Cultivating Effective Team Dynamics While Collaborating Remotely
Many students, faculty, and staff have found themselves working — and collaborating — remotely this summer. With the shift to online courses and meetings, the Effective Team Dynamics Initiative (ETD) at Georgia Tech believes that it’s more important than ever for team members to understand and appreciate each other's strengths.
That’s why ETD recently launched a YouTube channel, where it posts videos adapted from its curricular materials. In the "How do we team?" playlist, ETD Director Mary Lynn Realff shares tips on encouraging contributions so that a team can thrive. These one-minute videos cover such topics as clarifying deliverables, building skills, developing consensus, discussing impact, and upholding integrity.
ETD creates opportunities to reshape team experiences by asking three key questions: Who am I? How do I team? How do we team? By supporting undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and staff in identifying and leveraging individual strengths, ETD works to develop effective and harmonious teams grounded in strengths-based collaboration.
“If your teammates aren't doing what you expect them to do, they might be unaware of their tasks or responsibilities, or they might not have the necessary skills to do it,” said Realff. Other problems could come from a team member not agreeing with a decision, not thinking their task is essential, or not feeling accountable for their work.
“Once you understand the issue, you can find a solution together,” Realff added.
ETD encourages faculty, staff, and student organizations to reach out for teaching and learning support. To request curricular materials on strengthening online teamwork, email etd@gatech.edu.
