Teamwork

Been doing alot of group projects this semester, and it's really pretty interesting to see how people work during projects. Some people tell me that they prefer doing individual work, others say they feel better to have people to work with them and make decisions together. At the end of the day, I think it boils down to what kind of person you are and what kind of co-workers you have.

To those who tell me that they prefer working alone... I have a sad revelation.
I'll say that we all agree that humans are community creatures? If so, working in groups is almost inevitable. In life. Well... you can always choose to go up Bukit Timah hill and live there as a primitive hunter I suppose... but in the modern day society, in the current industry, group work is inevitable.

But let's face it: you and I have different working styles. It's part of what we now know as individualism, part of "being yourself". The world will be hopelessly boring if everyone works in the same way and thinks the same things. However, the differences between people just amplifies when they work in a group. Two people who can get along prefectly well normally may just not get along working together. Take this from a person who nearly fell out with her closest friend when doing a project with her in secondary school.

If I insist on working my way, and you insist on working your way, there's bound to be differences and unhappiness. If everyone can just take that step back and look at the whole picture, will things get better? Will they be able to accept that the way someone else works is feasible too? Much easier said then done. How many of us will be willing to say "I'm wrong", or "your method's better". There's always this really foolish thing called "pride" pulling us back. I mean... who is he to tell me that his method will work better?!

Some times, in group projects, there's a conflict of interest. Say... maybe I want to get an A in this project, but my fellow teammate just desires a C to pass. So this teammate will definately not want to put in as much effort as I am willing to put in. Who's wrong? No one. We are just simply going for different things. However, because we share a common fate (result), the differences cannot be ignored the way we will normally ignore what our neighbour does with her interior design.

You know... there are some people who I really enjoy working with... people who are... open minded. People who don't impose their opinions on me. People who's willing to listen to what I have to say, and at the same time... tell me what he has to say.
Unfortunately, I will say that I am not such an open-minded person. I tend to... want to get my way. orz

Project work sometimes let me see a person better. I get to find out how this person works, and well... see a different side of him. Some people become better friends after the project, others... I'll just make sure I don't do project with them anymore. ^^;; Not to say that they are not good teammates, it's just that our working style don't click.

I never used to think too much about it when Takuya mentioned that SMAP's a team. I mean... they work together, and so they must be a team! But now, I think I have greater respect for their team work. They are such different people, and there's so much conflict when they work together (according to Mr. Kimura himself), but the work they produce is incredible. I suppose this means that it's not about getting people with the same working style to work with you, but more about learning to work with people of different working styles. Open that mindset, maybe... just maybe, I'll see a different horizon out there.