Groups and teams: The importance of teamworking at university
- Roy Edwards
- Dec 28, 2025
- 1 min read
In the blog last week, we evaluated the issue of team roles based on the Belbin theory. This week we are going to explore why universities in the English-speaking nations prioritise student engagement in a variety of team-based learning challenges.
The value of developing teamwork skills
From the perspective of the educators, the specific learning outcomes arising from the development of teamworking skills at university are typically expressed as follows:
To learn essential interpersonal communication skills
To improve self-confidence in the presence of others
To develop listening and speaking abilities
To share different views on important topics
To increase sensitivity towards cross-cultural encounters
To enhance a broad range of social skills
To ensure the acquisition of interpersonal soft skills
To prepare students to work effectively in their future careers beyond university
The Importance of soft skill acquisition
The primary reason why teamworking is prioritised at Anglo educational institutions is that it provides the opportunity to develop a range of soft skills as illustrated in the image below. These abilities are essential for effective interpersonal relationships at university while forming the primary focus of future employers during graduate job interviews.
The primary soft skills arising from teamworking
To conclude, in the blog next week we will examine the key task and relationship focused skills that can be acquired during the process of teamworking.
Questions
Are there any cultural implications when planning teamwork learning experiences?
Why might it not be appropriate to set homework projects in team settings?
What specific task and relationship-focused skills can be learnt in a team context?
We shall explore Question 3 in the next blog.
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