Collaborating

I'm going to use my blog to vent just because this is something I continue to struggle with even as a senior in college. Working in group or team projects for class or work was never anything I looked forward to. I disliked having to work with people I didn't know because I wasn't familiar with their work ethics or how responsible they could be. I am used to completing tasks on my own because I know how I would like things to be done and there is a significantly lower chance of error since I'm able to monitor the work being completed. Of course, as a business major, one of the few skills that are in high demand not only for academics, but in the field are presenting and team activities. Presenting is a topic for a different day, but I want to focus on team projects.

So, what is it about working in groups that turn people away? Isn't there power in numbers? Or does quality overcome quantity? I remember something one of my professors told me last semester in my leadership course; she was distinguishing the differences between what constitutes a group and what constitutes a team. What is comes down to is groups are people working individually, but for the same overall cause or outcome. For instance, have a class project and assigning people different tasks and once those materials are completed just putting all of it together without any proper planning or debriefing. A team is a group of people working together, collaborating and sharing ideas - each person is involved with creating the end result.

If you want to have success in your group, strive for a team dynamic because it will lead to a greater chance of efficiency. Sometimes it can be difficult because you find that people are become less reliable for things or are performing at the level that you would like, but you have to function as a unit. Work in a manner that maximizes everyone's potential. Take advantage of strengths and be conscious of weaknesses.