One of the main INTAPT assignments was workshop presentation, for which the class was divided into six groups of three to four participants, who were expected to collaborate, prepare and conduct a workshop on the assigned topic.

Our amazing group consisted of Corey, Danyal, Serafina and myself. We created a team charter during the first week of the INTAPT session, which is a formal, collaboratively produced document that defines a team’s purpose, goals, roles, and norms. Team charters are particularly important for those who are inexperienced with teamwork, as they provide a roadmap and establish common expectations that might otherwise remain ambiguous¹. A qualitative study has demonstrated that creating team charters promoted better group dynamics and improved communication within the team, resulting in a positive impact on the overall team performance². Other benefits include easier conflict mitigation and increased psychological safety. Finally, a charter should be a living document, which the teams should regularly revisit and update their agreements to reflect evolving practices³.

“Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success.” 

— Henry Ford

Since it was the first time we were all meeting each other, creating a team charter seemed reasonable to improve team dynamics, and achieve our outcome. We stayed connected with each other through WhatsApp, and scheduled periodic meetings to plan and work on our workshop. One of our members was out of the country, so we met virtually, accommodating for the different time zones. Another team member took the responsibility of creating Zoom meetings. We all had assigned tasks, which each one of us completed diligently, using our individual capabilities, maximally. For instance, Serafina is creative, therefore she improved our slide deck, to enhance its visual appeal, prior to the final presentation.

The foundation of effective teamwork is often understood through Tuckman’s five-stage model: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Though numerous teams strive to sidestep the tensions of the Storming phase, sources indicate that this phase is a “beneficial aspect of development” as the ensuing conflict can uncover inefficiencies and ignite innovation. A team cannot bypass this phase; rather, they must navigate through it to achieve the highest efficiency of the Performing stage⁴.

Our team members were all respective to one another and open to communication, hence we did not have any conflicts. Instead, we passed the storming phase by launching new ideas. Everyone was flexible in terms of sub-topic selection as well. Finally, on the day of our presentation, we all supported each other and demonstrated exceptional team work. We had a very interesting technical glitch, which was tackled smoothly, and we also modified some of our interactive activities during the presentation, based on learner engagement and time limitations.

To conclude, our team was able to conduct an exceptional workshop through strong team collaboration, thorough preparation, and an engaging delivery, all of which contributed to a highly effective learning experience.

References:

1. Hunsaker, P., Pavett, C., & Hunsaker, J. (2011). Increasing Student-Learning Team Effectiveness With Team Charters. Journal of Education for Business, 86(3), 127–139. https://doi.org/10.1080/08832323.2010.489588
2. Dougherty, R. W., Wyles, C. C., Pawlina, W., & Lachman, N. (2018). “The team is more than the sum of its parts”: Implementation of charters to improve team dynamics in an anatomy course. The Asia Pacific Scholar, 3(1), 6–14. https://doi.org/10.29060/taps.2018-3-1/oa1050
3. Sperry, M. P., Aldana, A. J., O’Neill, T. A., Mimovic, A., Gibson, C. B., & McLarnon, M. J. W. (2025). Hybrid and remote team chartering: Creating clarity in an increasingly virtual world. Organizational Dynamics, 101172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.orgdyn.2025.101172
4. Aquino, J. F., Riss, R. R., Multerer, S. M., Mogilner, L. N., & Turner, T. L. (2022). A step-by-step Guide for Mentors to Facilitate Team Building and Communication in Virtual Teams. Medical Education Online, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2022.2094529
5. Generative AI (Napkin AI) was used to generate the figure “Tucker’s five stage model of team development.”