Core Soft Skill 2: Teamwork

It’s pretty rare to come across a job description that does not implicitly (sometimes explicitly) state ‘unless you possess the ability to work well within a team, you might as well not bother’. Descriptions such as ‘must be a team player’ or ‘must fit in well with the team’ are two of the more clichéd manifestations of asking for this ability. And you know what, it’s easy to see why employers go to great lengths here: in an organisation, you will always have to work as part of a group. Even if your job means you complete tasks on your own, chances are that you are part of a group of individual contributors who have to work as a team on some level.

This section of the Urban Grads site will provide you with a head start so you can educate yourself on this important topic, which will also help you with getting your team-player abilities across in job interviews.

The Tuckman Model [pdf] gives you a head start when joining a newly assembled team. Similar to being thrown into the Big Brother house with a bunch of strangers, joining a new team involves a lot of sniffing, seeing how far you can go with each other and establishing rules. Tuckman lays bare the dynamics Jade Goodey never knew about.

Check out the Top 5 Characteristics of Great Team Players [pdf] if you really want to live up to the convincing bla bla you produced in your job interview. Honestly, it will serve you and your team well!

Assessors on an assessment day will undoubtedly look at your ability to work in a team. Check out this article on how to do well in group exercises [pdf] to prepare yourself..

If you aim for a career in a global business, you will have to interact with people from many different parts of the world. Learn the basics of working in a global team [pdf] to know what successful international managers should know (but often don't).

For a more in-depth understanding of what makes people from other cultures tick, check out the Lewis model [pdf]. It is a great introduction for all you future globe-travelling executives.

As certain as death and taxes, conflict is an inevitable part when working in a team. Learn here about the two key drivers of conflict in teams [pdf], and you can decide to avoid them.

However, it takes 2 to tango, and even knowing how to avoid fuelling the two key drivers leading to conflict, you will surely meet tons of people who don't have that insight. Here’s how you can resolve a conflict [pdf] once it's kicked off.