This week our Lectorial and in our Workshop for media 1 we discussed collaboration. As a media producer it is not really an option to work alone. A project of any notable size requires many people all working together, such is the discipline. From lighting operators to directors, sound designers to editors, every stage of production required obscene amounts of work undertaken by many different people. I personally don’t mind really working with others.
One of the required readings for this class discussed a factor in collaborative work called Group Flow. This refers to a state of free flowing creativity in which a group of individuals can work together to improvise solutions or create artwork. The original reading can be found here:
Keith Sawyer, 2007, Group Genius: The creative power of collaboration, New York: Basic Books, 2007, pp.39-57 <equella.rmit.edu.au/rmit/file/eb960bd8-15b8-fd40-77b0-5617f41f73f6/1/31259008890662.pdf>
Group Flow is a process by which all the members of a team are in sync, with no time limits or deadlines its just the group, just the pursuit of a singular goal (that may or may not be immediately obvious). This reading uses basketball teams, business teens and jazz musicians as examples. I myself have experienced this sense of group ebb and flow in the context of a drama group. When you feel connected to the group, you can predict when other will move and when the will talk, there is a group connection that can only be maintained with extreme concentration. With other things, however, it can be much more natural for example a tight knit film group responding to one another on set.
This article states that there ten factors that contribute to successful group flow:
- A shared goal
- Close listening
- Complete Concentration
- Being in Control
- Blending Ego’s
- Equal Participation
- Familiarity
- Communication
- Moving Forward Together
- The Potential for Failure
In the few previous experiences I’ve had with group flow all these factors were met. It is a really spectacular experience to be so connected to others acting and reacting off others. In a drama group this experience is physically magical, however, it would be interesting to experience this in a different less intimate way.
For me I think the most important part of creating this environment of group flow is in knowing the other people and blending ego’s. creating an environment where everyone can contribute is predicated on being able to let go of ego and that requires trust. above everything else in relation to collaboration, the ability to trust and rely on your co-workers or group members is exceedingly important to group collaboration