What are the benefits of group work?
The benefits of group work are many and diverse, and they also facilitate and promote people’s learning and development.
“More hands make work lighter.” “Two heads are better than one.” “The more the merrier.” These sayings talk about how potential groups should be more productive, creative and motivated than individuals alone.
Group projects can help people develop a range of skills that are increasingly important in the professional world. Additionally, positive group experiences have been shown to contribute to personal and community learning and development.
Properly structured group projects can reinforce skills that are relevant to both group and individual work, including the ability to:
- Break complex tasks into parts and steps
- Plan and manage time
- Refine understanding through discussion and explanation
- Give and receive feedback on performance
- Challenge assumptions
- Develop stronger communication skills.
Group projects can also help develop specific skills for collaborative efforts, allowing them…
- Tackle more complex problems than they could alone
- Delegate roles and responsibilities
- Share diverse perspectives
- Combine knowledge and skills
- Hold each other responsible (and be accountable)
- Receive social support and encouragement to take risks
- Develop new approaches to resolve differences
- Establish a shared identity with other group members
- Find effective colleagues to emulate
- Develop your own voice and perspectives in relation to your peers
While the potential learning benefits of group work are important, simply assigning group work does not guarantee that these objectives will be achieved. In fact, group projects can (and often do) be counterproductive if they are not designed, monitored, and evaluated in a way that promotes meaningful teamwork and deep collaboration.
