I must confess, I hate working in groups. I always feel like I’m a step behind, that there isn’t enough communication and that there’s always that one person that lets everyone else down. That being said, a group project also brings the best out of me. I work at my hardest when there is a sense of urgency or reliance. Anything that I have to be self-driven for and there isn’t that pressure, I will put off or forget about. Group projects are therefore more suited for me, but they are still something which I have not learned to master. This made this week’s focus on collaboration particularly important for me, and something which I’ve had to take on board for the future.
Here are some of the notes from today’s class, and my thoughts on them:
Skills required:
- Initiative and enterprise
- Communication
- Learning (A desire to, willingness to)
- Technology (Experience with, knowledge of other peoples technological areas)
- Teamwork and a strong group ethic
These are very basic skills at the root of collaboration, but some are not always employed or people do not remain aware enough to use them. Technology in particular is an area which is difficult to manage in a group project, because not everyone will have the same level of experience and know what is possible and manageable. It can be quite easy to lose track of these 5 things over the course of the project, so what tends to happen is that people begin with the best intentions and then slowly get worse over time.
Group work gives you opportunities to:
- Participate in complex projects that would otherwise not be achievable
- Develop skills
- Learn more effectively
It is good for:
- Developing leadership
- Gaining experience in negotiation in a group environment
- Learning to resolve conflict
- Practicing professional communications
Rules of a good group:
- Clear objectives
- Clarity, motivating value, attainability, future potential
- Good communication
- Focus on the problem, not the dynamic
- Talk about the hat system
- Listening to people
- Consistency
- Respect
- Support
- Responsibility
- Equitable
These sections are true in almost every case. Group work allows you to achieve wildly ambitious projects that you would not be able to achieve on your own. A wider range of skills and experience are available, and another person’s perspective on problems that you may encounter can become vital in certain stages of the production process. This idea is paired with that of negotiation, which is always important to reach the best possible solution for all involved parties. As for developing skills, this comes from necessity and association. If I am needed for something I am not familiar with, I must take the time to learn that particular skill to meet the expectations of the group. The group ‘rules’ are something which should be defined quite early on (which usually happen in a collaboration agreement or contract).
I must continue developing my skills as a collaborator at my time at RMIT, starting strongly with these lessons in mind.
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