It's a long read...But still worth your time

I've never really enjoyed group work to be honest. There's always been too many potential pitfalls and things to look out for.

It's hard when people with different standards, levels of fluency and competency, and varying ideas come together to formulate a report.

Because at the end of the day, someone has to compile it and ensure that irrelevant stuff gets thrown out and more appropriate points and references get put in. Someone has to ensure that grammar is consistently good and the report is always understandable. Someone has to ensure that there is a certain flow to the report style and writing. And that someone is always me.

Which doesn't faze me nowadays, having done this for the better part of three years. But it always helps when good group mates are present. It's happened a few times, with some excellent examples I can ramble off the top of my head. But lest I detract from my initial point, I need to put it straight: My work as the group's compiler/editor has always met with approval, whether silent or voiced out. And it has shown with group member appreciation, professional-looking reports (lecturers and group mates approved) and of course, awesome grades.

Up till today.

Let's just say due to a random flow of events, I was made to work with possibly the worst group I've ever worked with. And considering my colourful experiences, that does say a lot.

But to me, a report is a report. Been there done that. So naturally I do what I always do and take initiative since no one ever does. I drive the meetings, delegate responsibilities, offer to compile the ideas and come up with the report. It's always worked before, why shouldn't it work now?

So after a couple of group meetings, whereby I realise that my group members are either really lacking in common sense, capable of producing work that makes me do double and triple takes, or just speak English with accents so incomprehensible that I have to ask him/her to repeat several times.

It sucks. Big time. To be able to maintain a straight face and not say something like "I'm sorry but the part you've done is completely irrelevant" or "No offence but your work is crap" or "Did you hear what you just said? Do you even know what you're talking about?"

I've always maintained the calm and always sought to have a proper working environment without all the emotional shenanigans and political tiffs that I've seen other groups have. I don't believe in all that. To me, all I'm focused on is the project at hand and that's all I want to ace, together with the presentation.

And so, today I have an impromptu group meeting. Because my group mates felt the strong need to improve upon a lot of aspects of the draft report I sent out. Draft report. Draft report. It wasn't so much the idea of improvement that I couldn't take. It was how it suddenly felt like I was being antagonized and criticised for a shoddy job done. Fair enough. IT IS A DRAFT REPORT FOR GOD'S SAKE.

I can't quite describe how it feels to be criticised by people whom you're trying your best to be nice to despite their obvious inadequacies. I really can't. It boils to a point where I'm asking myself why should I be so nice and politically correct when its obvious that they can't think for themselves and the group. Maybe I should just give it to them straight up (Chua, 2009) and worry about the rest later.

So many times in the past two weeks, I had to hide my disbelief when some of them showed me a glaring lack of common sense. And the irony was, I was the one who was stared at in disbelief.