Managers across all sectors are increasingly prioritising the ability to work as a team in selecting their collaborators. Here’s why acquiring these skills already during your studies is so important for your future career.
It has long been recognised that healthy team dynamics help companies become industry leaders by improving employee engagement at all levels of the corporate ladder. In addition, solid teamwork increases production and improves office culture, so it’s no wonder that managers attribute promotions also based on the ability to work in a team of their collaborators.
Given the current necessities of global workplaces, top management degrees must be able to prepare students to thrive in teams, instilling the benefits of collaborative work and learning. In fact, teamwork can consolidate knowledge during studies and prepare students for the realities of the workplace in ways not teachable through any other means.
Beyond study and office dynamics, good teamwork skills also enhance personal development and help build an all-important professional network.
Are you curious about the benefits of learning to work in teams while at business school? Keep reading to find out more.
Teamwork is an Opportunity for Learning and Personal Development
Pooling knowledge and problem-solving abilities, teamwork has been shown to improve individual learning and academic success at the university level. When properly structured, group projects can help students learn and develop skills faster than they would through independent study.
Team dynamics place students in productive dialogue with their classmates, encouraging them to challenge assumptions and evaluate their ideas.
Teamwork teaches students trust and accountability in high-pressure scenarios
Teamwork has for sure been one of the leitmotifs that have accompanied Klara Crnogorac, a student of the Bachelor in Management (BSc), during her experience at ESCP Business School. “I had already experienced teamwork in different forms in my life, but this time it was a challenge from which I learned a lot. Working in teams is not always easy since we all have diverse approaches to problems. Still, the best way to make a team function is to acknowledge everyone has strengths and weaknesses and establish honest communication.”
Group work also imparts essential skills for personal growth. Students are more likely to take on complex tasks in teams – challenging themselves with the backing and confidence of group resources. Thus, group dynamics help students define their individual talents as they learn what makes them most valuable. Team projects can also improve task planning, time management, critical thinking and communication abilities – essential skills for academic and professional success.
Group Work Prepares Students for Professional Business Environments
While beneficial to all students, team dynamics are perhaps most important to those attending a business school. Teamwork prepares management students for high-paced professional environments, from start-up offices to top company boardrooms.
According to a research recently published in MIT Sloan Business Review, nearly three-quarters of the interviewed sample reported collaborating at least 41% of their work time. Thus, managers and recruiters now look for employees with solid teamwork abilities to round out ‘hard skills’ like statistical analysis, finance and accounting training, and marketing expertise.
Management programmes can prepare students to be influential members of business teams, teaching them to set and coordinate group objectives, express their needs, and provide constructive feedback. While applying for jobs, graduates are advised to detail team experience on their CVs and prepare to discuss any group work experience during interviews. Since they are hiring future colleagues, employers will look for examples of collaboration and teamwork during their studies – an effective simulation of professional team dynamics.
Teamwork Builds Crucial Networks in Management School and Beyond
Finally, team dynamics help students build networks, which are crucial for a future successful career path.
Forging trust, respect and friendship, group work can be an ideal foundation for professional networks among similarly-minded business professionals. These networking benefits are even amplified in international education environments like the ESCP Bachelor in Management (BSc), where students work closely with classmates of over 50 different nationalities.
College networks can also introduce students to an extensive alumni community
Student networks can yield crucial information on jobs and internship opportunities, as well as professional insight tailored to today’s economic climate. Group projects, teamwork and, in addition, the clubs and Societies present across all ESCP campuses, present perfect organic opportunities for such crucial network-building, preparing students for long-term professional growth.
As future business leaders, management students are great additions to any professional network. Are you ready to develop crucial business skills with a leading management programme?
Contact ESCP Business School to learn more about our BSc in Management!
