....................................... Group?
........................................Individual?As the saying goes, “No man can be an island”. Is it true? Will there be more group synergy if we are in a group which we chose to be? Or in a group we are put in?
One of the reasons why we should communicate in a group is because of group synergy. This is true to a certain extend.
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First, let me start with working with people whom you know but have never work with him or her before. Yes, you are right. You do know them. However, are they both good team mates and friends? Or do they belong to one of the categories only? One can be a good listener, but not a good team player. Although group synergy may not be that much, we can learn how to compromise and work with other people. In conclusion, working with your best friend may not help in creating group synergy.
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Next, collaborating with people you know and have worked with in the past. In school, we always have the luxury to choose who we want to work with. I guess everyone would like to work alongside with their friends, who are good team players as well. When such groups are formed, I believe that group synergy is at its maximum. Not only can the group perform well for the tasks given, they are also able to lend support and encouragement for one another since they understand each other. This is the ideal type of group, which is capable of performing the task well, and to take care of each other’s well-being.
Lastly, working with people you do not know or meet before. This kind of situation is frequently seen in workplaces where you do not have the choice to choose who you want to work with. Companies hire people according to their competency. So if you are put alongside with someone else, most likely the group members would complement each other to perform. In such cases, group synergy is prominent. However, we must not neglect that if members do not know each other beforehand, it will be difficult for them to satisfy both their individual and group needs. In such cases, conflicts might arise and hinder the progress of the group instead.
So, joining forces with people who are good friends and team players may benefit us more right?
Before I end this entry, let me share a story with you. I believe everyone has been in this kind of situation before. And from there, we will see how group communication can be a real hassle as well.
Imagine you are out with a whole group of friends, with around six of them. Well, I guess you do not have to imagine this, as it always happen. It is time for lunch, and all of you are standing in the middle of the shopping mall (or anywhere). What would happen?
In the first type of situation, if you are asked about where shall we go for lunch, everyone would say “I don’t know,” “Anywhere also can.” Everyone is trying to “satisfy” everyone by letting everyone make a decision. This is especially common in girls (no offence) and this is what guys hate most I suppose. In the end, we get nothing out from there. And finally, the brave soul stood up and makes a decision.
In the second type of situation, everyone has their own preference for dining. Suggestions came up one by one, from the clockwise direction. Seven different suggestions, including yours. Oh gosh! Which one should the group support? In the end, you will be spending time voting, or the brave soul would stand up again.
We can see that in some situations, individual decision making is much easier as compared to group decision making. Simple decisions can be made if you are alone. However, full support of group is needed if you are in a group. Moreover, you might unknowingly offend someone by disagreeing when you are in a group situation.
So, which is better? A bird or a flock of birds?
10 comments:
Personally, i feel that though there are pros and cons for both choices, having a team is always better than working alone.
Even though it may take a little bit of time to 'break the ice' between new teammates, progression after that would be twice or even more as fast as an individual, depending on the number of WORKING people in the team.
However, difficulties in teamwork often includes "passengers" lurking behind the scenes, competition, disputes etc.
Work out disputes and differences between teammates, and not only will u get a strong team, but also everlasting friendship.
Well if you were to ask me to choose between bird or flock of birds when it is time for lunch. I would definitely vote for flock of birds! Eating alone feels really awkward in the midst of crowded canteen or other places such as foodcourts or fastfood restaurants.
I agree with Shawn that there are pros and cons for both choices. When a task given to you is in the range of your capability then you might feel that working alone is better as the group members may appear to be a liability to you.
However, if you are not so up to the standard in doing the task well. I believe having a team is definitely better!
It really depends on the situation i guess. Personally, i vote for the flock of birds=)
working in groups, like most other things in life, is like a coin. on one side, you have the power of group synergy; on the other, you have the dark-side of groupthink.
yes, it can be argued that no man is an island, but if the sum of all parts is going to produce negative work done, would it not be better off just working alone?
i guess at the end of the day it is unavoidable to need to work in groups, so be aware of whats going on, and do not make the mistakes educated to us!
For me, I would choose a flock of birds.
In my school,usually we won't have a chance to choose who we want to work with in the team, we are assigned to teams randomly.
Why I choose a flock of birds? Have you heard the saying "two brain is better than one"?
That's the reason why I choose a flock of birds. I wouldn't say that being as a group would be best because there would be disputes caused by different opinions of team mates, but if we are able to cross this 'barrier', it would be good as we can all work together.
In groups, many things could be lessen and made easier. If a project is worked in a group, everything would be made easier by sharing the workload.
Personally, i think that it depend on the situation.
For example, working with a team maybe just make more conflicts as you are working with different people, they might have different styles of doing things.
However, i beleived if you work things out, problems can be sloved faster and easier cause you will have a lot of brains thinking!
But for working alone, it maybe more effective as you can do the way you want it to be.
it really depend on the situation.
It seems like most of the people would prefer to be with a flock of birds as compared to being alone.
Another thing came across my mind recently. Could it be we are afraid of loneliness and that is why we choose to work in groups most of the time? We are afraid to be left alone?
Conflicts definitely will arise while working in groups due to different personalities, values, belief, IQ or even EQ etc.
However, working in teams will help each individual to develop in many areas such as tolerance and patience levels. Through teamwork, individual can learn to communicate effectively as it is required essentially.
Team members can also help to build up one another.
As humans, we would need interaction with others to reach a level of satisfaction in our needs, stated in the Maslow hierarchy of needs.
In my working profession, I have to work with a big team of researchers. Conflicts are happeneing everyday but I have learnt how to solve and deal with them appropriately. Through it, I have found myself to be maturing in my thinking and actions towards others.
Working in a group doesn't mean the individual cannot express his/her own opinions or do individual tasks. I believe every individual has own potential to excel. Being in a group should see to the success of every team member instead of 'pulling' one another down due to jealousy or pride.
i think that working in a group is better. although sometimes conflicts will arise due to different opinions and ideas but at least in a group, there are more ppl to contribute ideas and a better solution for the task that u r working on can be found. rather than you work alone and there is no one to assess your ideas as your own ideas may not be the best. more ppl can also mean that a task can be completed faster and more efficiently.
i guess it also depends on wat kind of ppl are in your team right?
if your team members are all lazy ppl then haha..
but i think in reality, usually in workplaces there will not be such a situation as lazy ppl probably would be fired.
I guess it's quite ironic. Maybe lazy people are fired, but there will still be some around. And in workplace, we will never be able to choose who we want to work with.
This brings me to another point. While looking for a job, we should seriously consider the culture of the company and how the people work there. From there, we will be able to know if we are able to work with those people, be it in a group or individually.
At any point of life, we definitely have to work in groups. The best solution is to learn how to handle different situations and people. Don't you agree?
its neither difficult nor easy to work in a team. all it takes are positive attitude towards conflicting ideas as well as effectivie communication skills. Also, we should learn to view things from other ppl pt of view. And like wat u mention, no man is an island. People need people to help himself/herself.
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