Reflection on Group Work Experience
During this assignment, working as a team proved to be a significant challenge. I often found myself frustrated with the pace at which progress was being made – or, in some cases, not made at all – and the limited level of communication I was able to establish with my team members. I believe this was closely tied to the overall lack of direction that seemed to affect the assignment, particularly from the Marketing students’ side. It’s difficult to be proactive when the efforts you’re making to collaborate are not being reflected back at you.
My Role in the Team
As the team dynamic shifted several times, it was difficult to find a natural rhythm or clearly defined roles. At the start, we had Ella on our team, then she was moved to another group, only to return to us about a week before the Marketing group’s final presentation. Ella was meant to act as our group’s Creative Director, which led me to take a step back and ensure decisions were made democratically. However, I now realise this approach was not particularly effective. In hindsight, having a clear leader might have helped streamline the process and improved overall coordination.
Although we had initially assigned each member a group to communicate with, I quickly found myself becoming the main point of contact for both groups. This became necessary in order to receive clear and precise information, and to ensure that their questions were answered promptly.
The overall lack of structure often left me feeling confused and unsure about who was responsible for which tasks. I was also hesitant to push for clarification, as many of my previous discussions had been left stale. I found it difficult to understand how we were going to achieve cohesive branding across all the groups’ work when my teammates were not sharing their design iterations or processes – only completed work.
The tendency towards independent working had a noticeable impact. In one instance, both Ella and I produced versions of the same outcome, but they looked completely different – which was not helpful when trying to present a cohesive campaign.
Rob’s Psychometric Testing
My outcome from Rob’s psychometric test was The Conductor, which I must admit I found surprising, as I don’t naturally see myself as a leader in group settings. However, on reflection, I do tend to step in with firm suggestions when group progress is slow, in order to regain momentum. I believe this tendency is closely tied to my strong work ethic and life experience – the phrase “If you want something doing, do it yourself” comes to mind. That said, I am more than happy to be delegated to if someone else has strong opinions or wants to take the lead. I’m not driven by control, but by a desire to see things move forward efficiently.
Conclusion.
While I genuinely enjoyed my teammates as individuals and found them pleasant to work with on a personal level, it was challenging to establish fluid communication and a shared sense of enthusiasm for the project. This lack of engagement made it difficult to build momentum and maintain a collaborative atmosphere. Despite the frustrations, the experience has highlighted the importance of clear roles, proactive communication, and mutual accountability in successful group work – lessons I will carry forward into future projects.