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Loafing.
The loafer is the most commonly cited disadvantage of group work. This is when a member does not contribute to the group, +and therefore decreases the group’s ability to perform to their full potential. In many cases, this may damage the morale of the other members of the group and cause resentment.
Solution:
Use open reminders during the assignment. Group members who seem to be loafing should be encouraged by the other members to ‘pull their weight’. We need to remind regularly – not just near a deadline, when it may be too late. Contact the team member by email or other means to find out if they are on track with their assigned work if the group hasn’t heard from them.
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Blending different writing styles.
Group projects require that member’s portions blend at compilation. This can be difficult because of word selection, writing style, and intellectual levels are different. This can potentially leave someone feeling their portion was less important or less accurate. The whole idea of group papers is to have a paper written that flows as if one person completed it. Further problems surface when individual team members dislike the editing of their work.
Solution:
Editing is essential to the improvement of the paper. Members must be tactful with their remarks and responses. Whenever possible, input suggestions and allow the writer to change their own portion of the project. Give specific guidance and examples instead of vague remarks to help pinpoint areas of improvement and help the author to understand how to improve particular parts rather than general criticism.
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Disagreements.
When group members disagree the worst thing is to stop communicating. Online sessions promote withdrawal. There is no need to be deliberately obstructive, or criticize work, endlessly debate small points, or refuse to contribute at all. Instead, work on the problem so that the group doesn’t waste their energy on conflict resolution. Some members may become passive and they let the dominant team members do the work.
Solution:
Define the roles as well as the tasks. Provide guidelines for team-member roles, and describe actions for each member of the group to take. Get it out in the open. Then, develop a productive solution. Everyone in the group must be involved in seeking a solution. Practice democratic decision making, but this should not take a lot of time. There must be a deadline on the discussion and a final decision must be just that, final.
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Competitive vs. Collaborative.
This is when members of the group are preoccupied in establishing that they are "right" and that the others are “wrong.” The group member may not want to adapt any of their work to have it blend with the others. They may pressure others into thinking their way. Some groups may suffer “group think," where a bad choice goes unquestioned because group members are unwilling to go against what appears to be a consensus.
Solution:
Separate the tasks so that there is little or no overlap of topics. Make sure that each person clearly perceives that there exists a clear reward for the effort expended in the group work. Group members should keep in mind to compromise when coming to agreements because not everyone will always agree.
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Group member leaves the class.
A team member could potentially drop the class because either they just don't want to take it anymore or because a family issue, or for other reasons. If this occurs after research section assignments, this leaves the group vulnerable without that section. If it was far enough along in the timeline, it would be very difficult to cope with problem because the group would have to start from scratch to complete the remaining sections and assignments.
Solution:
If the group has not heard from a team member all week, they should message that particular person to ask them about the assignments. If the team still does not hear from them, they should write an email to the professor inquiring about the other team member to find out if they dropped the class for any particular reason. If the team member has dropped the class or refuses participation, the group should divide the remaining sections and tasks to complete the project in a timely manner. Depending on the situation, the team should contact the professor for an extension or guidance for the particular case.
Consequences:
The obvious penalty for lack of communication and cooperation in group work would be a lower grade or even failure to complete the project. Overcoming obstacles like these in group projects is crucial to actively use and improve communication skills and to build teamwork experience used in the classroom as well as the workplace. Individual’s effort towards group work shows one’s ability to contribute meaningful information and skills to the worth of the total project. Although team members receive grades based on individual efforts, the project grade is collaborative at first. Each team member’s role and effort affects the initial group’s grade.
Good! Well done cover paper!
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