Work Collaboratively
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Working collaboratively is essential to engineering team projects. Team collaboration allows for different perspectives to come into play. The larger the team, the more important technological communication is. At times, working collaboratively causes conflict that must be resolved. As a result, working collaboratively involves understanding each team member's strengths and weaknesses so that each team member's strength can be emphasized. Together, a team can more efficiently complete a project. Throughout my courses, activities, and work experiences, I have experienced team collaboration first hand. Below are some examples as well as button links to more information.
My first large scale team project was my Girl Scout Gold Award Project. A fellow girl scout and I worked collaboratively to design a project to aid the Veterans Medical Center. We learned that breaking the project into smaller pieces increased the efficiency of the project. After my partner and I divided up parts of the projects, we each recruited volunteers to further delegate the work. In this way, I learned how to manage large scale projects.
In college, I work collaboratively in almost all my classes. In my Engineering 1 class Freshmen year, I completed all homework assignments in a group. One of my strengths is presentation organization and appeal. Therefore, in my homework group, I often wrote or recorded the homework solutions so they were organized, easy to read, and flowed in a step wise process. Identifying each team member's unique strength was key to making the team work more efficiently. Then, at the end of the semester, our team had to create a Air-Powered Car. For the car project, my team once again divided up researching different design methods. Then, we all brought together our design methods and tested for the best design. This allowed for different perspectives as well as different options to compare effectiveness. Furthermore, in my Technical Writing infographic team project, I learned that by creating a team contract up front stating our project expectations and deadlines, we were more likely to follow through. More details about my Girl Scout Gold Award, Engineering I Air-Powered Car, and Technical Writing Infographic project can be found in the Project Tab above. |
Working collaboratively in organizations can be a bit less stressful because the work is not graded. However, effective collaboration is still key to planning great events. Currently, as the AIChE Sophomore Retreat Student Relations Chair, I work collaboratively with the Events and Outreach Chair to plan fun events for rising Sophomores. The purpose of the events is to encourage Sophomores to sign up for the summer retreat but also to encourage Sophomores to meet fellow Chemical Engineering students. While the Events and Outreach chair focuses on organizing the event, my job is to communicate the details of the event to the rising Sophomores. On one hand, if I do not effectively advertise the event, then no one shows and the event fails. On the other hand, if the Events and Outreach Chair fails in some aspect such as failing to book a location, then the event fails. Either way, this illustrates the importance of team work. Every team member must complete their part for the whole to work.
My Costa Rica Service Trip also exposed me to working collaboratively with a team. The team service projects involved building a garden at the Texas A&M Soltis Center and helping the local school kids build a green house. The greatest learning lesson was working collaboratively with a diverse group of people with different languages, different perspectives, and different methods. Despite cultural differences, we were able to finish the projects because we were united by a common goal. Even though we split up into smaller groups to carry out project tasks, such as building vegetable boxes, making crafts with the school kids, and picking plants from the rain forest to add to the garden, we all knew the end goal which encourage effective team work. For more information, click the button link above or visit the Activities tab. |