Since I have been in school, I have realized that the system rewards or punishes on an individual basis. We have always been taught that taking a test collaboratively is a serious offense, they call it “cheating”. However, as I have grown up, I have realized how crucial it is to know how to work as a team and collaborate in real life. Here, I will share my personal perspective on the importance of training in collaborative skills, to improve the opportunities for people in the education system today (and those outside as well)
The current labor demand:
In my experience, I have learned that today’s job market is looking for professionals who are able to work in teams and increasingly so. Collaborative skills are increasingly valued by employers. In fact, according to studies, 71% of employers consider teamwork essential when hiring new professionals. Knowing how to collaborate provides a competitive advantage and better employment opportunities, regardless of your professional area or years of experience, so if you haven’t learned this yet, you should.
Improved academic performance:
Throughout my life I have always been studying, from pre-school education to PhD and continuing specializations. This has clearly shown me how collaboration in the educational environment can improve my academic performance. By working in teams, I have found that I can retain knowledge better, develop stronger critical thinking, and solve problems more effectively than if I were to go it alone. In addition, collaboration has made my educational experience more rewarding and enriching, complementing viewpoints, transferring learning with my peers, and therefore learning more and better. Perhaps individual tests are something we should rethink and innovate in the evaluation systems we have inherited for so many years.
Encouraging innovation and creativity:
Over the past 15 years I have founded 8 companies. Of course, not all of them have turned out the way I wanted, that is only natural. The worst performers were those where I was not able to build teams and lead them effectively and inclusively. Thus, I have discovered that collaboration promotes innovation and creativity. By working with others, different ideas and perspectives are generated, which drives us to think more creatively. Studies show that teams that collaborate produce more innovative and effective solutions. This has led me, over the years, to transform my way of working, leading and understanding the projects I lead, understanding that the main challenge I have is to build the conditions to generate the ideal teams, since only they can bring ideas to a real destination and, many times, better than expected.
Preparing for the world of work:
According to research, 36% of jobs by 2025 are expected to require complex problem-solving skills, which are strengthened through collaborative work. In addition, new technologies will be able to solve many of our daily tasks for us, so we are invited to go beyond, to take on the big challenges and be able to solve them in a unique way. And, to achieve this, we need people who know, want and value collaboration to create the paths we cannot yet travel.
Developing my social skills:
Personally, I can point out with conviction that collaboration has not only improved my technical skills, but also my soft skills. By working in a team, I have learned to communicate effectively, to listen actively, to negotiate and to resolve conflicts, which certainly does not make me immune to always having new adaptive challenges that grow along with my skills. These soft skills are critical to success in both my professional and personal life, and unfortunately they remain so absent from classrooms at all levels.
Invitation:
Education must change so that we can build the skills needed in today’s world and make the cultural changes we need. We can no longer think that whoever reaches the top (or success) did it alone, of course NOT!
Nobody achieves his goals playing alone, he needs other people who contribute to make it happen. In the same way, when we help others to get where they want to go, we learn, we feel better about ourselves and become actors or actresses of significant change.
In the classes and courses I teach in different countries, I no longer evaluate anyone by individual tasks, but by the results they have obtained as a result of articulating with others, motivating, leading and proposing in diversity, because that is how life works, when we make it work better.
What about you? What do you want to promote in education?