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Business Fundamentals: Team Psychology

Lead high-performing teams and cultivate positive work cultures by exploring the backbone of business management: team psychology.

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Business Fundamentals: Team Psychology

  • 4 weeks

  • 3 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

  • Duration

    4 weeks
  • Weekly study

    3 hours
  • 100% online

    How it works
  • Unlimited subscription

    $244.99 for a whole yearLearn more

Champion psychological safety at work for stronger, more resilient team dynamics

Happy teams, happy businesses. Unfortunately, job dissatisfaction is at an all-time high, costing economies billions. With so many workers feeling disconnected, undervalued, and burnt out, it’s more important than ever to understand the dynamics that drive team success.

On this four-week course from the Queensland University of Technology, explore the psychological foundations of teamwork to cultivate positive work environments where employees thrive and productivity soars.

Go inside group dynamics to improve performance

You’ll begin this course with an overview of team psychology, its core concepts and the psychological characteristics of high-performing teams. You’ll look at examples of sports psychology to identify team personalities and strategies that enhance teamwork.

Unlock team potential with psychological safety and goal setting

Next, you’ll delve into the importance of psychological safety in fostering open communication and trust within teams. You’ll apply this knowledge to real-world examples, equipping yourself with job-ready strategies.

At this point, you’ll also explore the role clarity plays in driving collaboration and contribution. You’ll learn how to set effective, attainable goals and how to reward and recognise achievements to motivate your team.

Foster group cohesion with stress management tactics and shared core values

You’ll also consider strategies for navigating stress and challenges within teams, and explore the significance of shared core values in uniting team members, fostering a strong culture, and enhancing overall cohesion.

With the insights from QUT’s experts, you’ll finish this course equipped to lead high-performing teams and cultivate a thriving workplace.

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Skip to 0 minutes and 4 seconds Do you want to build high performing teams that thrive? In today’s competitive environment Understanding the psychology of teams is essential for success. That’s why I’m thrilled to introduce our Psychology of Teams short course. Offered online by the QUT Business and Law Faculty. This course offers valuable insights into the factors that drive team excellence. You’ll learn how to foster a positive team culture, navigate challenges effectively, and build resilience within your team. This course is ideal for professionals, team leaders, and managers who are keen to enhance their team’s performance and dynamics. We’ll explore the characteristics of high performing teams, drawing lessons from sports psychology to enhance team performance.

Skip to 0 minutes and 49 seconds We’ll discover the importance of psychological safety, goal setting, role clarity, and how celebrating team success can drive performance. Are you ready to unlock the secrets of high performing teams and create a winning culture? Enrol and our Psychology of Teams short course today.

Syllabus

  • Week 1

    Introduction to psychology of teams

    • A group of colleagues collectively high five each other.

      Let's get started!

      Welcome!

    • A lady looks on during a team discussion.

      Psychology of teams: Core concepts

      While the term ‘team’ is used frequently to describe groups we work or play sport with; the purpose here is to help you explore and apply the lessons learned from elite sporting environments to drive success in your own team.

    • A group of colleagues huddle together.

      What do we mean by a high-performance team?

      When we study successful or high performing teams across a range of environments, certain characteristics are common. Our focus is understanding the psychological dynamics at play when looking to drive team success.

    • A pair of colleagues high five each other.

      Characteristics of high performance within teams

      Let's now develop an understanding of key-characteristics found in high performing teams.

    • Colourful puzzle pieces.

      Personality, preference, and social competence within the team experience

      Late in the 20th Century, as sports psychology became a more accepted body of knowledge, coaches of sporting teams began to value the insights that understanding personality, style and preference offered.

  • Week 2

    Mental toughness, winning the 'inner game', and psychological safety

    • Multiple avatars thought in one speech bubble

      Mental toughness and winning the Inner Game

      Tim Gallwey has for decades been considered one of the most influential writers in the space of sports psychology, authoring a series of books about winning the ‘Inner Game’. In this section, we look at his findings.

    • PSychological safety

      Psychological safety

      One of the great insights from sports psychology in recent times is that sustained team performance will only be possible in an environment where strong team talent is coupled with a culture that allows team members to flourish.

    • A person sits at a desk near a window writing in abook with a pen

      Practice

      Let's now apply what we have learnt so far to your @Work activity and a stretch activity.

  • Week 3

    Goal setting, recognition and reward, and team well-being

    • A row of clear light bulbs are lined up. One of them is yellow and is slightly apart from the rest. The word overview is written below the bulbs.

      Overview

      You've reached the half way point of the course. Let's review what you've covered so far.

    • Arrows pointing at a bullseye

      Goal setting and role clarity to drive collective contribution and collaboration

      Once people have formed a team, there are some fundamental principles to setting them up to be successful.

    • Lady receiving recognition

      Recognition and reward

      Recognising and rewarding contribution in a sporting team is often much harder than in the context of a work situation.

    • A flower in dry mud

      Stress, anxiety, and enabling team resilience and well-being

      Hans Selye, often referred to as the father of stress research, once defined stress as the “response of the body to any demand, whether it is caused by, or results in, pleasant or unpleasant conditions”.

    • A team of rowers rowing together.

      Resilience and optimism in team life

      Put simply, resilience is the process of adapting or ‘bouncing back’ in the face of challenging situations or adversity. These situations may involve physical trauma, personal challenges, emotional threats, or any other sources.

  • Week 4

    Exploring values and ethics as core drivers of team culture

    • A group of colleagues collectively high five each other.

      The value of values in teams and group

      All human behaviour is driven by values. Appropriate and congruent values are important to all of us as we navigate our life journey.

    • Three wooden signs on a signpost with one saying values

      Values in action - when competing interests collide and values are not lived

      Whilst there is no doubt many sporting bodies and organisations are seeking to enshrine more deliberate codes of conduct and codes of practice into their environments, challenging incidents continue to emerge.

    • A person sits at a desk near a window writing in a book with a pen

      Practice

      Let's now apply what we have learnt so far to a review and reflect activity and your second @Work activity.

    • Colourful confetti

      Summary

      Let's review your learning journey.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Identify key characteristics of high-performance teams and groups.
  • Describe strategies employed by elite sporting teams to drive shared goals and team performance – including role clarity; clarity of shared purpose and reward/ recognition approaches.
  • Explore the importance of psychological safety as an enabler of voice, contribution and learning within high performance teams.

Who is the course for?

This course is designed for professionals at all levels seeking to enhance their team’s resilience and performance by understanding the psychological aspects of teamwork. No prior knowledge is needed to complete this course successfully.

Who will you learn with?

Who developed the course?

QUT logo

Queensland University of Technology (QUT)

Queensland University of Technology (QUT) is a major Australian university with a truly global outlook. Home to over 50,000 students, we’re providing real-world infrastructure, learning and teaching, and graduate skills to the next generation of change-makers.

  • Established

    1989
  • Location

    Brisbane, Australia
  • World ranking

    Top 180Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$244.99 for a whole year

Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$109/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 12 Mar 2025

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

Sale price available until 3 March 2025 at 23:59 (UTC). T&Cs apply.

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