There are a lot of things you can avoid in Poly, but group projects aren’t one of them. As a Mass Communication student, I’ve had countless group projects during my 3 years in Poly.
It’d be an utter lie if I say I’ve never had any problems with my group members. Even with your closest friends, you’ve definitely had times where you’re not the most satisfied with them. Not to mention in most cases, you aren’t grouped with your closest friends.
Ever heard of peer evaluation (PE)? I think most of you are familiar with this term, especially if you're in Year 2 or Year 3. For those who aren’t, PE is essentially evaluating your peers at the end of the project. When I first entered Poly, we heard about this senior who wasn’t satisfied with the work her group members did and ended up re-doing everything on a separate document. She back stabbed them by deleting their word document and PE-ed them saying they didn’t contribute. When I first heard the story, I was very determined to not ever PE someone because it felt like I’d be backstabbing them. Guess what? I didn’t keep to my word.
I’m a non-confrontational person. Or at least that’s what I like to tell people. To some extent, it is true. I don’t like having to point out the tension within the group. But it’s not entirely because I’m non-confrontational. For the most part, it’s because I can’t be bothered. When I have people who don’t do work or are uncontactable, which honestly happens a lot, I would just do their work for them. Then the resentment builds up and eventually, I end up PE-ing them. Even when I don’t PE them, a lot of gossip usually goes around among me and my other coursemates. When I was still in Poly, rather than giving advice to peers or juniors on how to resolve conflicts, I often advised them on how to PE “useless” group members instead.
Now, the point of me saying all these is not to tell you that that’s the way to go. Rather, it is exactly because I’ve tried using these methods that I know that there are better ways to deal with group conflicts.
Here is some advice from me having struggled for 3 years of group projects.
#1 Avoid working with friends (even more so if you’re close)
This is honestly my best advice for you. As I mentioned above, conflicts are inevitable because everyone has their own opinions. As much as you might say, let’s separate work and personal relationships, it’s really not that easy.
There are honestly a lot of concerns when it comes to working with friends. It’s very easy to take things for granted. You might not be as wary of certain things when working with friends as with unfamiliar people. You might also tend to avoid calling friends out on things because you’re afraid it will sour the relationship and if conflicts arise, it’s hard for it to be the same even if you talk it out afterwards.
Obviously this doesn’t mean that there aren’t concerns about working with people you’re not close to and it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t work with friends either. However, having been through 3 years of Poly, I’ve definitely heard of a lot more problems when people choose to work with their friends as compared to people they aren’t close to. Even for myself, I have a lot more concerns when I choose to work with friends. This is purely because with people you aren’t close to, you can just choose to not work with them again next time. However with friends, even if you don’t work together again, you can’t really avoid them unless you’re ready to break that friendship if things go wrong.
#2 Setting clear rules
For someone who doesn’t like stepping up to resolve conflicts, the best way to deal with it is to prevent it from happening. Afterall, what’s there to solve if the problem doesn’t even exist? This is especially useful for long term group projects.
At the start, have every member state their expectations and some rules they want placed. It is important to share your working style, especially if it is your first time working with any of your group members. The rules you set can be based on what upsets you when working on a project. This really depends on personal preference because what may annoy some people may not be so for others. Ensure that everyone is agreeable and if anyone breaks these rules, the rest have the green light to call them out on it. As much as it might not be a full-proof method, it definitely keeps the amount of conflicts to a minimum as everyone in the group would already know what are some taboos.
#3 Open communication
I think this is a very “duh” kind of advice but it is also often neglected. Most of the time you may be very tempted to sweep things under the rug, but it usually does more harm than good.
When I say open communication, it doesn’t mean attacking anyone. It means that if you sense tension within the group, have everyone come together and say their piece. Have ample time for one party to say what they are unhappy with and have the other party state their claim. Communication requires both parties, therefore always hear both sides of the story and never on separate occasions.
I can’t guarantee that you will have an amazing experience with group projects all the time even with my advice. Be it uncooperative group members or bad decisions made during the heat of the moment, there are a lot that you can’t control on your part. But know that with every bad experience, it can amount to a lesson learnt to better work together in future group projects.
Sometimes, the most challenging part about group projects isn't the work itself, but the interpersonal skills needed to effectively communicate and work as a team. Your seniors at Poly Parcel completely understand! Drop us a message on Instagram or Telegram if you need any help to resolve some of the conflicts within your groups or just a listening ear to rant to ❤️
