IPEC Domain/Competency

Teams and Teamwork: Apply values and principles of the science of teamwork to adapt one's own role in a variety of team settings.

Goals and objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Identify characteristics of effective teams, including values, principles, and behaviors that support successful collaboration.
• Recognize common team roles and contributions and how different roles support team functioning.
• Reflect on their own preferred team roles, strengths, and adaptability within a team.
• Explain the importance of role flexibility and shared responsibility in achieving team goals.
• Apply teamwork principles to anticipate and respond to changing team needs and circumstances.
• Develop strategies for maintaining effective collaboration through communication, accountability, and regular team reflection.

Materials

• None

Activity Description

Pre-Discussion Activity: Team Roles & Adaptability Map

Purpose: to help team members identify characteristics of effective teams, recognize common team roles and teamwork principles, reflect on their comfort with role flexibility, prepare to set shared expectations for teamwork.

Step 1: Individual Reflection (5 minutes)

• What qualities or behaviors make a team effective?
• What team role do you usually take on (e.g., organizer, leader, supporter, problem‑solver, communicator)?
• How comfortable are you adjusting your role when a team needs change?

Step 2: Small‑Group Team Mapping (5–7 minutes). In groups of 3–5, have students create a quick Team Map:

• Write team members’ names in a circle
• Next to each name, list one strength or role they often contribute
• Around the outside of the map, list values or teamwork principles the group thinks are important (e.g., trust, flexibility, accountability, shared goals)

Then ask:

• Which roles are well represented in your team?
• Which roles might need to be shared or rotated?

Step 3: Role‑Shift Scenario (5 minutes)

Present a brief scenario: “Halfway through the project, deadlines change and one member becomes unavailable. What roles or responsibilities would need to shift for the team to succeed?”

In groups, discuss:

• Which teamwork principles become most important when facing a change halfway through the project?
• How might individuals need to adapt their usual role?

Main Activity: Small Group Discussion Questions:

Use the following questions after students have completed Lesson 8 of the IPE and IDE Introductory Module.

1. What are the key characteristics of an effective team, and what values, teamwork principles, and roles support team success?
2. How do you feel about adjusting your role or working style when team needs change or when working in different types of teams?
3. Why is the ability to adapt your role and apply teamwork principles important for effective collaboration and achieving goals in interdisciplinary or interprofessional teams?
4. What actions can we take as a team to support flexibility, shared responsibility, and effective collaboration, and how will each of us adapt our role as team needs evolve?

Closing Activity

Ask teams to:

• Identify one teamwork principle they want to prioritize
• Name one way roles may shift during the project
• Agree on how they will check in if team dynamics need adjustment

Use

Designed for use following completion of the Lesson 7 of the IPE and IDE Introductory Module, this activity is best completed in small groups—ideally interprofessional or interdisciplinary teams—as participants begin forming their project teams.

Variation for IPE or IDE Learning Experience

Designed for flexibility, this activity can be implemented in either interprofessional or interdisciplinary learning experiences.

Source

IPE and IDE at JMU’s College of Health and Behavioral Studies (CHBS): An Introduction ©2023 by Linda Plitt Donaldson, Shiree Harbick, Jill Lassiter, Chris Fasching-Maphis, Anne Stewart, Alyssa Decker, & Anna Maria Johnson. James Madison University. Retrieved July 2026 from https://www.jmu.edu/chbs/ipe-ide/module.shtml.

Created by: Vesna Hart
Suggested Citation: CHBS IPE and IDE Council. (2026). IPE and IDE Introductory Module – Lesson 8: Teams and Teamwork Activity. CHBS IPE & IDE Instructional Toolkit. James Madison University.