Working in Groups

Working in groups can be very rewarding. People of different epistemic positions working together on accomplishing a task, whether it is a group presentation, video, webpage, or research paper. The process can be fun, productive, rewarding, challenging, enlightening, and educational. Fifteen years after graduation, I still hang out with my study group from my undergrad days even though we are spread all over the country.

Unfortunately, working in groups can be chaotic, frustrating, dysfunctional, and argumentative. Some groups descend into chaos and even hostility. Some group members don’t respond to email, fail to show up to class, and do no work at all. Other members want to control and dictate every detail of the project.

Here are some tips for working in groups that I’ve found useful over the years. There are certain recurring types of problem group members that students tell me about every quarter and that I have personally experienced as a student. Some students are even a combination of the archetypes below:

The Dictator
Question: How should we handle a group member who wants to do everything and make all the decisions?

Answer: Remind him/her that this is a group project and that everyone needs to have input and a role to play in the presentation, project, research paper etc.
The Slacker
Question: How should we handle a group member who doesn’t do anything, doesn’t respond to email, and doesn’t show up to group meetings?

Answer: Just remember that you have to present, turn in a webpage or video on your due date so the other members will have to pick up the slack. Have something in mind for the slacker to do in case he/she shows up on the day of the presentation, but also plan for them not to show up at all or to show up unprepared. Otherwise the rest of the members might look bad. Email the professor if this continues to be a problem or you think their contributions will undermine your presentation or make your group look bad.
The Minimalist
Question: How should we handle a group member who does a minimal amount of work, shows up intermittently to meetings, misses deadlines, and is unmotivated or has other committments?

Answer: Address this issue in person during meetings and in email so the person is aware that the other group members think he/she is slacking. Plan accordingly so other members can pick up the slack in the prep and during the actual presentation if they don’t show up.
The Arguer
This person for some reason likes to argue rather than just listening, discussing, and working on a solution. This person gets angry and likes to argue.
Answer: If you can’t reason with this person, switch groups.

In general, do your best to work things out within your group, but keep me informed if things are going poorly or if you need advice on how to handle something. Don’t wait untill the last minute to inform me of a problem. If you don’t catch me in class or office hours, just email me. If I see very uneven participation rates I will probably grade each member separately.

The reason a professor has you work in groups is to learn how to work in a group since throughout your academic and working careers, you almost always have to work in groups.

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