Teambuilding

Together we can do more and better

Monday, 29^th October we discussed in class the importance of teambuilding in school. I would like to share some ideas and conclusions of that day which may be useful for you.

What is “Teambuilding”?

Teambuilding consists of putting people together to work towards a common objective.

Main Characteristics of teambuilding:

Teambuilding is more than putting people together to work. In order to be effective, teambuilding must be based on:

•          Cooperation
•          Commitment
•          Understanding
•          Dialogue
•          Respect

Why are these elements so important?

We need cooperation and commitment in the sense that it is necessary that all the members in a team row in the same direction.

We need respect and understanding because people are different and have different opinions. If we know how to handle this variety, we can reach a richer solution. If we don’t, that can be a problem by itself. It is important to make the most of the strong points of each member.

Finally, we need dialogue to reach an agreement by consent.

What are the advantages of teambuilding? Cooperation vs. Competition

Teambuilding has plenty of advantages. It is a method that prepares children and young people for the future. All the companies trust in teambuilding because they know it is the fastest, the best and sometimes the only way to reach some objectives since:

•     Two heads are better than one. It helps to reduce mistakes.
•     It makes the work faster, easier and richer.
•     It makes possible what is impossible to do individually.

In connection with that idea, there are a great number of cases in which we are not able to success because we put competition before cooperation. I am not punishing competitiveness, which is a basic element in our world, but showing that there is not the only way to achieve things.

Does teambuilding have any disadvantage?

The only problem of teambuilding is that it is not that easy to be put into practice, since, as I said before, it does not only consist of putting people together to work.

Conclusions

Teambuilding in school is a good way to prepare children for the future. In fact, there are bright minds unable to work in group. That is why we must teach how to work together because this is an important factor to take into account in the world of work.