CASE STUDY

Critical Team Effectiveness Skills for University Students: Classrooms, Candidates, Careers

CORENTUS CLIENT CASES | LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT CASE STUDY | Critical Team Effectiveness Skills for University Students


Background
A university in the Greater Boston area engaged Corentus to teach team effectiveness skills to increase their likelihood of success in the classroom for project -based work, to increase their likelihood of success as a job candidate, and throughout their career. The institution brought together students from across its graduate programs under one tent on the very first day of orientation. This diverse group included master’s and doctoral students from multiple disciplines, with roughly 40% of the student body coming from international backgrounds.

The challenge was clear: how to prepare graduate-level students to succeed academically as well as to thrive as effective team members and leaders in today’s workplaces.


Engagement Objective
The university wanted orientation to do more than welcome students. The objective was to create an engaging, memorable experience where students could get to know one another, feel a sense of belonging and inclusion, and begin practicing the core skills of effective teams. These skills would serve them in academic projects and throughout their careers. Without this foundation, students often feel alienated and not included, which can lead to loneliness, discouragement, and even depression, particularly if they have a negative first experience working with classmates in team-based projects.

The engagement aimed to help students:

  • Get to know their fellow students in an enjoyable and engaging activity

  • Communicate and collaborate efficiently and effectively

  • Contribute as team members while also stepping into leadership roles

  • Practice mutual accountability in group work

  • Leave the university not only as graduates but as stronger candidates for organizational success

Approach
Corentus designed and facilitated two high-energy sessions during orientation for all incoming graduate students. This was not a typical welcome; it was a launchpad for effective collaboration. Using the Corentus Building Great Teams Playbook™, students engaged with the Corentus Team Wheel and the four dimensions of team effectiveness:

  • Common Purpose & Shared Goals: Aligning on what they are to achieve

  • Roles & Competencies: Recognizing and applying individual strengths, together

  • Collaboration & Cohesion: Communicating and collaborating effectively across differences

  • Mutual Accountability: Staying aligned, being supportive, and being accountable to one another to achieve the team’s shared goals

Students also explored the i4 Phases of Team Formation™ (Identity, Integration, Influence, and Individual Goals) through interactive exercises. To bring these concepts to life, groups co-created ten-inch LEGO chairs, symbolizing how individual contributions combine to form a strong foundation.

The Corentus Team Wheel with the 22 elements giving more clarity to the four dimensions of team effectiveness.

Immediate Impact
Students began their programs already connected as teammates rather than strangers. They practiced communication and collaboration across cultures and disciplines, laying the groundwork for success in academic projects.


Long-Term Impact
The university reframed orientation as more than a welcome event. It became a career preparation tool that the students were thankful in receiving and we showed data that connected competencies for team effectiveness and standing out as a high potential job candidate. In brief, we embedded communication, collaboration, and mutual accountability skills that organizations demand. Students felt as though the university cared for them as learners starting an academic path and as candidates prepared to succeed as leaders and team members in today’s team-based workplaces.

The Bigger Imperative
Orientation was a powerful first step. Unfortunately, this university is still an outlier. Across campuses, students often say they dislike team-based projects. They describe the dysfunction they encounter: teammates who do not pull their weight, goals that are unclear, and conversations that break down when opinions or beliefs differ. These experiences decrease their sense of belonging and make them reluctant to engage in teams later at work. Yet most organizations today are team-based. Opting out is not a choice.

This is why universities must be mutually accountable for preparing students to succeed in teams. They need to create learning environments where students can practice clear communication, effective collaboration, civil discourse, and mutual accountability. They need to help students feel included, know they belong, and learn how to navigate differences with respect and curiosity.

Learning how to work with one another is not only a career requirement. It is a critical life skill that shapes success in organizations, relationships, and communities.

Corentus partners with institutions to make this shift. We help prepare students not only to earn degrees but also to thrive in organizations and in life. Effective teamwork, inclusion, and belonging are essential. More universities are beginning to recognize this.

Together we are being mutually accountable for creating a better world. A world where people know how to engage in conversation across differing opinions and beliefs. A world where we all know how to work better together, both across the globe and in our own backyard.