To Team or Not to Team

Through the activities that we have done in class and the articles that we have read; I have decided to work independently on my project.  

Some of the activities done in class gave me an idea on why an independent project is best for my personality type. Admittingly, I have never been particularly good at compromising with others on my ideas. When I have a promising idea or way of doing something, I like to do it my way and find it difficult to combine my ideas with others. The “Lost at Sea” activity was a good example of how these issues could interfere with a successful project. For the activity I had confidently selected my choices and when we were instructed to work together to make an order, I had difficulty allowing others to have input on the decisions.  

The “Social Media Peer Account” activity led me to a similar conclusion. While looking through the social media pages of several students in my class, I found that their pages were often filled with numerous pictures of them partying and hanging out with friends. While I am aware that social medias can often paint a different picture than what is happening, the activity brought to mind another concern that I have with group projects. I prefer to have the stability of an independent project in which I know that I will be reliable and a consistent worker. Group projects can often be difficult as some students are less reliable and it is difficult to get them to work with you. With this concern in mind, an independent project would ease my mind. 

This concern is also spoken about in the article “Songwriting loafing or creative collaboration? A comparison of individual and team written billboard hits in the USA” written by Terry F. Pettijohn, II and Shujaat F. Ahmed. The article describes the concept of “Social Loafing”, which is the idea that “likelihood of individuals contributing less when working on a task as part of a group than when working on a task alone”. This is a fear of mine when working in a group. I myself have been guilty of working less efficiently in a group because I felt as though my group members would pick up the slack. With such an important project, I do not want to run this risk. 

In the same article, the authors discussion about songwriting can be compared to our final project in class. The authors state, “While songs may be written in groups, a group leader may have had greater control over the final product than other members.” A frustration of mine in school related group projects is often that although one individual may be doing all or most of the work, the entire group gets the same credit. This statement from the article reminded me that I need to keep my grades in mind when choosing an individual or group project. 

Another article, “The effect of personality type on team performance” written by John H. Bradley and Frederic J. Hebert, describes the risks taken when working in a group. The authors describe how “There are a number of pitfalls involving group dynamics that can undermine a team's effectiveness.” This statement caused me to think about how there are many different challenges with every individual. Working in a group is very risky in whether members will successfully work together.  

Overall, I am confident in my choice to work independently as I can rely on myself not have to worry about the actions of other group members.