Cleisha Moseby
ENGL 1302.185
February 21, 2016
Teamwork
There are two types of people in the world: the introverts and the extraverts. The
introverts keep to themselves, not really wanting to put themselves out there for the world to
notice. The extraverts, however, are very outgoing and well spoken, and don’t mind mingling
with others. There are different activities that these two groups enjoy and are well suited for, but
there is one activity that doesn’t stick to one side: team work. Team work involves taking a wide
array of people and putting these people into groups to complete and objective or solve a
problem. Effective teamwork teaches people the skills they need to be successful in the real
world by putting people together and making them learn how to work together.
When it comes to teamwork, there are many factors that are involved. Teamwork mainly
involves everyone working together to complete an assigned or mutual task. Each member has
their own assigned role each has to fulfill in order to get the task done. One key factor in having
effective teamwork however is being able to communicate efficiently with one another, making
sure messages or information aren’t misinterpreted, straying away from reaching the objective.
Another factor is making sure all members have a say in the actions of the team to make sure no
one is left out, and also to allow for different perspectives in how to solve a problem or excel at
the task at hand. This also allows the team members to effectively weed out ideas that won’t help
the group complete their objective.
From what I learned working in a team, it is least likely that you will work with people
who are like minded, or are for the most part in agreement with how you do things or think the
same way as yourself. You often have to deal with an array of personalities, and sometimes egos,
that you have to figure out a way to make those come together in order to get your work done.
Being in a team kind of throws you into a setting with obstacles that you don’t run into when
you’re working on your own. That being said, you sort of have to learn to compromise with
others and hold your tongue to things you may not agree with. Overall, in a team, I’ve learned
you have to put your pride and some of your wants aside for the greater benefit of the group. For
example, last semester I was in a science triad and there were two girls that I had to work with on
every single group assignment in all of our triad classes. Ashley had a work ethic completely
opposite to my own, and an attitude that I was to say the least not okay with. Sally, on the other
hand was like minded to me and we got along well (names were changed for discretion). Even
though I had problems with how Ashley did things, for example here using second grade
grammar in some of our presentations, Sally and I would purposefully give her the less important
sections to cover in the presentation instead of being rude about it, so the grammar would not
affect the grade greatly. She also didn’t take criticism well, so instead of giving her an attitude
back, I’d just calmly remind her to think of how our professor would grade our work and what
he’d think of some of the information she’d try to add. Working in teams may be difficult at
times, but it taught me communication skills as well as other techniques to help diffuse problems
that would arise in the group.
In my experience in working in a team, I learned that I can be a bit controlling in how
things are done, especially when it came to major assignments. I also learned that I pay too much
attention to tiny details that don’t necessarily matter too much in certain assignments, including
the template used for a PowerPoint. But on the positive side, I learned that I am able to push
aside certain things I may not agree with or like in order to get an assignment done right, and to
make other group members satisfied. I ultimately learned how to be the bigger person in a
situation from my time spent in working in groups. In groups, I observed that group members
can be a bit stubborn and not as open to the ideas of others, even when those ideas trumped
theirs. Pride and ego tends to play a huge role in group work, and sometimes reflects the overall
quality of the group assignment. I learned this the hard way on my First Year Symposium
assignment last semester when Ashley, despite my constant nudging to add actual results charts
to the Results section she was assigned in our project, thought she knew what was best to be
added to her section of the group’s project. When it came time to present, the group was
embarrassed by the graders when one of them pointed out that our Results section was half done.
For the Argument of Evaluation and Presentation, I can apply some of my skills and experiences
to the project.
Whether or not one may believe it, team work allows certain skills to develop and
flourish. Through effective teamwork, I have been able to better effectively communicate with
others. I feel more confident giving presentations, and I know how to more effectively
communicate my ideas and opinions to others, as well as prove my ideas/opinions. I also learned
how to take responsibility for my work. I am able to put more effort into the work I do, and
fulfill my responsibilities to others since I have a better understanding that what I put my name
on and claim is a reflection of me and who I am as a person. I also get things done in a faster
past, while still maintaining a satisfactory quality in work. Team work has taught me these skills
that I can apply to my college education, as well as the real world.
In many ways effective team work can benefit an individual. You learn how to work with
others, as well as have the opportunity to be able to see how others think and do things. Whether
if you’re in a team of people you know, or in a team of complete strangers, effective team work
gives you some of the skills needed in the real world.