Teamwork: Implications For New Faculty

In recent years, organizations in the United States have searched for ways to improve their overall effectiveness. No topic has garnered more discussion as an option than that of teams. There are many types of teams being utilized in organizations. However, in the last decade work teams have become one of the most popular types of teams. Work teams have been credited with increasing productivity, reducing costs, boosting moral, improving organizational flexibility and a flattening of the organizational structure. The cornerstones, research and teaching, of the faculty culture are dominated by individuals, not teams. The nature of higher education is to place emphasis on the accomplishments of the isolated individual rather than on team efforts. The emergence of teams in the academy will cause an increase in the administrative responsibility of faculty, a redistribution in the power and authority of faculty members and a reprioritization of work load and philosophy about teams. Engineering faculty members are often uncomfortable with the collaborative nature of teamwork. Indeed, the personality traits that characterize some engineering faculty interferes with their ability to be effective contributors in team ventures. This article will chronicle the evolution of teams, the emergence of teams in higher education and the expectations for engineering faculty members with regards to teamwork. This information will be beneficial for new engineering faculty as they embark on a new career where the infrastructure is changing.