Working in Groups

Throughout my academic career I've had the opportunity/misfortune to work in a number of group settings. On the whole i prefer group work but I've had a few projects that i would've been much better off doing it all on my own. To me, the worst part of the group environment is not the Controller or even the Monumentally Busy person that can never meet; it's the Slacker. If you want to control the project thats fine with me, i know i can manage a group and probably even get the project done before the eleventh hour. If you can never meet with the group i'll have your email and phone number and you will be given work to contribute; if you don't do it then i'll have someone else (or myself) do it last minute and your name will not be on the completed project. 

I'm currently taking 22 hours of class and i am a member of a Heavy Civil/Highway Construction project team so i have no problem letting someone else take the lead role in most group settings this semester since i'm too busy anyway, but i refuse to let my grade suffer as a result of someone elses ineptitude. That said, if the controler begins to fail at their controlling position and misallocate work or take on too much for themselves, i will be the first person to tell you about it. 

Through numerous experiences in the "real world" of the construction industry i have found that a higher sense of pride and commitment exists and that while you may still have a Slacker in the group, they're no where near as useless as they are in the academic arena. If they Slack too much for too long they'll be fired; i'm ok letting them sign their own headstone.