Key to a Successful Team: 

Reflections on Teamwork Within My Capstone Experience

I have experienced valuable teamwork lessons through personal reflection over numerous team experiences, both in and out of an academic setting. These experiences have included undergraduate leadership courses, student organization leadership positions, and internship and work experiences. Through trial and error, I began recognizing consistent components of a successful team and have applied it in my graduate capstone experience. By capitalizing on the diversity and strengths of team members, setting clear goals and expectations, and managing communication and conflict early and often, my capstone team and I have worked effectively as a team to accomplish our client’s goals 

Capitalizing Diversity & Strengths

From the first day of the capstone seminar course, diversity and strengths of each team member were considered and utilized in our decision making. On our team of eight, four members were international students, four had previous full-time work experiences, and all had different undergraduate majors of study. The heterogeneity of our team’s backgrounds and perspectives allowed us to assign roles and responsibilities according to our own goals and interests. Members who were less interested in data and analysis self-selected into roles that focused more on reading and writing whereas members who wanted to increase their quantitative research skills could choose positions in those areas. This natural division of strengths helped us find a starting point for managing tasks early on before we knew each other more intimately. 

As the assistant project manager, I emphasized getting to know each other at a personal and professional level. As a team, we coordinated several social events to learn more about each other’s interests, cultures, and backgrounds outside of the classroom setting. From a professional lens, I coordinated a StrengthsFinder Assessment workshop for the team with Ms. Holly Kasperbauer, assistant director of the Public Service Leadership Program. This workshop provided insight into each individual’s strengths and how they played into the team as a whole. These insights helped in understanding how each team member could contribute most effectively to the team responsibilities.

Setting Goals & Expectations 

In addition to recognizing each of our individual strengths, determining a clear direction for the project was important. As a team, we collectively developed goals and expectations to hold each of us accountable for our participation throughout the process. I facilitated an interactive discussion among the team to develop a mission statement based on our client’s desires and team members’ goals. In addition to the mission statement, we discussed expectations for each other and set consequences for not meeting the team’s goals. Setting these goals and expectations together before starting the project ensured that we agreed on how to manage situations throughout the year. 

Setting goals and expectations did not end after the first few discussions. We revisited goals throughout the year as progress was made on the project. At the beginning of the second semester, clear goals and expectations were developed prior to beginning the data collection process. For example, our early goals were to conduct a full social impact analysis on foundations in the region, but research and available data suggested we adjust our goal towards creating an analysis framework for future social impact studies of the region using a specific issue area for reference. Setting progressive goals throughout the experience allowed our team to remain flexible to external factors while holding ourselves accountable for factors we had control of. 

Managing Communication & Conflict

Communication is essential and conflict is inevitable within any team. Mitigating the risks of a lack of communication or an overabundance of conflict begins with clear goals and expectations but requires continued effort from all team members. Our capstone team prioritized communication early on. As a team, we held two weekly check-ins where we discussed project progress and personal capacity for the week. This consistent communication allowed opportunities for questions and concerns to be addressed before they escalated to conflict. Additionally, we utilized project management tools, such as Gantt charts and project calendars, to communicate deadlines and deliverables in a timely manner.

Though consistent communication helps mitigate some problems,  conflict among team members is inevitable. Our team experienced both positive and negative conflict. Positive conflict resulted from early brainstorming conversations. In these conversations, disagreements avoided groupthink and led to a consensus. Negative conflict occured at times, too. Early communication between those experiencing conflict helped recognize misunderstandings and remedy hurt feelings. Managing both forms of conflict helped the team reach its fullest potential.

Conclusions & Takeaways

The common saying “two brains are better than one” is proven true as a result of the outputs and outcomes capable of a team versus an individual. Many internal and external factors play a part in the success of a team; however, my experiences have led me to conclude that the common issues of working within a team can be remedied early by focusing on a member's strengths, setting clear goals, and managing communication and conflict early. Throughout my capstone experience, I was able to learn and apply these concepts which led to a high-quality final product.