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Employers value teamwork because effective teamwork can create a sustainable competitive advantage in the marketplace. Organizations have reported that the #1 competency they desire in a candidate is the ability to work well in teams. According to survey data, HE students lack the necessary teamwork skills when they enter the workplace. Since HE students should be prepared to bring excellent teamwork skills into the market place, institutions of HE seek to teach the teamwork competency. Accreditation bodies from many disciplines support the need to teach teamwork in HE. In this paper, I demonstrate a method to teach teamwork skills based on foundational learning theories including mnemonics, experiential learning, primacy/recency, and repetition. Student survey results indicate an overwhelming indication that they comprehend the stages of teamwork based on my process. Indications suggest they will be much better prepared to succeed in their interviews and careers.
INTRODUCTION
Teamwork is the principal method by which organizations make decisions, develop strategies, and measure performance (Miller, 2003). Work teams dominate organizations because decision-making is more effective when made in teams (e.g. Bamber, Watson, & Hill, 1996; LaFasto & Larson, 1992; Guzzo & Shea, 1992). Organizations value great teamwork because it can provide a sustainable competitive advantage (Pfeffer, 1994; Barney, 1991). Resource-based theory indicates that a sustainable competitive advantage can be achieved from unique "bundles" of resources that cannot be imitated (Barney, 1991; Wernerfelt, 1984). Barney stated (1991, p. 110) "physical technology, whether it takes the form of machine tools or robotics in factories or complex information management systems, is by itself typically imitable." Alternatively, human assets are hard to imitate because of scarcity, specialization and tacit knowledge (Boxall, 1996; Grant, 1996; Hall, 1993; Teece, 1982). Given this context, effective teamwork is a critical component to creating human competitive advantage (Pfeffer, 1994; Barney, 1991) in organizations.
Since teamwork is a method of sustainable competitive advantage, it is understandable that organizations consider teamwork skills as the number one competency needed by higher education (HE) graduates. In a 2015 NACE survey, 260 employers were surveyed and asked to rate the most important skills they look for in a candidate. Most of the participants were large employers such as Chevron, IBM, and Seagate. For business majors, the most desired competency was effective teamwork...