The Significance Of Teamwork In Educational Workplace

Introduction

In today’s dynamic environment both in workplaces and educational institutions, there has been increased on teamwork. For example, students in educational institutions are constantly asked to work together on research projects (Klein, 2014). Some of the reasons why group work is encouraged both in educational institutions and workplaces include: group work allows for different points of view and ideas which make it easier to resolve problems encountered during a project; provides individuals with a chance to efficiently work on a large or complex project; allows people to learn from each other; and encourages development of positive relationships (Engleberg & Wynn, 2014). In my second year, I got an opportunity to work on a research project with a group of other students. Our group was mandated with researching about What encourages families to attended football matches. Working on this project provided me with valuable experience on only on how to engage in research work but also how to work and relate with other people.

Group formation

Group formation was the initial stage of the project. Groups were in our class were formed randomly without any particular order. People were randomly placed together. As such, I found myself in a group with individuals I knew little about (Becker, 2010). This proved to be challenging particularly for me since I did not know how to relate to the group members. I was thereby compelled to briefly study each member of the group in order to determine their likes and dislikes. I understood that knowledge of the personalities of the group members would enable me to devise ways of relating to each individual (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2013). Since the success of the project was dependent on all members, I realized that it was important to understand how each individual operates in order to make the group functional.

Organization of work

Organization of work was the most challenging part of the project because we did not understand each individual’s strengths and weaknesses. I learned during this research project that each individual had particular abilities which could only be applied in a particular area of the research (Becker, 2010). For example, there were those individuals good in communication while there others were skilled in analysing data. To solve this problem, the group leader asked each individual to mention which parts they were comfortable with. This enabled the group leader to assign each member the part of research that was in line with their capabilities (Klein, 2014). Consequently, we were able to accomplish the research project within the stipulated time.

Managing the group

Working on this research project in group also made me realize that it was not enough to simply assign group members the parts of the research they would handle. There was also need to manage the group in order to ensure cooperation and coordination of the members (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2013). I discovered during this research work that a group works best when everyone is provided with an opportunity to contribute to the project. I also learned that it is important to have some written guidelines on how the group should function. This helps to direct all members towards the set goals.

Carrying out the research work

In this research work, we decided to use the qualitative methodology. This was informed by the nature of the study. The study involved collection of qualitative data, that is, the factors which motivated people to attend football matches (Verschuren, Doorewaard & Mellion, 2010). We thereby figured that qualitative methodology would be ideal for this study. Collection of data was carried out through a survey where families were asked to indicate the factors that encouraged or motivated them to attend football matches (Gratton & Jones, 2010).

One of the reasons that those who were surveyed gave as encouraging them to attend football is entertainment purposes. A significant number of individuals indicated that they attend football matches in order to be entertained. Another reason is because of their support for the local football team (Gibbons, 2016). We learned that the Notts County football club is well known in the community and as such, majority of individual support it. As such, people attend football matches in order to cheer the club whenever it plays.

My task in the research was to write the study justification part. Some of the things I was supposed to highlight in my study justification included why it was important to carry out the study and the methods that would be used to carry out the research and the reasons such methods (Becker, 2010). Initially, I was not confident in my ability to handle this part. However, after carrying out some research, I managed to write the part well.

In order to carry out my task, I read a number of books and journal articles on research methodology. I also searched online for research papers in order to see how a research paper is structured and particularly how the study justification is written (Gratton & Jones, 2010). Looking back on the experience of carrying out the research and working in a group, I realize that I learned a lot apart from enjoying the whole experience. For example, working in a group helped me to enhance my communication skills (Engleberg & Wynn, 2014). Since there was a lot of communication among the group members as we tried to coordinate and share ideas on how best to carry out the project, I got the opportunity to determine the best of conveying information to ensure that it is clearly understood. I also learned the importance of communication (Klein, 2014). I realized that communication for a group to function well, people must be able to communicate with each well.

The research project also provided with a chance to learn the art of interaction. I realized that for one to be able to work with others well, they must understand the importance of interaction. I discovered that interaction allows people to understand each well and even learn how to communicate well (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2013).. I learned during this research that some people communicate better with actions rather than words and it is only through interacting with them that one can learn to discern those communication signs.

Apart from the personal development, this research project also helped me to enhance my research skills. For example, I learned about the importance of ethical considerations in research. I learned that a researcher must ensure that participants in their study are protected from any harm and their privacy respected (Resnik, 2011). The research also allowed me to interact more with concepts learned in class. The research work compelled to delve more into football and its complexities. For example, I learned about fan loyalty and what drives football fans to continue being loyal to their team even during spells of poor performance (Gibbons, 2016). I also learned that for some football fans, their clubs is part of their identities and it is for this reason why always support the club.

Evaluation

Generally, as a group we carried out the research project successfully. Each individual managed to accomplish their part successfully which allowed us to put together the final draft. The relationship among group members was good (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2013). The group members learned to work together quickly and this helped the project to be successfully.

One of the factors which helped in the success of the work was planning. Before beginning the project, we planned extensively on which part each individual will play, how the group members will coordinate, and the time frame each individual was required to accomplish their part of the project (Becker, 2010). Good planning thereby helped to drive the project to its completion. Another factor was leadership. The group leader provided the needed motivation and direction that helped the group to function well. The group leader also led by example and this encouraged people to work hard.

However, despite the positives, there were also a number of negatives. One of them was a delay in the commencement of the project. A lot of time was spent on planning and this resulted in a delay in the project (Corey, Corey, & Corey, 2013). On a personal level, I experienced difficulties in accomplishing my part of the project due to limited knowledge I had. I also had problems with time management which made me to constantly lag behind. The group also experienced instances of conflict among the members due to difference in opinion, which affected the progress of the project (Becker, 2010). Lastly, we experienced problems in getting officials from the Notts County which put the research in jeopardy.

Future action

There are a number of things that I need to improve in future in order to carry out similar projects successfully. One of them is time management. As I mentioned before, I had problems keeping time and this negatively affected the progress of the project. Another thing I need to do in future when carrying out a similar project is to read extensively in advance before engaging in the project (Engleberg & Wynn, 2014). Due to my limited knowledge, I spent a lot of time searching for the right information and this stalled the research project. As a group, one thing that we should have done better is conflict resolution. We did not devise ways of resolving conflicts and this became an issue that affected us significantly during the project. These issues need to be addressed in future for better results.

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References

• Becker, L. (2010). An overview of groups and groupwork. Working with groups, 7-30.
• Corey, M. S., Corey, G., & Corey, C. (2013). Groups: Process and practice. Cengage Learning.
• Engleberg, I. N., & Wynn, D. (2014). Working in groups. Pearson.
• Gibbons, T. (2016). English national identity and football fan culture: Who are ya?. Routledge.
• Gratton, C., & Jones, I. (2010). Research methods for sports studies. Routledge.
• Klein, J. (2014). Working with Groups (Psychology Revivals): The Social Psychology of Discussion and Decision. Routledge.
• Resnik, D. B. (2011). What is ethics in research & why is it important. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, 1-10.
• Verschuren, P., Doorewaard, H., & Mellion, M. J. (2010). Designing a research project (Vol. 2). The Hague: Eleven International publishing house.