Group work can be frustrating. What should you do if you find yourself yoked to a bunch of slackers who won't pull their weight on an important project? Here's what I wrote to one of my students who complained to me that she had done the lion's share of the work on a group project for my class.
"What you experienced is, of course, similar to what you might face in collaborative writing situations in the "real world"--except that in the real world sometimes the stakes are much higher than a few points on a grade.
I think there are three basic options in situations like this: 1) report the problem to your superiors and engage their help in managing it or 2) keep plugging along, trying to do the best you can on your own, or 3) confront the problem: lay it on the table for your group and make a call-to-action to fix it. In my experience, Option 1 often works in the short-run but can misfire in the long-run. because it creates extra work for your superiors and it associates you, in their minds, with a problem rather than a solution. You chose Option 2, and I think that is often the best choice in situations like the one you faced here--where deadlines are looming, the stakes are relatively low and the collaboration is short-term. But in the real-world, Option 3 is often best. It requires lots of creativity and solid communication skills, but it long run, the effort you put into getting a group back on track can pay off, and when you take the initiative to do so, you can showcase your leadership and communication skills (turning a problem into an opportunity). So at least you can chalk this up as a learning experience, maybe? "
Shout Outs!
16 years ago
