Study skills part three: Making groups work

Published on 1 November 12

Up to 70% of your working days will be spent working with other people, but group work for your studies is often a source of dread. Find out how you can get through group work dilemmas.

The need for teamwork skills

With so much of the working day spent working with others, it's not surprising that recruiters are keen to employ graduates with good teamwork skills. It’s important to be able to give them examples of when you worked well in a team and how you overcame challenges.

Teamwork is all about being able to operate smoothly and efficiently within a group. Doing this draws on a number of other skills:

The ability to encourage and inspire other team members to perform better
The ability to compromise and ignore your own ego
Communication and other interpersonal skills such as negotiation, influence, advising and interpreting.

Most graduate jobs will require you to work as part of a team so the skills you gain form group work assignments at University are really valuable. So, if you are faced with obstacles in your group work, look at it as a challenge to improve your skills.

Common problems and how to solve them

Teamwork can be very challenging, especially if you don’t know the people you’ll be working with. We’ve got some advice about how to overcome obstacles and make the right decisions when working in a team.

Overcoming shyness

Group projects are often hindered before they even start because team members don't feel comfortable around the strangers in the room. Remember all of those annoying ice-breakers you do at the beginning of seminars? Well they really do work! Go around the group and find out as much as you can about the other members. Try to find things in common, and, very importantly, try to make each other laugh. No-one expects you to be best friends, but becoming comfortable with one another will make a huge difference when things get a bit tougher later on.

Finding a time to meet up

Organising times to meet up over the internet can be very frustrating. At one of the first meetings is a good time to agree how often to meet up and when this can be done. Finding a free time slot that you all share will be easier the sooner you plan it so it’s best to plan all of your meetings at the start.

At KMPG we often find that candidates who have additional interests such as being involved in a team or society outperform those who haven’t, therefore giving them the much-sought-after edge in today’s competitive market

Lizzie McCoy, Campus Marketing Executive, KPMG

Members not pulling their weight

Delegate. Don’t allow other members of the team - or yourself - to sit back and allow everyone else to do the work. Make sure that everyone agrees to their roles and duties and a time frame in which the rest of the group can expect their work to be finished.

One of the biggest anxieties around group work that is assessed - particularly peer-assessed - is that it is difficult to get a good mark, which can have a big effect on your overall grade. Remember that group work is like any other piece of assessment - the more you put in, the more you'll get out. Use the guidance given to you before the project, and, like any other piece of coursework, you can go to your lecturer or tutor at any time for clarification and support. If you are seriously concerned about the work of a member of your group you should speak to your tutor.

Agreeing on a decision

Don’t make hasty decisions, think things over and discuss all options as a group. Make sure every member of the group has had an input and, if necessary, seek advice from your lecturer.

Personality clashes

Not everyone in the group will have the same ideas, opinions or personalities; that’s the idea of group work. This is really good practice for when you enter the workplace, you may not always be able to work with like minded people so you have to learn how manage with them.

If you struggle to speak out when you’re in a group of people, you may benefit from the Speaking out in groups workshop which is run by the counselling service.

Teamwork tips

Here are some top tips to ensure your meetings go as smoothly as possible:

Assign someone to take notes at each meeting and agree upon these notes at the end of the meeting.
Make a clear list of what needs to be done by your next meeting and who is responsible for what.
Make sure everyone gets a say, perhaps take it in turns to give contributions

If you need any further help the Humanities study skills website has some useful resources for students from all faculties, you can also view more advice on the Learn higher website.

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