The Role of Teamwork in Developing Leadership Qualities among University Students

Abstract

This study aimed to know the role of teamwork in developing leadership qualities among university students from the point of view of male and female students and to explore the effective leadership qualities of a team leader in managing teamwork. In addition, university students face leadership difficulties when working in a team. The study also discovers the statistically significant differences between the responses of the study individuals towards its axes according to the gender variable.The study applied the descriptive survey approach, using a questionnaire with 21 statements distributed over three principal axes. The sample included (394) male and female students in three public universities in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia. The study was applied in the second semester of 1445 AH. 2024.A key factor that students and suggestions for improvements showed high agreement was the interaction between students as a team for enhancing leadership skills among the university students. Attributes developed through teamwork are planning, communication and information sharing, and flexibility, with agreement of 85%, 88%, and 83%, respectively. However, the study found some difficulties faced in team activities, including team member laxity (observed by 65% of the participants), poor task alignment (observed by 58%), and random team member selection (observed by 61%). Also, the study established that there was a difference in gender since 7 70% of male students considered the aspect of teamwork in leadership development as important as 55% of female students. This research also demonstrates the opportunities and risks implicated in teamwork approaches in developing leadership competencies.