GROUP WORK: PROACTIVE FORMING TO AVOID THE WORST OF STORMING

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Last week’s tip was to select your group members and schedule your first meeting.

Why that priority, this soon? 

Because group projects are the most complained about, most disliked type of work across all disciplines and all levels of schooling. However, there are some steps you can take to gain the best collaboration and get a good grade, or at least minimize the pain and the potential grade loss.

The first tactic is to start early. Why start early? Deadlines can loom sooner than seems possible, especially now with the whole term ahead of you. Setting up now avoids problems later on.

What can go wrong? 

The unexpected doesn’t seem to respect deadlines. Accidents happen. Some group members may not be able to meet their commitments. A key group member may drop out of school at a critical project moment. Resources counted on may not be available. The group may get locked into conflict, stalling until it seems impossible to prepare a project of acceptable quality for a good grade or to your satisfaction. Some group members may leave all of the work to one or two of you. 

If you’ve been around the block a few times, I see you nodding your head, maybe with a rueful grin, or even a look of resentment, anger, or disgust. Those are pretty unpleasant thoughts—but yes, I have seen all of these and heard all the stories. This is why, in survey after survey, group work is the most disliked aspect of college assignments.

If you are new to group work and just starting your project, you may think that you have a great group and none of this can possibly happen to your group, as you are all well-intentioned, serious students who want a top project and a good grade. 

A bit of theory here:

Groups go through stages throughout a project. Bruce W. Tuckman’s model is the most commonly known model of team development. In this model, groups go through four stages, forming, storming, norming, and performing.

As you are in the early stages of your group project, you are in the forming stage, where all can seem positive. You’re all good guys.

Then discussion begins on which topic to choose. Two group members haven’t shown up yet. One member insists on their topic. Another declares that as other courses have a greater impact on their term, they are not . . . (or they carry this resolve silently, but it becomes apparent in their behaviour as the weeks go on). One member contradicts you every time you make a point.

This is the storming stage.

Conflict resolution means coming to agreement on what will be done, to what standard it will be done, how it will be done, and by whom each component will be done. This is the norming stage.

Resolving this conflict doesn’t always happen. How well the performing stage goes depends on successful norming soon enough to meet the project deadlines. If the conflict isn’t resolved, one or two members may end up doing all of the work. Or the project may go down the drain or be an embarrassment.

What can you do during the forming stage?

Of course, you want good team and a minimum of storming. We’ll talk later about dealing with storming issues that might arise. For now, while you are in the forming stage, here is what you can do to reduce some of the worst aspects of storming:

Meetings:

  • Be the note-taker for meetings and the tracker of emails and project activity.
  • Set agendas for each meeting and email to all members, inviting input or additions.
  • Write up action minutes, with names in a column on the left beside the actions that members have committed to.
  • Set the next meeting date at the end of the meeting, summarizing what needs to be done by then.
  • Once the topic has been chosen, divide and conquer to get it done: Find each others’ strengths and past successes. Split up the work according to these strengths and successes.
  • Identify resources needed and resources available for all stages of the project. This list will change as the project evolves and will allow for expedient booking.
  • Set up to track contributions and dates. This is insurance for you and more effective project management overall.

On your own:

  • After the first meeting and throughout, think ahead to potential pitfalls. If these issues are project related, bring them up with the group for problem solving.
  • If the pitfalls involve the manner or behavour of other group members, you will need to bring into play conflict resolution tools. You will also need to ensure that you are insured against the worst if a blame game gets started. See the last point immediately above.

There’s much more to developing as a team and coming to the end with a solid project. But this is what you can do this week to get your group together and ready to weather the storming that is part of the process of team development. 

I am both a sounding board and a resource for my students working through the frustrations and rewards of group work. Yes, there are rewards for group work!

This week’s tip:

Don’t make decisions based on emotion. Accept the emotion as valid. Take time for the emotion to no longer be your strongest focus. Wait a day or so if this is practical.

Then call on your analytic mind to make the decision that appears most likely to move you toward your goal. 

Connect with me to plan the tools for meeting your academic goals this term [email protected] 

The information in this blog cannot take the place of support from your own mental health professional or community health resources. Reach out to them. And IF YOU ARE IN CRISIS, PLEASE DIAL 911.