning styles...

CULTURAL DIVERSITY GROUP COMPOSITION True or False: 73% of Business School students said that they preferred to choose their own groups rather than be randomly allocated. By engaging in culturally diverse groups, students can develop awareness of other cultures helps in considering other people’s viewpoints can perform better academically than in culturally similar groups (Sweeney et al. 2008) 44% of business students agreed that working in groups has helped them to learn more about different cultures 73% agreed that working in a group exposed them to different perspectives about the subject

CULTURAL NORMS Greetings Forms of address Touching Eye contact Personal space Time keeping Emotion Silence Body language Relationships Communications

CHARACTERISTICS OF SUCCESSFUL TEAMS Clear, elevating goal Result-driven structure Competent team members Unified commitment Collaborative climate Based on Larson and LaFasto (1989) Teamwork, Sage: USA. The essence of teamwork lies in synergy – the idea that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts

CHARACTERISTICS OF INEFFECTIVE TEAMS  Talking not listening  Missing deadlines  Lack of delegation / direction  Lack of communication  Silent members  Dismissive attitudes  Argumentative/dominant members Based on Kent University (2012)

REFERENCES Belbin, R.M. (2003) Management Teams: why they succeed or fail, Butterworth- Heinemann: Oxford. Biggs, J. (2003) Teaching for quality learning at university, SRHE: Buckingham. Boud, D., Cohen, R. and Sampson, J. (1999) “Peer learning and assessment”, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 24, No. 4, pp Freeman, M. (1995) “Peer assessment by groups of group work”, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 20, No. 3, pp Jacques, D. (1984) Learning in Groups, Croom Helm: London. Kent University (2012) Teamworking Skills, [online] Available at: [Accessed 1 June 2012]. Larson and LaFasto (1989) Teamwork, Sage: USA. Mello, J. (1993) “Improving individual member accountability in small group settings”, Journal of Management Education, Vol. 17, No. 2, pp Sweeney, A., Weaven, S. And Herington, C. (2008) “Multicultural influences on group learning: a qualitative higher education study”, Assessment & Evaluation in Higher Education, Vol. 33, No. 2, pp Tuckman, B. (1965) “Developmental sequence in small groups”, Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 63, No. 6, pp