Team Building: “Being a good team player: The power of collaboration and inclusivity”
Structure
The trainees/ students will:
➔ Understand the concept of “team building” in a working context (outside of the normally known narrow term of “team building” as fun leisure activities.
➔ Grasp the terms collaboration and inclusivity in the workplace.
➔ Understand that it is a continuous and conscious process.
➔ Be provided with examples of how to be a good and proactive team player.
➔ Get acquainted with how this can benefit their work but also private life.
➔ Take the self-awareness quiz and identify directions where they can explore or learn more about this topic.
➔ Try collaborating with their peers.
Inciting interest & awareness (visually through video and digital content),
Self-awareness & self-assessment (gamification element),
Case Study with cooperative elements & problem solving approaches.
Video (TED style talk), Team Building FAQ web page, Self-awareness Quiz & engaging Case Study for start of collaboration.
20 minutes in total
English (differentiate between and specify audio and subtitles in a video)
Starting with welcome to “Being a good team player: The power of collaboration and inclusivity”.*
In this Mini-Course, you will:
➔ Be introduced to the subject of “team building” and get acquainted with key terms such as collaboration and inclusivity.
➔ Learn about yourself and what type of team player you are.
➔ Learn about the important team player skills and why they are important.
➔ Learn about how these skills are connected to leadership (team leader creates clear expectations & goals).
➔ Learn how to see your own possibilities in this topic.
➔ Tackle the case study example and try collaboration in a team.
➔ Grow your enthusiasm for the topics and find sources that you can explore outside of this course.
➔ Learn examples of good team players and how to involve people and collaborate effectively and make everyone feel welcome and heard. (inclusivity)
- 3 – 5 minutes of video content
- Team Building FAQ (directly on website)
- Online quiz or learning game (Kahoot, Genially or similar)
- Case Study Video
- Collaboration & brainstorming session focused on finding solutions (a page with tips & guiding questions for the session)
- Social Media awareness challenge video (self-created)
Team building skills, collaboration and teamwork, awareness of empathy and inclusivity.
Example Questions for Problem Solving Session: (this would then be the title of the toggle
➔ Let one person define the problem in 2-3 sentences.
➔ Ask the group, one person after the other, to state their idea for solving the problem (keep it short so everyone can speak).
➔ Take notes on a board, or shared document to keep everyone’s ideas visible for everyone to see.
➔ It may be helpful to keep the W questions in mind: 5 W’s and H Questions
➔ Who was involved?
➔ What happened?
➔ When did it happen?
➔ Where did it happen?
➔ Why did it happen?
➔ How did it happen?
Step by Step Instructions
- Watch the (PEN) Ted style talk video which opens the topic of “How to be a good team player: the power of collaboration and inclusivity”. The video’s aim is to spark interest in the topic, explain the key terms and to touch upon why it is valuable for us as individuals.
- Check out the Team Building FAQ webpage with terms like team building skills, “collaboration” and “inclusivity”.
- Take the Self-awareness quiz on what kind of team player you are to identify how you function in a team dynamic and what you enjoy bringing to the table. This also helps to discover your own strengths, weaknesses but also the opportunities and challenges.
- Watch the case study video and observe the situation that is presented in a teamwork challenge and which you could face in the Practice Enterprise or the real business workplace. Take notes of your observations.
- Get together with your peers for team collaboration & brainstorming and test out in real life how you can collaboratively solve the situation. Make sure that the effort is collaborative and inclusive and everyone’s voice is important and heard. Do not tolerate someone speaking over one another or making someone feel less valued or their opinions as less important. Observe the role of the leadership element in the team dynamic. (Page added with tips & guiding questions)
- Find a way to present the outcomes of the team collaboration effort in a video for social media channels - share in the video what the benefits and challenges were for you working as a team.
- Take this as an inspiration for future collaboration meetings and talk with your classmates and peers.
Specialized Information for Trainers
How, when, where could it be implemented in the Practice Enterprise learning experience?
This course could be implemented at any point in time of the Practice Enterprise course. A suggestion is that it could be done at the very beginning – to set the tone for teamwork, explain why it is such a benefit to everyone and that it is the fundamental
experience of PE work and later of the experience in the workplace. It could also be brought in once there are team meetings established or there is a conflict/ interpersonal issue in the team.
This course can be started on an individual basis and then from step 4 onwards should be done in a team as that is the whole goal of the team building course.
Is there a need to include other trainers / teachers / subjects?
No, there is no “need” to include trainers or teachers of other subjects per se but different backgrounds, experiences and mindsets lead to more diversity and that is always an added value – especially when talking about collaboration and teamwork. So it could be a nice showcase of teamwork and team building among the trainers as well.
This should be seen as optional and depending on the timeframe, workload and topics of other classes as well.
What topics could be connected in the class session / PE Session to introduce the Team Building topic?
Training on active listening skills, communication skills, leadership skills and problem-solving are closely connected to Team Building. The course can easily be connected to topics such as Human Resources, company culture, employer branding, diversity and inclusion, etc. and if such topics are present in other classes, there is room for collaboration.
What does one need to be careful about when approaching this topic?
What the trainer should keep in mind is that what we are talking about here in the Mini-Course (Team building & how to be a good team player) is not only about games and outside of work activities such as cooking classes, but the consistent and continuous effort of investing energy into a well functioning dynamic of the team. This topic seems to be underestimated as to the importance – especially based on one’s own experience. To work in or lead a well-functioning team enables one to work more productively, better tackle challenges and increases the well-being at work and outside.
The recommendation is to start immersing oneself in this topic and watching all the creative and inspiring content that is out there. For more reference, please review the sources below.
●Has the trainee been introduced to the topic of team building?
●Has the trainee been acquainted with the terms such as collaboration and inclusivity?
● Is the trainee comfortable in a team setting and is the trainee comfortable handling teamwork tasks?
●Did the collaboration session to tackle and find solutions to the case study take place in a comfortable and safe environment where everyone had a right to speak out, have an equal voice and equally valued opinion?
●Did the trainee make the other participants in the collaborative discussion feel welcome and inclusive? (Suggestion: peer assessment could be included in this part)
1. You are on the right track.
2. I have seen a good improvement over time. As a next step, you may consider…
3. You have improved a lot and I would propose you try and take on some tasks which are (a bit) out of your comfort zone. This may help you to further delve into what kind of team player you would like to become over time.
4. You have a lot of potential. Still, I can imagine that you want to grow further in some areas. One area I think you still can grow in is…
5. Keep up the good work! You will definitely see the results if you make the effort to … (e.g. attend our study groups regularly).
6. You are doing very well. What you could still try, are these tips to get even better results: …
7. You have made good progress. What could help you to do even better is… (e.g. focusing harder on all the facets of the case study so you understand all the different angles and perspectives).
8. Your efforts are praiseworthy and you can feel really good about yourself! If there is one more thing you may still improve, it might be …
9. You have done well so far. Now you can ask yourself whether you want to push yourself even harder, if you want to grow more in a certain area. But you can already feel really happy and proud about yourself!
List of links to further develop the given topic (Team building, how to be a good team player: the power of collaboration and inclusivity)
- Are you an Ideal Team Player? (TedX Talk)
- What kind of a Team Member are you? (Quiz)
- Team Player Test (psychology quiz)
- Being an effective Team Members (LinkedIn Learning Course – LinkedIn premium needed, can be a trial version)
- Importance of Team Collaboration at the Workplace (Article)
“Inclusivity means making sure everyone feels welcome, valued, and respected, no matter who they are or where they come from. Imagine your
school or a party where everyone is invited and treated fairly, regardless of their background, race, gender, or beliefs. Inclusivity is about creating an environment where everyone can be themselves and contribute their unique perspectives and talents.”
Diversity for Social Impact 2023, Diversity for Social Impact website, accessed 9 June 2023, website link.
Download the Mini Course Structure on Team Building in your language:
