Why I want to work in a team

In every school I have ever attended, teamwork has had a bad reputation. Apparently this has even become noticed abroad, as I learned from a foreign student that in her home country teamwork in Europe was described as “a bad experience that is part of studying abroad”. I too have had my share of troubles working in a team, but I have come to understand the value of teamwork more now that I have returned to school for my masters.

A short background on me: I studied Social Science for my bachelors and after a long break decided to continue my education with a masters in social design. Design school is very different from the regular university that I attended before, and one part on which it differs is that we rely much heavier on team-based project work. Where in my previous university I had collaborated with other students for short presentations, in design school I am now responsible for design research projects that span over several weeks and involve research, ideation and creation in teams of over three people.

I have noticed that around me not every team works out and that many have to deal with tension in the groups. However, let me try to look at teamwork from a positive perspective: