Why It is Important to Be Able to Work in Team

The last time I remember working within a small group was for my psychology class a year back when we had to build a strong argument for a difficult debate subject. My group has the difficult duty of disproving the credibility of the DSM, the book all psychologists and psychiatrists across the nation use to diagnose their patients! It was bothersome working within that group, because the other group members weren’t excited about the purpose of our group, they weren’t motivated to work towards researching for evidence to disprove the DSM, and they were overall uncooperative from the very beginning. This was worrisome for me, because this debate was a substantial part of the overall grade, and our professor wasn’t an easy grader. Seeing how unmotivated my group members were, rather than trying to be a participating leader and motivate the group members, who already knew what needed to be done, I made the mistake of taking the responsibility of the whole project myself, so I can be sure that we get a promising grade.

Of course, things never turn out as expected, even when you think of every possible situation. I had completed thorough research, had printed out detailed notes for each of my group members, had separated the debate in sections so each of us would participate in the argument. After the debate was over, it was undeniable that we had won, because the opposing group has completely come unprepared. However, I was still at a loss because regardless of all the hard work I contributed into this project, we had only earned a B, and the opposing group, who had barely completed anything, had earned a C. At first, I was infuriated because I didn’t understand how that grade came to be. But when I spoke to the professor he explained that he could easily see that the other group members didn’t contribute to the project, and me doing all the work defeated the purpose of the small group setting of the project. Honestly, it was a lesson I never forgot, and ever since that day, I try my best to not shy away from working in groups, and cooperating with the rest of the members, instead of trying to own up to all the work by myself.

Although the results of my last small group interaction weren’t as productive as I had wished them to be, they did teach me a critical lesson. It’s significant to be group-oriented when one is a member of a group, and avoid owning up to strictly individual roles that might dissolve the cohesiveness of the group. By me trying to complete all the work of the group and outright being disappointed in my fellow group members shows my lack of trust within the group, and my inconsideration of others’ potential. Rather than being one who focuses on individual roles, now I am to be a group member who can be transformational, participating, and cooperative.