Group Work

Establish roles and responsibilities

A successful group establishes agreed guidelines and team roles. Good group work is well-managed group work. Decide what roles you need within your project. Do you need a team leader to coordinate tasks? Do you need a writer, editor, or someone who can analyse data? Do you need someone who is proficient in the use of a particular piece of software? When the roles have been agreed, divide the work up as equally as possible so that everyone feels they have a chance to contribute.

How do you choose the person for the role? 

• You could pull names out of a hat - but then people with a real talent for something might not get to do it and people who have a strong desire to work in a particular area may feel unmotivated if they’re left with a task they wouldn’t ordinarily choose. 
• You could let people decide - but sometimes people who say they are good at something might not be as good, or willing, as someone who doesn’t like to promote themselves. 
• You could carry out a skills audit - everyone should be able to use their existing strengths and maybe develop some new areas.

​​​​​​​You might align the roles with the existing skills within the team, so that your team plays to its strengths, and everyone feels involved. You might consider swapping roles each week, so everyone gets a chance to try out a new skill or role. Groups work best when each member feels they have had the opportunity to contribute to their full potential. ​​​​​​​
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Set SMART targets

Once the group is happy with who is doing what, it needs to ensure that there are clear targets and that everyone is working towards the same goal. Breaking the end goal down into smaller activities, and assigning these to individuals, will be a matter of negotiation within the team.
 

• Who has the capacity to take on a task at this moment?
• Who can contribute at a later point or can only contribute at specific times due to other commitments?
• Can tasks be organised so that someone who is not able to contribute today can pick up a task at a later point?
• Are some team members working in different time zones?
• Could this become a group strength so that, with careful planning, the task could be progressed at all times of the day?

Adopting S.M.A.R.T (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time Constrained) targets or goals is a useful way of measuring progress. Check that everybody has a clear understanding of the task before you start. People can interpret things in different ways and every group should allow time for discussion at the outset of a project. Every group member needs to have a clear idea of the overall goal of the group. A team that is clear on goals will not waste time with confusion.

Be realistic when creating a schedule that will allow your team to complete all the necessary tasks before the deadline. Once you have allocated tasks to group members, manage and track your group’s progress using an online tool like Microsoft To Do, which is part of Microsoft 365. ​​​​​​

When you start a group assignment or project, it’s a good idea to agree on some basic organisation and how the group will work and communicate together. Think about: ​​​​​​​

Set ground rules and expectations

Ground rules are important; everyone should feel safe, respected and able to voice their thoughts. Group members should attend meetings and participate using the agreed communication approach. They should send apologies if they are unable to attend a planned meeting. Everyone should stick to deadlines and be professional in all communication.

Use one of the first meetings to agree upon the group’s ground rules. This may take the form of a brainstorming exercise to put forward possible rules, or one or two members might offer to draft out some rules for everyone to discuss. The main thing is that all members agree to and adhere to these rules. Write them down and give everyone a copy.

Examples might include: 

• Everyone has a right and an opportunity to voice opinion 

• Everyone will be treated with respect by other members 

• All members will be encouraged to participate 

• All members will be expected to contribute to the team’s goals 

• Everyone’s input will be welcomed 

• All members will attend planned meetings on time 

• All members will be sensitive to others’ needs and make every effort to accommodate these 

Manage conflict

Disagreement and differing views aren't always bad - they can lead to creative ideas - but conflict is harmful to the group when it becomes personal and aggressive. The best way to manage conflict is to take steps to avoid it.  

Turn the flash cards to see more about some of the steps you can take to avoid conflict and resolve it if it occurs. 

It’s always better to try and resolve conflict as a group before escalating any problems to your lecturer.