Working Independently vs. Working with a Group

張貼日期：May 29, 2017 11:50:0 AM

Sum Tsen

We all have the experience of being given the option of whether to complete an assignment by forming a group discussion or depending on individual effort. Undoubtedly, I prefer working independently because working with group members is very frustrating especially when they don’t care about completing the assignment.

First of all, working individually, we can manage and take control of everything. We are in charge of our goals and decide what to do and when. We are the one who decides who and what to deliver and carry out the tasks. On the other hand, although our responsibilities and workload are shared by members of the group if we work with others, things might get complicated and end up in a mess if all the group members aren’t capable of performing the assigned task.

In addition, working independently can assist us to gain independence to think things through and come up with creative and innovative ideas. Moreover, we can practice self-control by having the willpower to force ourselves to do critical thinking in order to improve the work. In contrast, although team work provides workers a cooperative working environment, it might develop into everyone relying and expecting others to finish everything. The team might be helpful in responding to the participants’ problems and questions, but it would decrease the work efficiency because everyone seems to have something to say and there may be too many options to come to a feasible or agreed-upon conclusion.

On the other hand, working independently is easier for us to concentrate and focus. Working individually allows us to minimize the disruptions that can keep us from retaining the material. In my experience, when we work alone, there are fewer distractions during the process of our work because of no gossiping and chattering. Group work may be more fun, but less work gets done and thus less productive. In addition, we may find it hard to stay on track when a group gets together. The conversation shifts from course material to current events to something trivial, maximizing distractions as the clock ticks away.

As a matter of fact, working independently can boost our motivation in the process of completing an assignment. It is a great opportunity for effectivereviewing and thus improving of our work. To assume the sole responsibilities, we have to fully review and double-check our own work carefully. By contrast, having a team that depends on you can increase your level of stress because you will feel obliged to help everyone succeed. Hence, you are left with loads of responsibilities especially when you are chosen to be the group leader. Thus, if we work with a group of a people, the chances are we might end up with depression since we need to live up to others’ expectation while completing the assignment.

Working independently means that we can work at our own pace and not depending on someone else. We can decide what to do and when. In contrast, if we work on a team, there may be members who sit back and let others do all the work. In these types of teams conflicts may occur and this can affect the mood of everyone on the team. Working on a team requires many meetings and these meetings, if not managed well, can go off topic and decrease the efficiency of the teamwork.

In a word, I enjoy working independently. Mostly, depending on the project that needs to be done, I can work by myself to complete my tasks on time. Undoubtedly, there might be people who prefer brainstorming and collaborating with their classmates or colleagues. In a nutshell, I prefer working independently to get things done on time because there are a lot of issues concerning me if I were to work with a group of people who turns out to be irresponsible!