Teamwork as a generic skill for business students

Key literature / theoretical perspective: The purpose of this research is to develop a model of best practice for teaching business students teamwork as a generic skill. Group work has received converging negative appraisals as a primary pedagogic tool for acquiring teamwork competence (Kimmel & Volet, 2010). Some educators argue the need for team training prior to group work projects. What kind of training best equips student teams? Millward, Banks and Riga (2010) recently constructed a model of effective teamwork based on social identification theory. According to the model, training should enable necessary team psychological states to emerge, with cognitive (team mental maps) and meta-cognitive (reflective) states identified as key moderators of team effectiveness (Millward et al, Widmer, Schippers & West, 2009). This research investigates the effects of training for subsequent group work experience and outcomes. Design/methodology/approach: An evidenced based meta-cognitive map of teamwork is currently being developed from the literature. Students will be offered one of three training conditions (teamwork mental map, reflexivity, control) prior to group work projects with effects on team product, process and satisfaction examined at three key points. Findings: Positive feedback from training trials. Research limitations: Further conceptual and methodological refinement. Practical and Social implications: An opportunity to develop evidence based teamwork training that contributes to graduates’ work readiness. Originality: Investigating components of evidence based teamwork training.