Designing Teamwork That Works: Embedding Groupwork Skills in Postgraduate Business Education

TY - CONF

T1 - Designing Teamwork That Works

T2 - Embedding Groupwork Skills in Postgraduate Business Education

AU - Basit, Ameer

A2 - Smith, Julie

A2 - Duke-Williams, Emma

A2 - Holme, Richard

A2 - Srinivasan, Sundar

A2 - Spark, Gordon

A2 - Martindale, Linda

A2 - Kinnear, Susan

N1 - © 2025 The Author.

PY - 2025/10/6

Y1 - 2025/10/6

N2 - How can business schools prepare students for the collaborative demands of modern workplaces? This paper presents an action research project embedded in a postgraduate module at the University of Dundee, addressing persistent challenges in teamwork pedagogy—such as unequal contributions, miscommunication, and accountability gaps. In response, six scaffolded strategies—ranging from rotational leadership and structured team contracts to reflective self-assessments—were implemented with 151 MSc Management students. Mixed-method evaluation (surveys, reflections, and observations) showed marked improvements in student confidence, collaboration, and leadership. While practical hurdles like scheduling remained, participants reported greater team ownership and engagement. This study argues for the intentional design of group work as a vehicle for developing essential management competencies and aligns with the Professional Standards Framework 2023. It offers actionable insights for educators designing inclusive, skill-focused learning in today’s diverse and digitally disrupted classrooms.

AB - How can business schools prepare students for the collaborative demands of modern workplaces? This paper presents an action research project embedded in a postgraduate module at the University of Dundee, addressing persistent challenges in teamwork pedagogy—such as unequal contributions, miscommunication, and accountability gaps. In response, six scaffolded strategies—ranging from rotational leadership and structured team contracts to reflective self-assessments—were implemented with 151 MSc Management students. Mixed-method evaluation (surveys, reflections, and observations) showed marked improvements in student confidence, collaboration, and leadership. While practical hurdles like scheduling remained, participants reported greater team ownership and engagement. This study argues for the intentional design of group work as a vehicle for developing essential management competencies and aligns with the Professional Standards Framework 2023. It offers actionable insights for educators designing inclusive, skill-focused learning in today’s diverse and digitally disrupted classrooms.

U2 - 10.20933/100001459

DO - 10.20933/100001459

M3 - Paper

ER -