Soft Skills: Teamwork and Collaboration

Soft Skills: Teamwork and Collaboration

This microcredential gives participants a foundational knowledge teamwork and collaboration skills within the workplace. At the completion of this microcredential, participants will be able to implement strategies to improve their teamwork and collaboration skills.

MICROCREDENTIAL ID: PDO-SSW-0020
CREDENTIAL: Soft Skills for the Workplace
CREDITS: 1.0 CEU (10 hours)
AUTHOR: Dr. Mandy Cenker

Registration

 

How to Earn This Microcredential

Participants will need to submit evidence of learning, implementing, and reflecting on teamwork and collaboration skills in the workplace. This includes a written overview of the important elements of teamwork and collaboration, an implementation plan, and a reflection on lessons learned in this microcredential.

Fees

Participants submitting this microcredential for review will be assessed an administrative fee of $50. Participants who successfully complete the microcredential will receive a certificate showing completion of 1.0 CEU.

 Why Get This Microcredential?

 

This microcredential is part of the Soft Skills for the Workplace Credential. This microcredential focuses on teamwork and collaboration strategies to improve those skills.

What are soft skills? Soft skills, also called non-technical skills, are interpersonal skills that determine a person’s ability to work well with others in the workplace. These skills include adaptability and flexibility, communication, critical thinking, and teamwork and collaboration. Soft skills play a vital role for professional success; they help us excel in the workplace.

Important Terms
  • Collaboration- Effectively contribute to a diverse team.
  • Group engagement- The act of sharing in the activities tasked to the group.
  • Teamwork- Skills that allow employees to operate well in a group setting. It promotes healthy employee relationships and empowers your colleagues to collaborate and work as a team more effectively to collectively meet your company’s goals and targets.

  Benefits of this Microcredential

 

According to The Future of Work 2021: Global Hiring Outlook, teamwork/collaboration is one of four most in-demand skills. Teamwork and collaboration are so important that an article in a Society for Human Resource Management magazine encourages employers to include teamwork as part of the performance appraisal process if collaboration is essential to the job. In the workplace, knowing how and when to lead and follow takes practice, as does knowing how to avoid unnecessary conflict. Working on a team also allows you to build closer relationships with your co-workers, which can make your job more enjoyable.

Standards

SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management)
  • Behavioral Competency #1: Leadership & Navigation
    • Key Behaviors:
      • Fostering collaboration among stakeholders and team members.
  • Behavioral Competency #7: Global & Cultural Effectiveness
    • Key Behaviors:
      • Maintaining openness to others’ ideas and making decisions based on experience, data, facts, and reasoned judgment.
Ohio Standards for the Teaching Profession
  • Standard 6: Teachers collaborate and communicate with students, parents, other educators, administrators, and the community to support student learning.
    • Teachers collaborate effectively with other teachers, administrators and school and district staff.
    • Teachers collaborate effectively with the local community and community agencies, when and where appropriate, to promote a positive environment for student learning.
  • Standard 7: Teachers assume responsibility for professional growth, performance, and involvement as an individual and as a member of a learning community.
    • Teachers take responsibility for engaging in continuous, purposeful professional development.

 Evidence Review

 

Candidates interested in earning this microcredential must submit three pieces of evidence: one piece related to learning, one related to implementing, and one related to reflecting.

When you are ready for your evidence review, submit your pieces of evidence for feedback from a qualified instructor. 

Evidence Review Submission Form

Learning

In this first of three sections, you will be learning about important aspects of soft skills related to adaptability and flexibility.

Required Resources:

Additional (Optional) Resources:

Required Evidence:

  • Submit a 1-2 page overview of what you learned from the required resources. Specifically, consider the following question: What do you consider as the most important elements of teamwork and collaboration?
  • Formatting – One to two pages maximum; double-spaced, no smaller than 11pt font.
  • Use two to three references to support your claims. References do not count towards the 1-2 page minimum/maximum. Any format for references is allowed but APA is preferred.

​​​​​​​Evidence Review Criteria:

  • Criterion 1: Participants will be able to demonstrate an understanding of the fundamental elements of teamwork and collaboration.
Implementing

In this second of three sections, you will identify gaps in your teamwork/collaboration skill set and create an implementation plan to improve your skills.

Required Resources:

Additional (Optional) Resources:

Required Evidence:

  • Review the Collaboration Proficiency Levels to determine which level is your current skill set.
  • Based on your results, create an implementation plan to improve your skills by focusing on the following prompt:
    • Discuss your proficiency level. Did you discover any surprises about yourself?
    • Identify two Learning and Development Activities (using the same website) and discuss how you are going to take to implement them into your skill set to increase your collaboration proficiency level.
  • Formatting – One to two pages maximum; double-spaced, no smaller than 11pt font.
  • No references are required.

Evidence Review Criteria:

  • Criterion 1: Participants will be able to identify gaps in their skill set.
  • Criterion 2: Participants will be able to demonstrate an understanding of strategies to implement into their teamwork and collaboration skills.
     
Reflecting

​​​In this final of three sections, you will reflect upon your experiences in this microcredential.

Required Resources: If you are new to writing reflections, or this is your first microcredential, please visit one of the additional resources.

Additional Resources:

Required Evidence:

  • Reflect on your learning from this module. Specifically, focus on the following questions:
    • What is your biggest takeaway from this module and how will you use it your professional life?
    • What is one question you still have about teamwork and collaboration soft skills, and what is your plan to continuing your learning?
  • Formatting – One to two pages maximum; double-spaced, no smaller than 11pt font.
  • No references are required.

​​​​​​​Evidence Review Criteria:

  • Criterion 1: Participants will be able to demonstrate a thoughtful reflection on their learning experiences.
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