Let’s regroup

Group work has been the bane but also the joy of my existence this year.
I don’t think I ever had the opportunity to work so closely with a group of people for this length of time in my life. It is a strange feeling.
I must admit with all it’s irritations, It presents an exceptionally steep learning curve.
So alas this post is dedicated to what I’ve about being in a group and being in this group…

With regards to group work, you can never stop learning. I have learned that you can never underestimate the power of effective and efficient communication. This is one of the most critical points in seeing this group till the end. At this point our communication efforts have been quite effective, and everyone is on the same page. This is something that we have continuously stressed as group and therefore make great effort. However because we have gotten fairly used to each other, this sometimes slips, with things like meetings not being properly communicated. This leaves some members feeling upset. Thus I have learned that it is extremely important to constantly re-evaluate how our communication channels are working, and improve where necessary.

The idea of conflict has reduced considerably due to efficient communication. The policy that we had put in place from our previous conflict resolution session has really left no room for significant conflict to arise. I have learned that as long as you treat everyone as you expect to be treated, then you won’t run into conflict. Furthermore it is extremely important to be open minded and respect everyone’s opinion and address people in a mature manner.

Accountability is a big thing in groups, and I have learned that as hard as it might be, everyone has to be accountable for their work, and therefore have to be called out for lack of performance. If you don’t address those who are not working then it will result in conflict.

And this is only the tip of the ice berg.