Most classes, at some point, will require you to do some group work.
And unless you luck out with two midterms and a final, or some other traditional grading structure, you’re probably gonna be assigned to group of 3 or 4 random classmates you haven’t said a word to in your life.
Sounds daunting, but fear not, because I’m going to prepare you for the worst.
Dealing with that one lazy person who doesn’t do a thing (and puts their name first in the header of your word document) is a pain in the ass.
Normally, I like to be a leader or at least a significant contributor in group settings. Although, I’d be lying if I said I haven’t been the free loader before.
I’m going to explain the scenarios in which I took advantage of being the free loader, and we’ll reverse engineer it to figure out how you can get those kinds of people engaged in your group work.
Stop doing all the work
The few times I’ve been a free loader was due to the fact that the opportunity presented itself. My teammmates were keeners and super gung-ho on doing lots of work and getting a good mark.
It’s not that I wasn’t about that life, cause I was. But rarely do you get put in a group where everyone is so eager to get shit done.
So, if you are that type A, throw the team on your back kind of person … stop. Still carry the team but don’t take responsibility for every task on your team’s to-do list. Ensure there is a somewhat equal distribution of work.
Hold people accountable
There’s got to be some consequences for not doing the work. At the same time, you’re not their mom and dad.
Usually, professors will give you a little feedback form to let you know how much each of your group members contributed and if work was evenly distributed.
If you don’t have this privilige, find another way to hold everyone accountable. I’ll leave that up to you :)
The work is hard af and your group member is dumb
Put nicely, your teammate doesn’t know what they’re doing. And that’s completely fine.
You either need to get that group member up to speed and help them, or assign them tasks that they’re capable of achieving.
Giving them the hardest part of the project when they have a 53 in the class is a recipe for disaster.
They just don’t care
It’s kind of hard to motivate someone who couldn’t care less. In this case just take it upon yourself to do their share of the work. Otherwise you’ll be surprised when they turn in a shitty product.
Honestly, that’s about it. I think I am a genuine and honest team member who carries the load of the work the majority of the time and cares deeply about the final grade.
But the times I have slacked off were because of those 4 reasons:
I had team members who cared more than me
No one kept track of what I did
I was inept and not qualified for the role
I just did not care because the assignment was < 5% and I had better things to do
If you can clear those four hurdles, you can turn any group member into a productivity machine.
And remember, when in doubt, just do it all yourself like you already do!
Have a good week,
ak