Challenges in working with a group

"This past week we have been working on implementing our department's Core Values. We've all worked together to come up with solutions, ideas, etc. What are some challenges you faced in working with a group of 6 towards a common goal as opposed to working with one other person, or even alone?"

I really like this question because its something that I always face again and again when we have to do group projects for business class. Usually, when I have to work in projects I'm the one who takes initiative and schedules the meetings and makes sure that every one gets their share done. I'm also the one who gets stuck with putting the final parts of the project together. However, it's not like I take all the work, people just DON'T want to do it and want an easy A.

The easy part of working alone is that you are the only one responsible, you know that status of the project and every thing that has to get done. You know that you are going to get the project done for whatever reason. The problem that arises when working with groups is that every one has a different goal in mind. My goal could be to learn a lot of from this project and get an A, somebody else's goal could just be to get that A and nothing else, another's goal could be to just sit there, do as little as possible and let every one else do it and take the credit. Every one is not working together, half the time we're just a bunch of strangers working together to get the project completed. There is not motivation or common interest behind it at all.

So, in turn I think that the Core Values are a great thing to implement into our daily lives. They are something that I will definetly take with me when I have to leave SHM. Implementing those may help these group projects run a little smoother.

Teach Your Children Well

I start with something unrelated, but don't fret! I get to the question! Music plays a pretty big role in my life. I've played viola since I was in 4th grade and went on a concert tour in Europe last summer, I play guitar, a little piano, and sing in the car. I listen to music nearly every waking minute (incase the ginat headphones I usually have on didn't give that one away). I think from now on I'm going to name my posts lyrics from songs that I really like that sort of tie into the question I'm answering. This particular song is about helping your children become the best they can be, and in turn they will help you become the best you can be. Bonus points if someone can name the artist. Ok, on to answering the question!

"What have you learned about management from your time here at SHM?"

I begin my response with a quote:

“The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work.”
-Agha Hasan Abedi

At SHM, you really get the feel that the management is more than just the people that manage things. Management is abundant. What is much less abundant, and I feel far more important, is leadership. Managers have subordinates, leaders have followers. I’ve learned that management is most effective when it is understood that they have more responsibilities than what their job description might say. A successful manager helps the staff learn and grow as human beings, not just as employees. I haven’t taken any business classes, but I bet there isn’t one that teaches this valuable skill. It’s just something a good manager sees and works to achieve.

Questions & Answers

It's my turn to ask the question this week. (Alex B: You still have to answer last week's question).
Who's excited? I have no idea what to ask so let me ponder this for a moment...

Alright! I have it:
"This past week we have been working on implementing our department's Core Values. We've all worked together to come up with solutions, ideas, etc. What are some challenges you faced in working with a group of 6 towards a common goal as opposed to working with one other person, or even alone?"

That's it for me! Enjoy the weekend..

"What have you learned about management from your time here at SHM?"

I have always had an idea of what it means to manage. However I also am not always quite sure about things like... How to do it most effectivly, different styles and why they are used, who can do it, when is the best time....

I can say now that I have learned a lot in the short time that I have been here. One of the most important things that I have learned however is that anyone can manage regardless of their title or experience. Now I am not saying that everyone should manage, or that everyone has to, but I do believe everyone can.

Something else that I have learned is that sometimes managing an office has nothing to do with the work that is being done but rather the people that are doing it. While this idea has been tucked away in my brain somewhere, I never fully realized what it meant until I saw it first hand with the core values.

Management at SHM

"What have you learned about management from your time here at SHM?"

I agree with Meredith's post all the way. What she was pretty much talking about reminded me of the "Own your work" Core Value. We all have had a time that we had to step up and remind someone to do something or take lead so that we could get one of our projects completed. Management takes work from everyone, we all are responsible not just Todd or Kari or a Business Owner. So, from my time here at SHM I've learned that management isn't just your boss telling you what to do, it's a either you or a group of people taking lead and owning up to a project that you have to get done. It's understanding how everyone can work together despite conflicting issues with time, personality or whatever it is.

And so it is..

"What have you learned about management from your time here at SHM?"
- AB

Since I've been in college, I have heard and learned about different types of management; managing up, managing down, and cross management. In past jobs, I have always had a manager/boss telling me what to do and although I learned about these different types, I thought this is how it always would be.

Ever since I've been at SHM, I've learned otherwise. I've learned that here, management is what you make of it. If you need to take charge of something and manage others, go for it. We're given a kind of freedom here that is hard for me to explain.

For example, I just managed myself recently because I thought of a project to do on my own and completed it because it was something I was interested in learning about and finding results for. Nobody stopped me from doing this project, I was actually strongly encouraged to do it because I'm not the only one interested in the results.

I've learned that managing works in many different ways and managing can only work if you're all working together.

The "official" question of the week

Topic: Management

You can learn a lot more about management by being fully immersed in an office environment and actually seeing and doing rather than reading about it in a book or learning it in a college class. Here is the question of the week: “What have you learned about management from your time here at SHM?”