The Power of Teamwork

The Master’s in Management (MiM) degree will equip you for any career you pursue by building the foundational knowledge you’ll need in finance, accounting, marketing, and other business disciplines. If you’ve earned a non-business degree, you may not think you’ll need those basics, but more and more, companies are looking to employees who can solve a variety of problems and bring more value to the table.

Alex Johnson, an ASU graduate who studied speech and hearing science as an undergraduate, says the MiM will help her create a niche for herself in the job market she couldn’t otherwise have. "I loved my undergrad program but I wanted to switch into the business world and I saw this as a great opportunity to make my way into that world,” she says. “I'm looking into more of a consulting role so I can incorporate the business language I'm learning, as well as my therapy background, and help people improve their communication skills."

A key element of business success that runs through the entire MiM program is teamwork. At the beginning of every quarter, students are divided into functional teams, ensuring that there’s a good mix of backgrounds for everyone to draw from. For example, students with engineering or liberal arts degrees won’t all be on the same team, because seeing how classmates from different backgrounds approach problems gives every member of the group a much stronger perspective not only on the task at hand but managing teams and projects in general.

Because the teams don’t change for an entire quarter, students work at different levels in each class: A communications student may provide a stronger voice in a marketing project while a math or science student will be more comfortable leading in a supply chain or economics class.

"It's imperative,” Alex says of the focus on teamwork. “We do group work in every single class. And it's great -- I love how well my team meshes together. That multidisciplinary approach really influenced how well we did in all the different classes."

The teamwork you experience as a MiM student will reflect situations that occur in the real world every day. Many of the projects you’ll work on – regardless of the field you go into – will need input from employees and clients that cover the entire spectrum. By uncovering your strengths as a leader and team member now, you will be better prepared to make an impact in your career.