TEAM: Together Everyone Argues More

As I was sitting in class today, I was wondering why professors insist on making us do group work. I understand it makes everything easier to grade, and that they are trying to make us learn how to work in groups, and how to work with others, but if after all the years, and all the school, we still have a difficult time doing so, and it is not pleasant for anyone. I am in a professional program, and from my experience, and speaking from personal experience, people that are in these types of programs take their work very seriously. We were the lab partners that did everything, and it just about killed us to let our poor partner participate, and when they did, we were looming over them making sure everything was done as we would have done it. We are control freaks when it comes to stuff like that. “It it’s my grade, I’m gonna be in charge of it, and I’m going to make sure everything is right.” We are the ones that would offer to organize the group papers, and in the end, re-write them to our standards. Not saying that others didn’t do a fair job, but for perfectionist, control-freaks, it is just too difficult to leave things as they are. We are the nerds, we were the ones that did all the extra work in the group to ensure that it all got done.

So what happens when you put a bunch of over-achieving perfectionists into small groups to work on a set of problems? A lot of brilliant ideas and sharing? Some deep insights gained from combining all of what we know? Since we are all intelligent and willing to participate, the work ends done more quickly? Nope, not even close.

It takes forever! And it is so competitive! You try to rally supporters in the group, and you all pair up and work together against the other that is deemed less intelligent, the one that has had the most incorrect suggestions overall. It is reduced to who can come with the better answer. We argue over who is right and who is wrong, but not in a normal way. Stating the facts absolutely does not matter to the parties involved. We are the type of people that can’t be told that we are wrong, why we were wrong, and just accept it! We have to take it into consideration that we MAY be wrong (even though there is compelling evidence presented by our peer that, indeed, we are wrong) and re-consider the situation. Now this usually ends in one of two ways:

#1 The wrong party makes up an excuse for why s/he came to the original conclusion, but after reassessing the problem, it was discovered that s/he thought the question was asking something different

#2 There was something that they overlooked and since it was overlooked, an incorrect answer was generated

*******Please note: We will never miss something because we are all imperfect, actually do not know everything, and sometimes make mistakes (we are above all that and it does not apply, obviously)*********

The incorrect party then has to re-answer the question in a way that is similar to, but slightly different from all the other responses. This is where the group alliance comes into play. There is a noticeable twinkle in the eye when they hear an “incorrect” answer. This is because everyone is so assured that they know what is best and right. You see the twinkle and notice their jaw tightening and they try to hold back and wait to tear the other person’s idea to shreds. You and your ally have to have similar thoughts and viciously defend your poor little idea in a death match, while at the same time slaughter and decimate the other party’s idea beyond recognition if you want yours to be used. The more people you have on your side, the easier it is to get a “group” consensus, and the more people you have in the quest to beat the other party. It should not be surprising that with all this petty bullshit going on, it probably takes us at least twice as long to get anything done.

Sadly, I am guilty of this. I will not lie, and as I am in the processing of being a know-it-all bitch, I see that the others in my group are doing the same thing. It is contagious, setting off a chain reaction that can’t be stopped, and this is why I find class so draining and exhausting. I am not sure if this is the type of “working together” they intended to teach, but I am learning the importance of having allies in life 😉 Can’t wait to go back to class tomorrow!