Stuck In A Lab, Researching Away - Why Care About Teamwork? [Interviews]

“Teamwork is being able to reach a common goal with a group of people. The most important part is being able to take individual data and combine it to s fluid explanation of the results.”

This interview is reaching out to a broad audience to help me (and you!) get a better understanding of just what people actually think about teamwork and how it impact their lives. I hope you enjoy it and maybe gain an insight or two.

Interviewee Profile

1) What is your official job / position title?

Research Chemist

2) What is your direct supervisor’s official job / position title?

Research Chemist/Lab Manager

3) What industry do you work in?

Chemicals

4) How many years have you been in your current industry and job?

5) What are 3 to 5 of your most important skills, specialties, or areas of expertise?

Formulation, Recording data, titration, Excel.

Interviewee Responses

01) Describe (in your own words) what you think ‘teamwork’ means.

Teamwork is being able to reach a common goal with a group of people. The most important part is being able to take individual data and combine it to s fluid explanation of the results.

02) Think about a person you feel needs team-building training. How do you think this training would help him/her?

I think this training would help them better understand how to communicate with a team. Communication is an important aspect of a team working together and with better communication skills this person would be able to work within the team much more smoothly. The problem with this person is they have good ideas and plans but they don’t know a good way to explain them.

03) How do you think teamwork could help a company or business?

It helps because the business runs more smoothly and more gets done. If everyone in the company is able to work together and understand each others needs the company is able to be a lot more productive and effective. Also with teamwork there is less likely to be any conflict in the work place due to misunderstandings.

04) Describe a teamwork / team-building exercise or event you’ve been through at your work, school, or during training.

A high ropes course. In this event there were many obstacles that required teamwork such as you needed to get to the other side of a gap on a sled but you needed the full teams weight and combined pushing effort to get it to move. Another example is a bunch of platforms that are too far apart to walk across on your own but can be done with the help of someone hand for balence.

05) Explain at least 1 thing you’ve learned from a team-building exercise and how it has helped you.

It is okay to depend on people. Most people will help you accomplish your goal and then some. along with that comes the fact that many activities require the help of other people.

06) Think back to a team-building exercise you did *NOT* enjoy. What do you feel could have been improved and why?

This particular team building exercise required people on one side to pull people through a web of ropes to the other side. I didnt like this exercise because it was very dependent on peoples weight and athletic ability. I felt as though the activity could have been preformed and achieved the same goals with the ropes being a little easier to get through and more forgiving for the bigger people preforming the task.

07) Describe what you like *most* about team-building efforts and training.

I liked getting to know the people on my team. While accomplishing these tasks there was plenty of time to talk with your teammates and get to know one another. I felt as though the personal connection made completing the tasks easier.

08) What are a few things you like *least* about team-building efforts and why?

I disliked putting in the effort in a group where not everyone was dedicated to trying. I felt as though the rest of the team was being punished because one person felt the activities were unimportant.

09) When learning about team-building, would you rather read about it, listen to a trainer, watch training videos, or physically participate in an event? Describe why you feel that way.

I would rather physically participate. I feel like it creates the strongest positive results and is also easier to understand.

10) Pretend you are asked to give a quick team-building presentation at work. What are your first couple of steps to get prepared?

Gather information about the group. Certain team building activities are better than others depending on the type of group you are dealing with. From there i would put together a very brief and general presentation on what the goal of these exercises are supposed to be/what results to try and achieve and look for.

11) In your opinion, what type or personality of person do you think could benefit most from team-building efforts?

introverts. People that are extroverted already know how to communicate and understand people but introverts benefit greatly because these activities make them get out of their comfort zone and relate to other people.