Working in Groups

Working in groups has several advantages, several of which are discussed by Engleberg & Wynn (2010). I'd like to discuss what I see as advantages first - some of the things that I see as advantages overlap with the text. My experience tells me that groups are advantageous because they are more productive, more creative, and motivating as well. Of course, each of these advantages is only realized if the team is well led (facilitated.)

They are more productive for obvious reasons. Four people can do more work than one person.

Teams are more creative because a well-led team fosters an environment that allows raw and unfiltered input into the process. This is when ideas bubble to the surface and are captured.

There are motivating aspects of teams as well. For many of us, working as a team affords us the opportunity to interact with people. According to Reeve (2009), interacting with people contributes to relatedness, which is an intrinsic motivator. Working as teams helps to build relationships.

For the last few weeks, I have facilitated the performance of a Root Cause Evaluation on a regulatory issue at work. The team consisted of five people including me. We created a nearly flawless document that analyzed a serious issue. Though I am qualified to do these types of analyses, I know little about the issues that we analyzed. That's where the team members came in. I just listened, and guided them through brainstorming and data gathering, and then eventually a causal analysis. I learned much from the process as well.

Because of the way that we facilitated the process, and the way that we managed the team, the data and creativity flowed. These guys/girls were digging up information that I had no clue about - literally. They seemed to be energized by the work.

I also got to hang out and work with some great people, new people, and people who needed to learn from the process. We all became closer as the weeks ended.


References:
Engleberg, I.N., & Wynn, D.R. (2010). Working in groups: Communication principles and strategies.
Reeve, J. M. (2009). Understanding motivation and emotion (5th ed.). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley and Sons.