Building Student Capacity for High Performance Teamwork

It is generally known that effective teams produce outcomes that exceed those of the same individuals working in isolation. However, engineering graduates (and faculty) typically receive little instruction on how to develop a team from its formation to a state of high performance. Consequently, engineering student teams seldom perform to a level they could, and graduates are ill-prepared for a work environment in which they are expected to be members of productive cross-functional teams. This paper presents a conceptual framework for teamwork and defines six key principles embodied in this framework. It offers definitions of teamwork performances for both individuals and the entire team in four areas of performance: team relationships, joint work products, individual work products, and knowledge assets. A plan is presented for integrating teamwork development into an engineering program to prepare graduates for subsequent development of high performing teams in the professional workplace. A case is discussed to illustrate how team development is achieved in a project-based curriculum setting.