Teams

One of the often-quoted theories on team roles is based on the research by Belbin; see http://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles/. The full questionnaire to determine whether your personality fits better with this or that team role is protected for commercial reasons. However, you might find a few somewhat simplified free versions on the internet.

Another way to approach the issue of where you stand in terms of team co-operation is by being honest to yourself. On internet you find lots of information on team roles. You may read a bit of it and recognise where your strengths might well be.

Family

A (nucleus) family is a small group of people like a team but in a family more things are at play: (lifelong) relationships, dependency (parent – child), love, 24/7. In short, a family is much more intense and more complex. One student decided to write her paper on culture in the form of a (virtual) letter to her parents. In it she analysed how her youth had been shaping her through all the cultures of all groups she was a member of at the time (and in part still is). Try to do the same, looking back on your past and how it impacts you.

Exercises