The Little Group That Could

Our group was dysfunctional to say the least. There was fighting. There was inappropriate joking. Yes, there was even a face-slap. But in the end, our group dynamics worked extremely well, and I was proud of the final product we put out.

One of the advantages we had going into this project was that several of us already knew each other. This made the “norming” stage very simple—we all learned more about each other, but we went in knowing a little background information. I was also very relieved that we were all journalism majors—we avoided the storming of deciding on a career path and communication topic to focus on.

Although we had some “storming,” it was primarily lighthearted. We got in silly fights and some disagreements, but we generally agreed on the direction our group should take and the aspects of the project. Even though we agreed on almost everything about the project, which runs the risk of groupthink, I don’t really feel like we experienced this—we made our opinions and ideas known, which was facilitated by the fact that we all felt very comfortable with each other. At no point do I think anyone hesitated to state their opinion or raise an objection, and we did not have to deal with a silent majority who never spoke up but was still responsible for the actions of the group, because everyone’s opinion was heard.

We started to “conform” when we started communicating via Facebook, which was my contribution to the group, and when we would decide times that worked for all of us to meet up. Also part of the “conforming” stage was our decision to make Mike group leader—it seemed like a natural fit, and he helped us accomplish our goals. For example, he’s the one who started our GoogleDoc, which really helped us all contribute to our group outline and PowerPoint. This leadership primarily stemmed from legitimate power, because Mike inspired a sense of responsibility in us and made sure we got the job done.

Finally, it was time to “perform.” Although we put a lot of work into our presentation, we didn’t get a lot of time to practice together, so I’ll admit that I was a little nervous. But I was proud of how our group pulled it all together. I felt a lot more comfortable presenting to the class with my group members by my side, and it seemed like they felt more comfortable, too. We fed off of each other, listened to each other, and effectively presented each of our main points to present a cohesive project. After the presentation was over, our group may have “adjourned,” but I don’t think it is really the end of our group—we got to know each other through this project and had fun, so I know I will keep in contact with them.

Our group joked that my position in our group was the “social media outreach director,” a title I earned by starting our Facebook thread of messages and initiating messages on where and when we should meet, tasks we should all be working on individually, etc. Besides my “prestigious” position, I feel that I helped perform group maintenance tasks. I always tried to treat others with respect and give their ideas a fair chance, maintain a positive attitude, encourage fellow group members, and assume an active role in the group.

I can confidently say that I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know each of my fellow group members, and they really pulled their weight. Not only were they all invested in the project and willing to do the necessary work, but they were all positive and fun and I looked forward to spending time with each of them. I was nervous for this project, being my first group project of college—images of lazy students who never showed up to group meetings flashed through my mind—but I couldn’t have asked for a better experience, or a better group.

Photo courtesy cte.uwaterloo.cta