Everyone has experienced it, and there’s really no way to avoid it. Whether in school, the workplace or with teammates we have all had to work with others at one point or another, and it doesn’t always go as smoothly as we intend.
In the real world, collaboration is incredibly important and highly valued. Collaborations sometimes work naturally (see Martha Stewart and Snoop Dog), other times, not so much.
We’ve all seen the dreaded “group week” on “American Idol.” Group round seems to be where things crumble for a lot of individuals. Whether one member gets sick or someone fails to memorize the words, group work seems to defeat even the highly intelligent and talented contestants. So, what’s the reason group work so often leads to chaos?
Here are a few ways to make group work less messy, avoid miscommunication and group-dynamic drama.
- “NO ONE MAN SHOULD HAVE ALL THAT POWER” —Kanye
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Teamwork is all about compromise. I personally believe it is important to have a leader, however, no one person should be micromanaging all of the decisions that are made. There should be one person who is making sure things are getting checked off the list, but their opinion is not the only one that matters and it needs to be a collaborative effort to avoid chaos.
Learning to work with different types of people can be tricky. Some people are high strung, others are more go-with-the-flow. I don’t think either is bad or wrong, but I do think a middle ground, or balance, must be found for the project to be smooth sailing.
Someone who is perhaps an overachiever cannot expect the other group members to have that same attribute, but they can set ground rules and boundaries to make sure they do not end up doing all the work.
- GETTING TO KNOW WHO YOU’Re WORKING WITH, ASSIGNING ROLES AND GROUP CONTRACTS
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One strategy that has worked in many settings is creating a group contract. Contracts are used in business deals to require accountability and set expectations. They can also determine what will happen if a member does not follow the rules of the contract. Group contracts can include policies such as how to divide the work or when it needs to be done.
I think the tricky part here is that people can agree to deadlines and work divisions but not necessarily follow through. This is where Plan B comes in: If members cannot fulfill their responsibilities they must communicate. I will admit I have had life matters disturb my ability to work efficiently, and the times where I communicated this my groupmates were able to understand and had enough time to redistribute workload accordingly.
- PEER EVALUATIONS
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Anonymous peer evaluations can also be helpful in holding members accountable.
I once heard someone joke that there should be a “rate my roommate” program. While the idea could be a bit harsh, it might encourage people to hold themselves more accountable as a roommate. Initially establishing that your group members will be evaluated can positively contribute to the efficiency of the group as well.
It is important to hold ourselves accountable for group work and remember that we have a duty to fulfill that if not fulfilled sinks others with us. The hard part is what we cannot control. This is why it is important to set ground rules before beginning any collaborations.
It also should never be a competition of who can do the most. Instead, it should be about what you can learn from others and how our strengths and weaknesses can complement each other. Even though collaboration can often lead to chaos, it can also lead to creative expansion or innovation.
At the end of the day, not everybody is gonna agree or even like the people they are working with. However, keep in mind that the end goal of successful collaboration means both parties are responsible for holding up their end of the stick.