Listening to direction

Sarah Nolan — Sat, 05 May 2012 14:20:32 +0000

When working on a group project, sometimes it is not possible to always be the leader. In any given group, there must always be those who lead and those who follow. I have chosen to showcase my digital library poster as an example of a time when I followed instead of lead. While the majority of my group projects in SILS resulted in me leading, as I am generally forthright in my opinions, in this particular project, I chose to listen to direction. I feel that this is an important skill to have. Group projects will turn sour very quickly if there is too much of a power struggle. The politics of a group may ruin an otherwise efficient group if people are not willing to take direction.
For this project, I was assigned to research the methods and implications of funding on the ISOS digital library. In our group, there were two people who were more qualified at taking the lead since digital libraries was an area of their expertise. Whenever additional support was needed, I complied with whatever was needed of me. This included reviewing sections of written material for the report and general consultation. While these tasks were not initially part of my required assignment, it is important to remain adaptable and be flexible to change as it comes.
By listening to directions of others, I feel that I was also valuing the expertise of others on my team. When working in a team, using the myriad abilities of all to complete a collaborative project is necessary. This is more important than maintaining a usual status position.

ISOS-poster-with-names

Communication & Teamwork Artifact

Sarah Nolan — Thu, 26 Apr 2012 09:51:42 +0000

Throughout the course of this master’s programme, we have been asked to work in teams for collaborative products. While I have worked in teams and group projects before during my education, I have never done so to such intense extent. I feel as though I have learned to appreciate the intricacies associated with group work. The values of compromise, constant communication and appreciation for other’s hard work have been sparked within me. Having these values is key to working in any sort of truly collaborative work. True collaboration goes beyond merely working with other people and getting along, collaboration is when your ideas develop and merge with another’s to form a product that is not entirely one or the other’s responsibility. Disjointed products, or those which are easily identifiable as a particular person’s work are not examples of a collaborative work. The benefit of working with a team means that collectively you would be able to create a finished product that is better than the sum of its individual parts, and better than what any one person alone could have created.

As an example of this type of collaboration, I have chosen to showcase my Children & Youth Services Group Report. We were tasked with evaluating different resources for children that addressed a certain information need, in our case academic literacy needs. We were supposed to evaluate which programmes and services were examples of best practice. Realizing that we each had something unique to offer, we split to evaluate programmes accordingly. After our solo research, we came together again to reveal our findings. Our group quickly assessed how our individual parts could piece together to make a whole, complete document. Noting how the sections fit into larger product, we curtailed our sections as needed around each other. After piecing the disjointed sections together, we realized that they fit into a larger scheme, one that would have otherwise gone unnoticed by any one individual. Throughout the writing process, we remained in contact via drop box, emails and meetings which allowed great visibility of how the product was coming along.

The final report turned out to be an excellent example of collaboration between the 4 group members. Drawing on the strengths and compensating for the weaknesses of each individual, the group was able to produce a valuable product. This project helped me realize to greater extent, my love of team work. The scenarios of constant communication, seeking advice and giving it, and developing a product with highly efficient people, appeal to my sense of professional intrigue. Although not every group project will work as effectively as the one for my Children & Youth Services, I feel that everyone in a group has something of value to offer, and should therefore be respected. It just might surprise you what skill even the seemingly most in proficient person might have that you lack.

Children & Youth Services Report

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Listening to direction

Communication & Teamwork Artifact