A sick feeling in the pit of your stomach, a shiver runs down your spine? No wonder you have just been told you have to work in a group for a project.
AAARRRGGGHHH!
Ok now breathe, and know that at certain times in your life you will be required to work in a group situation, co-operating with others to achieve objectives.
So you would rather eat razor blades than participate in a group project, but they are a necessary evil. So embrace the opportunity to delegate. Take a leadership role, work with productive people, and be prepared for the uncertainty.
Taking what I consider the best tips from 5 tips for working in a group and 10 tips for working in student teams by Dr. Randall S. Hansen Ph.D. websites, mixing them up, personalising them and making them more my style
WORK SMARTER NOT HARDER
Be smart only choose to work with people who you know can perform, try choosing people that you know and respect. If you’ve only had limited interaction look out for interested people who appear eager and curious. Don't sit back and let the groups form without you. Get with the group who seem they are ready to work.
DELEGATE RESPONSIBILITIES EARLYAs soon as you get your assignment, start dividing up the responsibilities. Just get verbal commitments from your group members, and reconvene when everyone has completed their tasks. There is no need for numerous meetings, swap email addresses and phone numbers within the group and communicate.
DON’T BE AN ENABLER.
If you’ve got somebody who isn’t doing their work, hold them responsible as a group. Everyone needs to do their part.
SCREAM
Things are not going well, you have a flake in the group! Why do you do next? Breath in Breath out, stay focused on the objective, and the deadline. Limit group meetings, think of the things you need to accomplish.
IF ALL ELSE FAILS, DO EVERYTHING YOURSELF.Some people get bitter when group projects go bad, and the bulk of the work falls on their shoulders. If faced with a worst case scenario (i.e. nobody's doing a darn thing), embrace the opportunity to take control of the project. If you're stuck with incompetent group members, why would you want your grade to be a reflection of their efforts.
If you do everything yourself, you can control the final outcome. Sure it might stink that no one else is helping, but you need to worry about your own grade. It's better to do the project all by yourself, and know that it's excellent. You don't want to have to cross your fingers and hope for the best. Just take control and make sure you succeed.
Website
Five tips for working in a group. 2009. Ezine Articles. [ONLINE] Available at: http://ezinearticles.com/?Five-Tips-For-Working-In-A-Group&id=383548. [Accessed 16 March 11].
Website
Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.. 2011. 10 Tips for working in student teams. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.mycollegesuccessstory.com/academic-success-tools/student-team-tips.html. [Accessed 11 March 11].
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ReplyDeleteUnfortunately it is not always possible to choose your own group - especially in the workplace. So then assigning responsibilities becomes paramount (using a gantt chart or other management tool) and ensuring people are accountable. If it does come down to having to pick up someone else's slack then it should be recorded that the responsibility has been reassigned. If it is in writing then you are still awarded the credit, and the supervisor can clearly see each individual's involvement.
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