Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to analyze the impact of a classroom application of the cooperative learning (CL) methodology on nine dimensions of business students’ teamwork competence (TC). Design/methodology/approach – The authorsused a quasi-experimental pre-post design with a previous cohortas control group (first-year students from the year prior to treatment application), applying treatment to a sample of 228 first-year students in a School of Economics and Business at a Chilean University (114 as treatment and 114 as control). Findings – Theauthors’ resultsshow thatCL had a positive, significant influence on five dimensions of TC: collective efficacy, planning, goal setting, problem solving and conflict management. Research limitations/implications – This paper upholds the importance and effectiveness of CL in developing TC. However, the evidence suggests that the effectiveness of the CL methodology was limited to developmentandimprovementof lesscomplexdimensionsofTC.Morecomplexdimensionsrequirealonger period of time to be developed. Practical implications – This research is an important contribution to the design and implementation of appropriate methodologies for developing a widely needed area of competence in the workplace, considering its multidimensional nature, whether in academia or business. Originality/value – This is the first study to seek empirical evidence that would link the CL methodology with TC. In addition, it fills a gap in the literature on the development of TC in its multiple dimensions. It particularly addresses the training of business professionals.