My personal experience:
I have had the opportunity to work in many different groups since studying business at university, group presentations and assessed group work is a huge part of the final grade that I’ll receive- so, i think that it is very important to make sure that you are a valued member of the group. Working in groups has helped me to become much more confident as an individual, I also feel that group work has allowed me to learn things that I wouldn’t have learnt, if I was to work alone. However, group work can come with some challenges- communication, organisation, planning and involvement are all crucial aspects to group work. Without these elements, groups become distant, which has left me feeling very unsure and insecure about tasks in the past.
What does group work mean to me?
Group work is all about interacting with others to build a project, solve a problem and/or present shared ideas about a topic. Communication is key, it is vital to listen and give feedback about ideas that are being shared, group work allows ideas to be discussed in much more depth, therefore in most circumstances coming to a much more detailed and academic view about a topic. Group work means to be open and honest, you should be able to offer support and guidance to members in your group if you feel they need it or are struggling with their contribution of workload. In regards to planning in groups, you should be professional and open, for me, I prefer to arrange a meeting, discuss the brief and divide it into sections which make the task much easier to approach.
Group Dynamics:
It’s important to manage group dynamics for the entirety of a group task, this is to make sure everyone is ‘doing there bit’ so to speak. Keeping an eye on the dynamics of the group should be the responsibility of all members, although if a group leader is assigned, then ultimately they should make this top priority of there’s. Tuckmans theory highlights that these 5 aspects are key to the journey in which groups go through from the start to the end of a project.
- Forming
- Storming
- Norming
- Performing
- Adjourning
-Elements for effective team work-
- Commitment and Trust
- Open Lines of Communication
- Diversity of Capabilities
- Adaptable
- Confidence and Creative Freedom
What could go wrong during group work?
Unfortunately, it is likely in some groups that you just won’t get along or work well with every individual, conflict can easily occur due to differing opinions and people not agreeing on ideas can divide the group. Challenges can occur at any time, but as long as they are dealt with at the right time and in the right way, these issues shouldn’t develop into anything serious- ‘if left unchecked, can prevent effective learning and result in poor-quality products, unequal distribution of workload, and escalating conflict among team members’. Group work should be constantly monitored, this will prevent issues arising.
References:
Smallbusiness.chron.com. (2020). Elements for Effective Teamwork. [online] Available at: https://smallbusiness.chron.com/elements-effective-teamwork-964.html [Accessed 31 Jan. 2020].
Westergaard, J. (2009). Effective group work with young people. Berkshire: McGraw-Hill.
Association for Specialists in Group Work (U.S.) 1976, “The Journal for specialists in group work”, [Online], .
