Teamwork
Today's high-performance organizations require team players that can communicate, problem solve, and negotiate. Team members must be flexible, adaptable, and able to work together to further their companies' goals to succeed and stay competitive. Teamwork is expanding the traditional 3 Rs of reading, writing, and arithmetic by becoming one of the basic skill sets required by employers in the workplace.
The WorkKeys Teamwork test measures the skill people use for choosing behaviors that both lead toward the accomplishment of work tasks and support the relationships between team members. A team is defined as any workplace group with a common goal and ownership of shared responsibility in achieving that goal.
This assessment is administered by video and contains twelve teamwork scenarios, each accompanied by three multiple-choice items. The scenarios and items are based on actual demands of the workplace. Selections take the form of video presentations of teams in various workplace settings with a variety of problems or requirements. Examinees must identify the most appropriate teamwork responses to specific situations.
_____________________________________________________
Characteristics/Skills
There are four levels of difficulty. Level 3 is the least complex and Level 6 is the most complex. At Level 3, employees have a number of teamwork-related skills already in place. The levels build on each other, each incorporating the skills assessed at the preceding levels. For example, Level 5 includes the skills used at Levels 3, 4, and 5.
As the skill levels move toward Level 6, the situations become more complicated. For example, at Level 3 there is a clear goal, team relationships are cordial, and resources are readily available. At Level 6, goals or consequences conflict, relationships are volatile, and/or resources are limited. The tasks demand more skill as the complexity increases, ranging from goal recognition and problem identification at Level 3 to goal revision and conflict resolution at Level 6.
| Level |
Characteristics of Items |
Skills |
3
|
- Simple work situations involve a single, recognizable problem
- Team goals and consequences are clear
- Resources needed are readily available
- Team members get along well
|
- Recognize team goals
- Show acceptance of team goals by working cooperatively with other team members
- Identify problems and their causes
- Persevere in solving problems
- Accept membership in the team
- Demonstrate a positive attitude, respond appropriately to praise, and give positive feedback
- Display trust in other team members
- Be dependable in completing tasks correctly and on time
|
| Level |
Characteristics of Items |
Skills |
4
|
- Work situations involve several problems or sources of difficulty
- Team goals and consequences are not altogether clear
- Resources may be limited
- Team members have competing concerns
|
- Recognize team goals
- Show acceptance of team goals by working cooperatively with other team members
- Identify problems and their causes
- Persevere in solving problems
- Accept membership in the team
- Demonstrate a positive attitude, respond appropriately to praise, and give positive feedback
- Display trust in other team members
- Be dependable in completing tasks correctly and on time
|
| Level |
Characteristics of Items |
Skills |
5
|
- Work situations involve several problems or sources of difficulty
- Team goals and consequences are not altogether clear
- Resources may be limited
- Team members have competing concerns
|
- Use prioritization and time management skills to effectively and efficiently accomplish tasks
- Exhibit creative thinking when solving problems or accomplishing tasks
- Show a commitment to quality
- Show sensitivity to customer needs
- Practice followership by taking direction and responding appropriately to negative feedback
- Demonstrate respect for other team members
- Show an appreciation for diversity among team members
|
| Level |
Characteristics of Items |
Skills |
6
|
- Work situations involve many subtle and competing problems
- Team goals and consequences are unclear
- Resources are limited
- Team relationships are ambiguous
|
- Exhibit good decision-making and analyzing skills
- Delegate responsibility
- Show leadership by both assuming the directive role and giving that role to others
- Empower other team members
- Display initiative
- Be properly assertive in explaining personal convictions honestly and with sincerity
|
|
