Studies have shown that people are capable of generating more creative ideas when they work alone as opposed to collaborating with group members.
The reasons for this are simple and varied. When working in a group, there's a tendency for things to get political. People have vastly different ideas and suggestions, and not everyone is schooled in the art of compromise. Thus, it's not uncommon for group members to clash over what they think is the optimal solution to a problem -- theirs.
Yet another stumbling block to creativity is what we call groupthink. It's when people feel pressure to agree with the "majority opinion" of the group -- even though they may disagree -- so as not to look like the lone dissenter.
Thirdly, I have found that it takes longer to get stuff done when there are others involved. It may sound counterintuitive since there are more people involved to shoulder the work, but oftentimes group members get distracted and sidetracked, ultimately protracting the time spent on the assignment.
On the other hand, when you work alone, you don't have to deal with such constraints. You are free to put down whichever ideas you wish and not have to sell other people on them (unless it's your boss).
You feel a much greater sense of pride and accomplishment when you know a project was completed by you and you only. There's no one else in the picture to question your ideas or hog credit for the work.
There's a reason I purposely avoided picking classes in college that required a group project. I had a couple of bad experiences with group members who were complete freeloaders. Indeed, I had much more success flying solo, which gave me free rein to do whatever I wanted.
Mind you, I'm not saying every and any group member is a liability. There are some people out there who are responsible, respectful, hard-working, and just a real treat to work with. Unfortunately, I have found these to be few and far between.
For the most part, people serve to stifle others' creativity and impose their own ideas. Thanks, but no thanks.
What has your experience working in groups and individually been like? Do you prefer one to the other?
And for other compelling blog posts, please click here: How to Understand People
The reasons for this are simple and varied. When working in a group, there's a tendency for things to get political. People have vastly different ideas and suggestions, and not everyone is schooled in the art of compromise. Thus, it's not uncommon for group members to clash over what they think is the optimal solution to a problem -- theirs.
Yet another stumbling block to creativity is what we call groupthink. It's when people feel pressure to agree with the "majority opinion" of the group -- even though they may disagree -- so as not to look like the lone dissenter.
Thirdly, I have found that it takes longer to get stuff done when there are others involved. It may sound counterintuitive since there are more people involved to shoulder the work, but oftentimes group members get distracted and sidetracked, ultimately protracting the time spent on the assignment.
On the other hand, when you work alone, you don't have to deal with such constraints. You are free to put down whichever ideas you wish and not have to sell other people on them (unless it's your boss).
You feel a much greater sense of pride and accomplishment when you know a project was completed by you and you only. There's no one else in the picture to question your ideas or hog credit for the work.
There's a reason I purposely avoided picking classes in college that required a group project. I had a couple of bad experiences with group members who were complete freeloaders. Indeed, I had much more success flying solo, which gave me free rein to do whatever I wanted.
Mind you, I'm not saying every and any group member is a liability. There are some people out there who are responsible, respectful, hard-working, and just a real treat to work with. Unfortunately, I have found these to be few and far between.
For the most part, people serve to stifle others' creativity and impose their own ideas. Thanks, but no thanks.
What has your experience working in groups and individually been like? Do you prefer one to the other?
And for other compelling blog posts, please click here: How to Understand People
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