Training Undergraduates to Work in Organizational Teams

Organizations are increasingly seeking candidates possessing high levels of teamwork knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs; Stevens & Campion, 1994). Yet, despite a greater emphasis in higher education settings on developing a ready workforce (e.g., O'Neil, Allerd, & Baker, 1997), not enough is done to explicitly develop teamwork KSAs in university curricula. We describe a university course intended to develop students' teamwork KSAs. Results from a quasi-experimental evaluation study demonstrate that the course significantly increased the levels of students' teamwork knowledge and skills. However, the course did not significantly improve teamwork-related attitudes and self-efficacy. We discuss implications for school-to-work policies and the development of teamwork KSAs in higher education settings, as well as directions for future research.