Behavior in Groups

When learning about behavior in groups I thought a lot about 21st century, collaboration, block scheduling, and all of that good stuff! Social loafing, which I now realize I got wrong on the essay today, is the idea that people will not do or act as much when in a group achieving a common goal. When doing something individually, people are more likely to act and do the work because there is not someone that they can depend on to do the work for them. With some block scheduling periods and a push towards collaboration this year, we are working more in groups. This could be both a good thing and a bad thing. I think the idea of social loafing is somewhat true. Working in groups can sometimes be annoying because you may be paired with someone who is frequently absent or doesn't really show interest or participate in the assignment. However, sometimes it helps me because I am forced to sometimes teach the person the material and that way I am actively learning and reviewing. I also think that if you are with a person or a group of people that you work well with, social loafing will probably not occur. When I work well with someone, we tend to do things together and don't just split up the work and then copy each other's work afterwards.

Another idea that I find interesting is group polarization. This is the idea that at first when you are in a group, the differences become more intense. However, overtime actions and attitudes line up with the group as a whole. This makes the group stronger. Usually the first day of working on a group project or assignment, is terrible because each person has their own way of doing things and everything. At least for me, it is sometimes hard to cave in to the group because you like your idea the best. Sometimes people's feelings also get hurt if their ideas keep getting rejected. However, it is true that overtime it usually comes to a point where everyone realizes that they need to get the work done and the differences seem to line up. I think working in groups is important because in the real world you're not going to be doing things by yourself. You will most probably either have a boss, different colleagues, etc. Although it can sometimes be challenging it is important to learn to work in a group.