5 Ways One Can Improve Teamwork during group Assignments in College

One of the greatest lessons I have got while studying in college was that you cannot do without people. You could be a lone wolf, but there will be moments so great in number that you will have to coordinate with others. University is a social setting; it is not a place for independent education. Most people around you during your university years will end up leaving a long-lasting impression on you, your decisions, and ultimately, life. Hence, whether or not you are comfortable with it, teamwork is an essential skill you must develop.

Assignments are integral aspects of academic life. Many times these assignments are group assignments which means you need to have a team, along with the necessary teamwork. Teamwork is not easy. Even if all the members of your team are your friends, you will most likely face conflicts with one another. Thus, it is all the more required that you keep the following tips in the mind. I have written down 5 ways that can help you bolster teamwork and come up with really good assignments at college.

1. Choose your team wisely
   We often end up considering many standard factors that are often superficial in nature. You find a team with a lot of high-scoring students and think that they might help you chart higher on your scoreboard. This, in itself, is a good start but should not be the end of it. Mere academic scores will not determine whether your experiences will be fluid and educational. There may be possibilities wherein you are incapable of adjusting well with any or most of the members of that team. Aside from their academic caliber, you must consider their personalities and whether yours can adjust well with them. No one will let you slack off in a team even if you work with a team of extraordinarily intelligent humans. So, think wisely.

2. Introduce yourself
   You might think that this is unnecessary considering you are all batchmates and do know at least some basic tidbits about you. But, hearsay is just transmitted information and there is so much to know. In a team, each member should know what he is and how he can contribute. You have to come out clean that you are good or bad at something so you should be allocated work accordingly. Tell them what you are and are not capable of. Unless you do that, your team members will not know what work you should be able to perform better.

3. Have a feedback session
   Whatever assignment you have been allotted, your group will end up distributing work among the members. Upon the completion of the required tasks or the end of the day or week (whatever you have decided), you should participate in a feedback session so that others know what you have done, what you have not done, where you are facing problems, and whatnot. These sessions infuse confidence that members are actually working and hence, no room for doubts and clashes. No one in the group should feel overburdened or overlooked, and this can be avoided with the conduction of regular feedback sessions. It need not be a formal feedback session; even a conference call would do. But, make sure you do have it conducted.

4. Resolve, not fight
   Teamwork is not a cakewalk. You have been tasked to complete work in collaboration with people. Though they are from your own batch, they come from different backgrounds and have different personalities. So, it is natural for conflicts to develop. These conflicts, if unresolved, cause misunderstandings, and lack of adequate communication channels encourages more of them. Hence, it is absolutely required that you address conflicts then and there without any reservation, or else it might be too late for you to resolve any issue. You are not the only one sailing the ship so you have to take care of your crewmates.

5. Appreciation goes a long way
   Self-centredness will only break the team. There may be instances where a single member does more than most members of the group. If you do not appreciate it, then you may lose the chance of future engagements. You do your job, but if someone does something for you or the team, you must express your gratitude. Think of all of this as your job; you and your co-workers are the spokes of a giant wheel and each of you has to be responsible towards one another. Upon the completion of the assignment, make sure you stay in touch and maintain good connections. You will never know when you end up in an engagement with them.