Group Interactions

I probably had the most ideal group situation in the course, which has never happened before, despite the dozens of group projects I have participated in. It was a course I was taking as an elective for my minor. The topics themselves were interesting, but I knew the content of the course would not help if I were the only one doing all of the work. I know many others in the same boat. Typically, there is a leader of the group that assigns themselves to keep the project from ultimately failing. Collaboratively, everyone else decides what part of the project he or she wants to do. Sometimes, individuals get lucky with the “easy” part while others get suck with doing the part they were hoping they wouldn’t have to do. But for my first example in this parallel comparison, the difficulties of group work were almost non-existent.

I don’t know if it was just because I liked the people I was grouped with, or if we understood each other and were floating in the same boat, or even if our skills just perfectly balanced. Maybe it was a hint of each. I have never participated in a more efficient and supportive group of individuals, and honestly I probably never will again. The group dynamics were incredible in my situation. Even as we sat together for the first time to discuss our goal and the steps we would to achieve it, there was no tension or stress. It was very comfortable working with them and the smoothness we experienced throughout the entire process demonstrated that they felt the same as well. We were all a part of a well-oiled machine and the way we interacted with each other ultimately drove us to achieve the highest grade in the class. Of course, like any other group, there was conflict between information, communication, and the project content, but issues were resolved soundly without negatively affecting performance or hindering the ability to complete the tasks at hand.

On a completely different world and in a completely different situation, I had a more traumatic experience with a group project. For this second example, I was enrolled in a required class for my major. We needed to complete a project that required a lot of collaboration since quantitative content was necessary to complete it. The subject matter we were dealing with was more difficult than a typical project, and required more math and analysis, which I believe are attributes that need to be fully understood in order to incorporate them into a project. For this group, there were individuals who knew the matter, and others who did not, making it more difficult for the entire group to be on the same page. While I do not blame the couple that did not know the material as well, since it was certainly difficult, it made our group situation more off balance. Additionally, this caused frustration, as we were more focused on trying to get concepts down rather than accomplishing the project.

A lot of times, from my experience, when individuals do not have the commitment to learn the content and count on free-riding from others, it puts a stress on the group that can hinder it from accomplishing the goals at hand. While people don’t need to be the most talented or the smartest, the way they work and handle their own assignments affects their group performance. In my first example, each individual was responsible for his or her own actions. If someone did not understand anything, they would first try and look through their notes or do their own research before asking the group. In my second example, those who did not understand relied heavily on their group members. While it’s not terrible to ask for help, when participating in group projects it can be assumed that you have the ability to work individually and you know what you are doing. When you don’t, and others have to baby you through the process, the overall quality and effectiveness of working in a group decreases.