Developing The Self
What makes me unique? What talents do I have? How do I approach things? How do I express what I do best and what excites/energizes me?
The GT Effective Team Dynamics Initiative (ETD) is building interdependent teams who work effectively through team challenges to obtain outcomes that are above those reached by individuals working independently. We equip faculty with skills to teach graduate and undergraduate students to work effectively in teams. The program has expanded to a campus-wide initiative that includes over 5000 students and 800 faculty/staff that have been trained during the past three years.
The initiative includes an undergraduate curriculum that is integrated into core courses where students are working in teams to complete some of the course requirements. We have demonstrated the curriculum in the BS MSE and BS ME degree programs and have started to implement it in all degree programs at Georgia Tech through freshman seminar and ENGL 1102. The curriculum is based on Team Science Literature, CliftonStrengths research, and our own research. We help students focus on what is right with them, instead of what is wrong with them and teach them to appreciate the diversity of their teammates.
The Interdisciplinary Graduate Research Teams modules have been developed and deployed in settings that include a full-day workshop, 50 minute sessions integrated into courses where students are working in teams, and in graduate level professional development courses.
In the Campus Recreation Department professional staff, student managers and student workers have changed the way that they work together. They have integrated a strengths-based language in their team meetings, trainings, and annual review process. The annual review process now focuses on how employees are deploying their strengths to reach departmental goals and objectives as well as work successfully on a team together.
Other departments at Georgia Tech are integrating the strengths language and effective team dynamics activities. Gallup research has shown that employees and students who focus on their strengths are 6 times more likely to be engaged. A strengths-based approach at Georgia Tech will increase engagement and improve health and well-being by enhancing communication, fostering positive interactions, and focusing on what is right with our community. We have seen a change in the way people talk about themselves and their coworkers over the past three years.
We create opportunities to reshape teaming experiences by having the Georgia Institute of Technology community ask themselves three key questions:
WHO AM I?
What makes me unique? What talents do I have? How do I approach things? How do I express what I do best and what excites/energizes me?
HOW DO I TEAM?
How do I interact with others? How do I understand the diversity that others have? How can I see what others bring to the table? How do I bring my best self to the team?
HOW DO WE TEAM?
What conversations do we need to have to understand and navigate through team dynamics? How can our team work interdependently to get excellent outcomes?
Through multiple touchpoints in the undergraduate curriculum and interested student organizations, we work with students to develop Interdependent Student Teams that are able to effectively work through team dynamics challenges and work together to obtain outcomes that are above those that could have been reached by individuals working independently.
Teamwork is an integral part of the learning experience in graduate school. Through specially designed interactive experiences, we teach graduate students to think about and practice key team skills that will give them a competitive edge in academia, industry, government, or any where their path may lead.
Strong interpersonal relationships and a healthy team culture create high-functioning teams. We lead workshops, for faculty and staff, to help them learn how to build teams, communicate in teams, resolve conflicts, and lead team-based projects effectively with a focus on helping them be more successful at work and beyond.
Here is how we are working with our partners to bring team science skills to everyone at Georgia tech and beyond.
When Strengths coach and mentor Kerry Wallaert wants to reflect on her own Strengths, she turns to the ETD Coaching Circle. During her PhD exam preparation process, the group supported her personal growth and professional development.
Kerry Wallaert approaches mentoring with a focus on “what’s right with you.” She emphasizes that Strengths will manifest differently for every person, and she tailors her advising approach to each student’s unique Strengths and specific situation.
Dr. Renita Washington sees the world as a place where everyone has something unique and powerful to contribute to society. As an advisor, facilitator, instructor, and coach, she brings her passion for cultivating excellence in individuals and teams.
Dr. Meltem Alemdar and Christopher Cappelli’s curricular assessment is crucial to research in effective team dynamics. Their cyclical assessment process continuously strengthens the design and implementation of graduate workshop materials.
Dr. Stephanie Merrick’s fun energy is quick to bring a classroom to life. In a recent workshop for the Residential Leadership Community at Fort Valley State University, she encouraged students to “Share It, Aim It, and Claim It.”
Dr. Meltem Alemdar and Christopher Cappelli are no strangers to collaboration – they’ve been working together for nine years! Their cutting-edge research in curricular assessment is a model of harmonious teamwork in action.
Dr. Mary Lynn Realff’s passion for teaching team skills students urgently need in academic and industry settings led her to establish the ETD Initiative. As Director, she is energized by finding new ways to help faculty, staff, and students develop their strengths.
By any definition, Alex Berry is a team player. Part of the group that brought a large grant in for ETD’s development in 2016, Alex’s enthusiasm for collaborative problem-solving has left the 2017 graduate with a robust legacy at Georgia Tech.
How do we team remotely? It’s more important than ever to develop clear communication strategies. A team of Computer Science majors working on an independent summer project share tips to stay on track and stay positive.
We’re featured in the Daily Digest! This article by the Institute Communications team shares how we’re supporting faculty, staff, and students across campus in cultivating effective team dynamics while collaborating remotely.
With a mission to create a culture of resilience at Georgia Tech, Dr. Christie Stewart supports her students’ well-being by helping them find personal purpose and meaning, adapt to challenges, and integrate setbacks into an overall growth plan.
Whether you’re preparing for an online summer course or working on an extracurricular project, chances are you’ll be collaborating remotely. On our new YouTube channel, ETD Director Dr. Mary Lynn Realff shares tips on encouraging contributions so your team can thrive online.
Communication and conflict-management are essential skills for graduate students. Building on ETD's undergraduate curriculum, Dr. Susan Cozzens is collaboratively developing a graduate team science curriculum with tools like team charters and crucial conversations.
To work towards a common goal, teammates need to speak the same language and define expectations, Juliana Alfonso advises. Juliana, a newly minted Georgia Tech graduate, shares her seasoned approach to cultivating effective team dynamics.
We've all had frustrating team experiences. Maybe one team member feels like they're doing all the work, and another team member feels like their ideas aren't being heard. What if we could make teamwork experiences less painful, and even enjoyable?
On a quest to prepare STEM graduate students for today’s team-based research environments, Dr. Susan Cozzens at Georgia Tech is leading an interdisciplinary team in the development and implementation of evidence-based ‘team science.’
Caroline Dotts, the associate director for healthy lifestyle programs at Georgia Tech’s Campus Recreation Complex, shares the way Georgia Tech’s Campus Rec (the CRC) is using CliftonStrengths to create a positive work environment.
“I firmly believe that the implementation of Effective Team Dynamics into our curriculum has provided more tools to successfully communicate and resolve internal conflicts within a team.”
Dr. Chris Cuba-Torres
School of Chemical & Biomolecular Engineering
"The process of learning each others' strengths and making sure that tough conversations were being almost forced as a means to complete an assisgnment actually helped bring up some of the underlying issues that nobody really wanted to address."
Anonymous Undergraduate Student
Georgia Institute of Technology
“Not only did my students learn more about how to identify their own strengths; they also learned more about how good teams consist of members with complementary strengths. Students ended up with higher functioning teams and some of the strongest team projects I've had delivered to me in nearly 10 years of teaching.”
Dr. Rebekah Greene
Formerly: GT School of Literature, Media, and Communications
Currently: Campus Labs, University of Buffalo
"I liked the personalized strengths assessment that looks at how your strengths interact. As I was reading it, I thought 'yup that is me'. This helped me to realize the types of people I should surround myself with in order to be a productive researcher.”
Anonymous Graduate Student
Georgia Institute of Technology