Understand the Purposes of Working in a Group

Asking a group to work together reflects a set of beliefs about the value of collaboration. In corporate settings, for example, working together might be a means not only of ensuring that a project results in useful work but also of building a sense of togetherness and commitment among team members. In an academic setting, a group project allows students to carry out a project that a single student would find difficult to produce alone, helps them learn more about a subject, and familiarizes them with the collaborative processes they might encounter in their professional lives. In this sense, collaborating on a project might be as important as — or even more important than — making a presentation or producing a document.