Like many of us, I've had some pretty awful group experiences. Last semester, however, I had an awesome group experience. Last semester I was in MGT 300, Marketing. It was the first marketing class that I have ever taken and it was my favorite class that I have taken at Alverno so far.
We had a semester-long group project. Our group had to come together to think of a new product idea, create a detailed marketing report, and then present our information to the class. There were multiple sections included in the marketing report and each of the four group members were responsible for certain sections. My group came up with a thumb print activated coffee maker. Using touch screen technology, your thumb print would be recognized and make your personal cup of coffee based on predetermined settings. The picture below is similar to our envisioned design.
I believe this was a positive group experience for a few reasons. There was an established set of norms. We decided the best form of outside communication was through email or a group text. Texting can be informal at times, but we stayed professional and focused on the project. It was also a successful group experience because we had plan structure. Our professor structured how he would go about the project; however, we still had free range of how we wanted to complete the tasks. The first thing the professor required us to do was divide the sections among the group members. We had to write down what group member was responsible for what section. If one of the sections of the marketing report wasn't completed, he could look back and see who was responsible for that section. This way, he would just deduct points for that one person, as opposed to the whole group. It was also very helpful that he set suggested deadlines. He went through each section and suggested a date for when it should be completed by, so we wouldn't get too far behind. Having that structure from the professor was extremely helpful and I believe that was the main reason that our group was so successful and that I had such a positive group experience. Everyone in my group focused on the goal and achieved it. We worked together well and there weren't any slackers in my group, for once. Everyone completed their sections on time and the work was high quality. One of the sections I was responsible for was creating a survey of our product to see how likely consumers were to buy it. The link to that survey is below.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeN_rGUHpnwTgrHdzbp0KQ6EWd7mYJfmb7vW_48-oEoQ-nztg/viewform
Below is an article that I thought related to my group experience. All of my group members were supportive and able to problem solve. Although we worked on our sections individually, we were able to come together as a group and work effectively.
https://uwaterloo.ca/centre-for-teaching-excellence/teaching-resources/teaching-tips/tips-students/being-part-team/teamwork-skills-being-effective-group-member
That sounds like an awesome class and a pretty interesting coffee machine. Your instructor seemed to be very helpful in defining the process for the group which made following and reaching your group goals possible. Definitely sounds like a great class and positive group communication. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like an awesome product for one. Next, it is great that you and your group members were able to divide the parts of the project equally so each member had a set task to achieve. Being able to communicate with your group members is the most important part for achieving the project and it sounds like your group really had it figured out!
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