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Working within a group can cause anxiety or excitement for an individual, but there are ways to minimize discomfort and create unity within a group. Formalizing a learning team charter was the first group assignment in which every member agrees to each section, setting the foundation for the group for future assignments. According to "Welcome To The Learning Team Toolkit" (2011), “Chartering is the process by which the team is formed, its mission or task described, its resources allocated, its goals set, its membership committed, and its plans made.” (para. 4). This important first task allowed cohesion to form within the group. Even though team collaboration is difficult, the learning team charter is critical to either the success or failure of the learning team because it serves as the rules for the team to follow and allows for students to have accountability within the team atmosphere. After the charter is drafted every member could commit to the group within the charter details. The learning team’s success or failure is dependent upon the learning team charter. The first assignment is the creation of the charter, which sets the protocols and rules the team will agree to. Wilcoxson (2006) stated that team agreements like charters are used to help create accountability within the team and create organization and structure in the team dynamic. If the team is successful in doing this first assignment, it shows that the team can do the other assignments without incident. Each team member can voice his or her opinion regarding important topics like time management, equal contribution, and any special consideration that any member may have. Some anxiety in a team environment can stem from the lack of accountability within the team environment. The formation of a team charter is meant to alleviate that worry with each responsibility spelled out and agreed upon. The team charter creates accountability for every member on the team. An effective charter will address every possible question that may come up to allow the team to be successful ("The Learning Team Charter", 2011). In the event of a member not completing his or her share, there is already a contingency plan set in place that was agreed upon in the beginning. There will be no worry of one individual doing too little or too much. With these guidelines in place from the beginning, more focus is placed upon the assignments and not group dynamics, allowing for a more productive group environment. The most important reason the learning team charter is critical to the success or failure of the learning team is that it serves as the rules the team will follow. With the guidelines in place the team can avoid cases of what is referred to as a social loafer (Bailey, Sass, Swierca, Seal, & Kayes, 2005). “When an individual obtains benefits from group membership without sharing proportionally in the costs. If social loafers are present, frustration among and distrust between team members develops, thus interfering with performance and satisfaction” (Bailey et al, 2005, p. 42). The expectation of group participation is outlined from the beginning, helping to give urgency to all group members of equal collaboration. Anxiety within a group environment is avoidable, if certain steps are taken from the beginning. Although team collaboration is difficult, the learning team charter is critical to the success or failure of the learning teams for two main reasons. First, it allows for students to have accountability within the teams and most importantly it serves as rules for the team to follow. If anxiety over team projects is a common problem, a simple solution could be the implementation of a team charter. References Welcome to the Learning Team Toolkit. (2011). Retrieved from http://www.apollolibrary.com/Library/ltt/toolkit1.aspx Wilcoxson, L. E. (2006, December). "It;s Not Fair!": Assessing the Dynamics and Resourcing of Teamwork. Journal of Management Education, 30(6), 798-808. doi:10.117/1052562906287964 Bailey, J., Sass, M., Swiercz, P. M., Seal, C., & Kayes, D.C. (2005, February ). Teaching with and through teams: Student-written, Instructor-facilitated case writing and the signatory code. . Journal of Management Education , 29(1), 39-59. doi:10.1177/1052562904269641