Why Students Have Difficulties in Working in Teams?

How I miss my college days? Without any inhibitions, my team used to strive hard. This entirely focussed approach ensured that we together created milestones in the responsibility given.

The teachers trusted us completely. We also did not shy away from taking up any challenge. But do you think getting the coordination was a smooth ride for us?

The initial days saw all of us bickering and fighting all the time. I feared that the team would always lag. When we did a severe analysis, the following reasons seemed to be responsible for our behavior.

Trust Issues

When they first formed our teams, none of us was willing to believe that we could gel together. We had animosity since we thought each other incapable. Since we were subjected to immediate scrutiny, the tendency was to work individually.

But, we did not give up. When things did not seem to work, all of us sat down for an informal chat. So we decided to have brief conversations where each one of us discussed our flaws and positive traits. Now, assigning tasks to each one of them was pretty easy.

All of us knew what the other person was good accomplishing. Handling responsibilities which suited us made working together with a breeze. Henceforth, the outcome of the task was positive in most cases.

Difference in Opinions

No two minds can think alike. The adage was particularly true in the case of our team. While one of us would support an argument, the other would quickly contradict it. That meant, in the end, we were unable to make any concrete decisions.

We had to find a way out of this mess. Quickly we wrote down each of our points of view. There were some pros and cons to each one’s opinion. The next step was to find an amicable situation out of the same.

Though this trick worked for us, it may not be suitable for all situations. We accepted that our opinions could be vastly different. Instead of imposing our choices on each other, we ought to find a midway balance.

Hiding Information

Working in teams may often lead to students not revealing all of the knowledge they have acquired. Since all of us are from varied backgrounds, adopting a mixed approach was required. But, problems arose when we realized that some of the members were concealing facts.

Their reason why they did that was to show how better equipped they were on the final day. As a team, we had to cope up with this strange obsession. A friendly chat made all of us realize the criticality of proper communication. Moving on, we would compile all data together in advance to ensure fair distribution.

Not Engaging

As soon as they announced our teams, we hustled together. Some of our teammates were missing, so we decided to wait. But, even after coming back, there was not much that they had to offer. They were too engaged in other activities to devote time to this.

We found this attitude intolerable. We could not allow a few teammates to not contributing at all. The next day we talked to these people and asked them to either leave the team or make their presence left. Though this was a strong thing to say, they felt the impact.

Some teammates want to achieve success through other people. Students have enough of this category. Getting them to join hands with you is the most challenging task you would have ever accomplished.

Inability to Adapt to Changes

During your college stay, your team may keep on changing. Sometimes new members were added to ours, and old ones moved into other groups. This was an incredibly difficult time as we were unable to handle such frequent changes.

Any other team would have given up at this point. I wanted to give it my best and hence made sure to set up my rapport with any new people joining in. In the end, I improved my performance individually and a part of the team as well. Moreover, with time the teams are more or less stabilized. Most of us, by now, had become adept at handling all kinds of modifications.

Working Together

Doing this is probably is the hardest of all. Since the students had just entered the new college set up, getting them to sit together and work is an arduous task. Maybe it was our prior lack of acquaintance that led to all of us doing everything separately.

So much so that we had to worry if we were a team or not. Just in time, however, we realized that this strategy would make us fail. We got our act together and divided our task responsibilities. Despite getting separate things to do, we ensured that we discussed everything together.

Not Moving in the Same Direction

To proceed towards constructive work, the team needs to have the same vision. However, this is not easy to attain. Even after many tries, most of our teammates would keep drifting off the path. Finding a solution to the same was much required.

Eventually, we mutually decided to do one portion of the work at one time. So, if it was initial research, we all put our efforts in the same. Maintaining a clear vision of what we wanted to achieve was essential. Once that clarity had been attained, moving in the right direction was a cakewalk.

Conclusion

Getting to work with teams often causes students to get nervous. The repercussions of improper coordination reflect on your future grades too. We learned the importance of teamwork in the initial stages itself.

However, many teams did struggle with attaining the balance. It is hard to work together; primarily, because you have always been used to independent work. But things are not as tricky as they seem.

Teamwork gives you a chance to prepare yourself for the future. The corporate world involves collaboration, and if you have the grasp of working together, you can truly excel. Take every such opportunity as a means to learn and grow your thought process.