I had the good fortune of being grouped with Si Kai and Yumeng for the research proposal. I knew Si Kai is a cooperative and self-initiated team member from the peer teaching project, and was looking forward to working with him again. A new member onboard was Yumeng, whose working style I had to explore and synergize with our group dynamics. Initially, she was reserved and quiet which was understandable given her unfamiliarity with us. I initiated frequent communication with her and soon enough the ice was broken and she was contributing enthusiastically by the second meeting. Communication is a delicate and important aspect in group projects, and sometimes to maintain a pleasant working relationship you have to talk on a personal level to make the other party feel comfortable.
The next challenge was about finding credible primary sources for our project within a short span of time. The initial idea was to conduct face-to-face interviews, but when replies came back, the problem was about finding a time when everyone could make it. Within a matter of minutes, we decided to switch to email interview instead, effectively reducing the inconvenience for all parties. NEA (National Environment Agency) was the only company to get back to us, and their reply proved to be robust and informative enough. This has shown that things can go wrong or go off track during a project, but one has to be flexible and forward-thinking enough to proceed and not stagnate.
I would be entering working life soon, and projects would be my bread and butter. This module has equipped me with the necessary communication skills which I have to continually hone and practise. Possible improvements that I will execute include the ability to communicate deadlines and the managing the intricate balance between getting the job done and understanding the cause for delays. Also, I will improve on the distribution of tasks for the group members. Factors to juggle and balance are each member's strengths and weaknesses, as well as their willingness for the task.
All the best in your future job JJ! Hope it will be an exciting journey for you!
ReplyDeleteI agree with what you mentioned regarding being flexible and forward thinking. However, what happens when your team does not see eye-to-eye? It is one thing to personally be willing to adapt, and it is a entirely new level to attempt to convince your team to follow you on it. This may get especially hard if you are not in the leadership position of the team. These are just my two-cents worth of thoughts for you to consider as you progress into the working world. Perhaps consider how feasible it may be in such situations where you need the group to adapt with you, especially when they are apparent risks present in the decision to change and be adaptable.