A very important part of our workload here at Pepperdine is our team projects. Team projects are required in just about every class we take. Our team’s generally consist of 3-5 people that we usually get to pick.
The collaborative team effort of business school is very different than the competitive environment of law school. Many of the students in both law and business, have considered both types of degrees. The two cultures of the different programs greatly influence both the students and their experience in the programs.
In law school, the students are ranked according to their performance in the program. Because the law school rankings are published, students are extremely motivated do anything possible to increase their rank relative to the other students. This fosters an environment that is very competitive, because any failure to one student benefits another. Top law firms only recruit from the top ranked students, which adds to the competition. I have heard stories of students giving fellow students fake class notes and mysteriously missing library books.
In contrast, business school has a very team-like culture. In every class, we have team projects that account for a significant part of our grades. In the business world, most work in done in teams. Unlike law programs, our class isn’t ranked and our GPA’s are not published. Some programs like the Haas School of Business have even gone as far to remove grades altogether. While at Cal everyone still gets grades, they just are not published or made available to recruiting companies. This allows students to take classes outside their area of focus and not have to worry about GPA requirements.
Here are some tips for working in teams in business school:
Create a diverse team. Team projects generally involve many different aspects of business. MBA students come from a wide variety of professional backgrounds and academic majors. Having a team without a quantitatively minded student, or a team without an extroverted people-person with a knack for presenting, the projects can get exponentially more difficult. Having a diverse team only works when people are willing to share their own opinions, no matter how different they might be.
Be open about your weaknesses as a group member from the beginning. Some groups take their work much more seriously than others, and if you sign up on a high-performing team be ready to put in the time required. This also goes in conjunction with being part of a diverse team, be upfront about your personal strengths and weaknesses. If a team needs a marketing person and you’re really good at accounting, you better let them know.
Be a good group member. Reputations are developed quickly and other students are quick to identify strong students in the program. If you show up late to meetings, fail to communicate regularly or turn in sub-par work, you will quickly be labeled as someone who wouldn’t be an ideal group member. This is an important part of both succeeding in the program and forming friendships in the program. No one wants to grab a beer with the guy who didn’t turn in his part of the term paper.
Utilize International Talent and Relationships. Many professors require at least one international student per group to help with student integration. Although some of the international students have some language barriers, most are incredibly bright and hard working. Forming good relationships with international students in the program is definitely a bonus to good group dynamics.
In closing, if you are a member of our program you will be involved in more group projects than you ever have been in the past. Embracing this fact and leveraging your group’s unique talents will be a key part of your success at business school. Business is a team-based sport, and you have to be a team player.
