Paintball, a study of teamwork

Teamwork is currently one of the most beneficial skills in this era's job market, and after my experience this weekend paintballing, I feel as though I now have a new perspective on teamwork (especially under pressure). Before this weekend my experience in teamwork has consisted primarily of teamwork in terms of school, which is really mandatory teamwork. This weekend I experienced teamwork in a new way.

Five of my friends and I went back to New York City this weekend to play a group of strangers in paintball. And to cut to the chase, we ended the night bruised and bloody. However more importantly, the pressure that was put on us during the match really made us all bond together and communicate in a way that would not have been possible under other conditions, such as school.

Although I feel as though in high school/college professors are doing their best to promote teamwork, and teach the importance of teamwork, I believe teamwork is a skill which people learn themselves under pressure. I believe teamwork is a skill which one learns 'in the field' if you will. Although teamwork is learned/taught in school, it is a skill that I believe students will truly learn once they get into their field of desired study and have experience under pressure working towards a common goal.

Relationships in your Network

Are all of my relationships defined by statements such as homophilous relations or a connection with propinquity. No, but these two words are discussed in depth in “Introduction to Social Network Theory” by Charles Kadushin.

When I transferred to American University from New York City last Fall I remember the first conversation starter amongst other students was always "Where are you from?" And with some reflection, it doesn't take long for me to realize that I have a pre-disposition to believe that I get along better with people from New York City, or that have shared a significant mutual experience, such as attending a New England Boarding School with me. In my personal experience, almost all of my relationships however are through the propinquity property. Whether it is because I feel people from New York all share a certain quality, or just because I like being surrounded by people from New York, all of my friends are from New York City. Strangely, I spent all my middle school/high school years at boarding school in Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Montana. Additionally, at these schools, most of my friends are in not way homophilous connections.

Think about your network of friends, and see if your relationships are more homophilous or follow the propinquity property.

Blog#1

This blog has been created for ITEC 333: Social networking & business at American University.


"On my honor, all posts on this blog are my own"