Aydan Abbasova

CRN: 10183

How do I feel about working in a team? What are my expectations, fears?

Working in a team is an essential part of most professional sectors. Teamwork is the

collaboration of different people coming from different cultures, with various values and
backgrounds working towards a common goal.
One of my main expectations during teamwork is generation of creative ideas. Each team
member carries unique set of skills and talents, strengths and experiences, which lead to an
innovative problem-solving. Moreover, working in a team can foster my personal professional
growth. Surrounding yourself with people from diverse environments challenges your thinking.
Such experience can provide and enhance one’s adaptability, critical thinking skills, and
networking abilities. It creates opportunity for continuous learning and improvement of self-
awareness.
However, despite the fact that there are number of benefits that teamwork brings, there
are also disadvantages that cannot be neglected. One significant concern is high probability of
having conflicts and disagreements during the teamwork. Different opinions, if not managed
correctly, can lead to disputes, and even to the failure of achieving goals made by team.
Personally, to make sure such events do not happen, team required to have both open
communication and active listening. Another problem that might occur is uneven distribution of
tasks and responsibilities within a team. It is crucial to recognise that some members might not
fulfil their tasks properly or do “free-riding” that can lead to disastrous results for the whole
team. Team should undertake certain actions as creating culture of accountability and
responsibility and regular monitoring of the team.
I would like to create and work in environment where everyone encourages respect and
honesty. This means constantly seeking out and recognising different viewpoints, encouraging
each team member to offer their own capabilities, and fostering an environment in which
individuals are free to express their thoughts. Furthermore, I will try to be a proactive and
responsible team member. I will do my best to contribute my skills and knowledge and to
support my teammates to achieve goal together. I hope to provide a collaborative atmosphere so
that every member feels not only heard but valued.
 Finally, it is obvious that working in a team provides with both opportunities and threats.
However, looking through this list and analysing advantages and disadvantages, in my opinion,
the potential to growth and openness to creativity and innovation outweighs them. By properly
managing the team and clearly identifying and communicating team’s responsibilities and
expectations, there is a little probability to fail.