“Coming together is beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is a success.”
Ask any university student, employee, committee member or basically anyone in the business of organizing things what their pet hate is and guarantee the answer will be the same – “group work”. The need to work as part of a group at some stage in one’s life is an inevitability. Whether it be an assignment, part of your job, or just putting together the local meat raffle, working as part of a team of people is unavoidable in modern society.
Most degrees these days encompass at least some element of group work; this form of learning allows a team to share a hefty workload whilst developing communication and interpersonal teamwork skills. Whilst the concept of dividing one assessment between two, three or four people may initially seem appealing, sometimes group work can go a bit pear-shaped and end with disagreements and lackluster grades. So how to avoid all the drama and get the marks you deserve as a team? It is easy if you employ this simple group work etiquette.
Etiquette refers to unwritten rules or norms of acceptable conduct within a professional environment. Violations of etiquette are not always punishable but ignoring etiquette guidelines have considerable consequences for the team member and team.
First thing first, keep in mind that No One Can Do It All. Do your work! Do not be the guy that always has an excuse, just get it done. A Chinese proverb states that “Behind an able man, there are always other able men.” All the marvelous achievements owe their success to teamwork, not individuality because one is too small a number to achieve significance. Every individual is born with a gift. When someone is adept in one unique talent, they will likely be inept in other skills. Secondly, Keep the Goal in Focus.
Establish your goals as a team before you all start the project – are you aiming for the best? Or do you just want to cruise through the assessment with a pass. If everyone has the same goals, then keeping each other motivated will be easy. A group of people working tirelessly without a clear vision will end up nowhere. Morale will decline and energy will be drained. Great leaders always keep reminding themselves and their teams of the bigger picture. Individual agendas fall second in successful organizations, and the greater good is a priority.
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