Working On A Group Project

Problem:

When working on a group project, there are certain skills that are required to make sure that the tasks are being carried out smoothly. With that in mind, it is critical to keep an open line of communication as well as an understanding of the other individuals in the group. The following scenario is of a group project I was a part of that had a breakdown in the two points expressed above.
A week and half before the project deadline, the group was under the impression that one of our members had not completed a specific task in the allotted time agreed upon during a group conversation carried out on our online group chat. As a result, the project leader personally confronted the member and began questioning him. The project leader made some statements about being disappointed in the member not being able to get the part done on time. In addition, he also exclaimed that the member did not care or put any effort into the project. The member then replied by noting that the group message had stated the date of the same day but for the next week. Now upset, the group member stormed out and refused to talk to the project leader.
Solution:

In this situation there were two key mistakes made by the group and the project leader. In modern society, one of the biggest innovations is the use of technology to communicate. While this advancement provides a quicker and more accessible form of communication, it may not be the most effective. Particularly in this case, the group created a physical barrier by removing face-to-face communication. This is because using text to communicate can lead to misinterpretations and also opens up possible errors in the message being sent. In this case, the group leader had a goal he was trying to...

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...d to be used as the only line of communication. This is because face-to-face communication is necessary to provide a direct interpretation of what is being said along with immediate clarification of misunderstandings. With that in mind, group messaging should be used as a supplementary form of communication for the smaller tasks associated with a project. The second issue was the way the team leader dealt with the setback in the project. Regardless of the situation, an individual should not introduce hostility into a working relationship. In this case, the team leader’s inability to assess the situation and jumping to conclusion led to the team member feeling disrespected and less willing to work with the team leader. This situation just highlights the concept of reducing communication barriers as they can build up and cause unneeded tension directly and indirectly.