Why You Shouldn't HATE Group Projects

By Amanda Paul on November 10, 2015

Why You Shouldn’t HATE Group Projects

   If you’re a student, then you’ve had a group project before. Group work comes in many different forms, whether it’s a presentation, a complex project, or massive research topic, and it always provides challenges beyond the assignment.  We all know and dread them, and you will almost always be paired with someone difficult to work with: a slacker, a flake or someone who just isn’t too bright. After hours of scrambling to try and get the workload of a group done by yourself, it’s hard not to wonder why your sweet, sweet professor would ever ask you to endure such a thing! It’s easy to hate group work, but despite all of trouble, group projects actually do have some long-term benefits. They teach you skills that you will take to the work force, because chances are you’ll be working with people in a professional setting, just like you worked with people in a school setting.

 SKILL 1: MANAGING PERSONALITIES

Ever had your professor randomly assign you to a group? There’s a reason for that! Working with people that you don’t know very well or wouldn’t typically associate with is good practice for the work world because it’s not likely that you will always be paired with your best friend in a professional environment.

By working with a variety of different kinds of people, you will be better practiced at cooperating with people from various walks of life. Even working with people you don’t like is good practice because it gives you experience in managing difficult situations with your peers.

Hate a know-it-all? Well the more you work with know-it-alls, the better equipped you will be for dealing with them. Most careers will require that you work with people in some capacity, so it’s best to get used to it now when the stakes aren’t as high. Working with people is a reality, so get ready for it!

SKILL 2: REALIZING YOUR ROLE

While you are managing your group members’ personalities, they are managing yours. Group work can show you a great deal about other people, but it can also teach you things about yourself. Maybe you are someone who is always late, while this may not bother you, it may bother some of your teammates. Working in groups gives you the opportunity to look critically at your own work habits. No one is perfect and we all have things that we can work on.

When you are in a group and you are dealing with someone else’s time, it is important to be considerate. You can compare yourself to the members of your group to assess where your skills are, and where you may be lacking. If you notice that you are not participating as much as some of your group members, try to step up your game. Realize that you are talking over everyone? Tone it down a little. Rather than complaining about your team, think about what you can do to improve the situation; it’s a more mature way of handling things, and it’s what will be expected of you in the work place.

SKILL 3: MAKING SOLUTIONS NOT EXCUSES

Regardless of how difficult your group is to work with, there is still a task at hand, and you all are expected to complete it. Working with groups, particularly bad ones, is a true test of your skill set. When the deadline is close and the work is behind, you will see what you are capable of. Maybe you never knew that you could be a leader until a lack-luster group forced you into the position! You may not have known how good you were at improvising until your presentation went astray!

The point is: situations come up when you are working with groups, maybe it’s someone’s fault, maybe it’s not, but you will be expected to deal with it. When you are put in that position, you will see what you are capable of! Because the reality is, your future boss won’t care what went wrong, they will just expect you to fix it.

 

So yes, group projects are difficult, but because they are difficult, they are useful.  Working with others isn’t always going to be ideal, but it is a necessary skill! And it is much easier to practice with a group while you are in school, and professors and TAs are much more accommodating to students caught up in a bad group, than when you are in the workforce and there’s a job to be done and you are expected to just deal with it.

So learn now, and remember: If you can get through a difficult group project now, you’ll be able to do so in the future!

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