Group Project
Life is a group project.
In school, the assignment of a group project is usually met with mixed emotions. There may be excitement at the prospect of doing something off the norm, the chance for a little socialization in what is usually a solitary activity. You may have the opportunity to work with your friends. On the other hand, an assignment is still an assignment, and there may be anxiety if your partners are not your choice. Getting stuck randomly in a group that doesn't click can make a complex assignment seem even longer. Most of us have found ourselves in that painful situation at one time or another.
Observing the dynamics of the group can be as informative as the project itself. Some will naturally let their leadership or organizational abilities shine. Others will be good followers, happy to be splitting the work among the students in the group. There are opportunities for individuals to contribute their ideas and for creativity to blossom. Compromise and adaptation are required to make the whole thing come together, and group members can learn valuable lessons and skills from each other. But often, a group that doesn't gel will stratify based on the division of work. The majority of the group members will perceive their cut of the work, doing what's expected of them and nothing more. They may even do the bare minimum they can get away with, expecting politeness to be their ward against any challenge. Still others, confident that someone will take up the slack, contribute nothing at all. While rarer, these students exist, and they seem immune to the social pressure applied by the group. Unwillingness to work will usually generate arguments and protest from the others, some refusing to work if the one isn't doing their share. In the end, one or two take on the extra work in order to make the deadline with a completed project. The thing about group projects is that you're all in it together. Regardless of how evenly the work is divided, you all pass or fail together.
When you leave school behind and get out into the world, you still find yourself doing group projects. Whether the group is family, coworkers or others, whether the projects are literally projects or just the business of living, the same dynamics apply. If you lose sight of the goals and get wound up in the unfair division of work, you'll fail. All of you. Those who may deserve the failure and those who don't.
This isn't a comment on a specific situation, so those who know me personally shouldn't worry. It's only a general observation based on a few decades of group projects and watching how the participants interact. Too many times, people become bitter or gossipy when they think that others are skating by or failing to follow the rules. They worry that coworkers may be paid more or that they, themselves, seem unfairly burdened by extra responsibilities. And, things may very well be unfair. Unfair is a common state in the world.
Some people are unwilling to do what they know is right because nobody else is doing it. Some give up a good practice that helps others because a few bad apples have taken advantage of the generosity. Although these things are, in effect, that unfair division of work on the school project, the unfairness doesn't really matter in the end. We're all in this together, and we all go down together when we fail. For this reason, I can be thankful for every time I was assigned a group project that seemed unfair. The lesson may seem harsh, but it's preparation for life.
Of course, fighting the injustices is a noble goal. Go ahead and protest what is unfair. Make changes for the better wherever you can. You've seen the world can be unfair, so do your best to make it a little more fair in your zone of influence. Just don't use others' unfairness as an excuse to ignore what good you can do. What I caution against is letting the unfairness push you off track. What's the result of focusing on how you're doing more of the "work" than those around you? You waste a lot of time being unhappy and nothing gets any better. So, move yourself in a positive direction. Take your fair share of ownership in your world and maybe a little more without regard to what others are doing. If it's the right thing, do it. Don't wait for someone else to take their turn at the responsibility. Don't bother festering over little inequities, but keep your eye on the real purpose of this group project.
In school, the assignment of a group project is usually met with mixed emotions. There may be excitement at the prospect of doing something off the norm, the chance for a little socialization in what is usually a solitary activity. You may have the opportunity to work with your friends. On the other hand, an assignment is still an assignment, and there may be anxiety if your partners are not your choice. Getting stuck randomly in a group that doesn't click can make a complex assignment seem even longer. Most of us have found ourselves in that painful situation at one time or another.
Observing the dynamics of the group can be as informative as the project itself. Some will naturally let their leadership or organizational abilities shine. Others will be good followers, happy to be splitting the work among the students in the group. There are opportunities for individuals to contribute their ideas and for creativity to blossom. Compromise and adaptation are required to make the whole thing come together, and group members can learn valuable lessons and skills from each other. But often, a group that doesn't gel will stratify based on the division of work. The majority of the group members will perceive their cut of the work, doing what's expected of them and nothing more. They may even do the bare minimum they can get away with, expecting politeness to be their ward against any challenge. Still others, confident that someone will take up the slack, contribute nothing at all. While rarer, these students exist, and they seem immune to the social pressure applied by the group. Unwillingness to work will usually generate arguments and protest from the others, some refusing to work if the one isn't doing their share. In the end, one or two take on the extra work in order to make the deadline with a completed project. The thing about group projects is that you're all in it together. Regardless of how evenly the work is divided, you all pass or fail together.
When you leave school behind and get out into the world, you still find yourself doing group projects. Whether the group is family, coworkers or others, whether the projects are literally projects or just the business of living, the same dynamics apply. If you lose sight of the goals and get wound up in the unfair division of work, you'll fail. All of you. Those who may deserve the failure and those who don't.
This isn't a comment on a specific situation, so those who know me personally shouldn't worry. It's only a general observation based on a few decades of group projects and watching how the participants interact. Too many times, people become bitter or gossipy when they think that others are skating by or failing to follow the rules. They worry that coworkers may be paid more or that they, themselves, seem unfairly burdened by extra responsibilities. And, things may very well be unfair. Unfair is a common state in the world.
Some people are unwilling to do what they know is right because nobody else is doing it. Some give up a good practice that helps others because a few bad apples have taken advantage of the generosity. Although these things are, in effect, that unfair division of work on the school project, the unfairness doesn't really matter in the end. We're all in this together, and we all go down together when we fail. For this reason, I can be thankful for every time I was assigned a group project that seemed unfair. The lesson may seem harsh, but it's preparation for life.
Of course, fighting the injustices is a noble goal. Go ahead and protest what is unfair. Make changes for the better wherever you can. You've seen the world can be unfair, so do your best to make it a little more fair in your zone of influence. Just don't use others' unfairness as an excuse to ignore what good you can do. What I caution against is letting the unfairness push you off track. What's the result of focusing on how you're doing more of the "work" than those around you? You waste a lot of time being unhappy and nothing gets any better. So, move yourself in a positive direction. Take your fair share of ownership in your world and maybe a little more without regard to what others are doing. If it's the right thing, do it. Don't wait for someone else to take their turn at the responsibility. Don't bother festering over little inequities, but keep your eye on the real purpose of this group project.
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