This class involved working in groups in nearly every class, project, and exercise. By being in so many different groups at different time, I was able to learn a lot about what I think makes a good group, etc. One of the biggest factors from my standpoint was mutual respect. I was in one particular group where this person refused to listen to anyone else's opinion and only consider his/her opinion to be right. I think most people would not enjoy to work in this type of environment. So the first thing I learned is that mutual respect of opinion and open mindedness is very important for group functioning. I also learned that groups evolve. I worked on some projects for only a brief single assignment, while other projects such as project 3 envolves more time / experiences with a given group. Once you get to know people better, it is easier to talk to them and decide roles. However, it can also be easier to get distracted since people feel more confortable around one another. I also noticed that assigning group roles can often be just a formal thing. Different people often cross over with roles, etc. It is often via informal relationships that things get done. The roles of a specific group can be a gray area. It is not necessarily one person who takes the leader role for example. One person could act like the leader one day and be a follower the next. However, different personalities often lead people top act a certain way and have mabye certian tendencies to assume certian roles.

Another big factor is motivation. If the group members are really motivated to attian some goal together, then things are obviously more likely to get done. One of the hard things with larger groups is finding a time when everyone can meet. This is why regularly scheduled meetings can be a good idea. One part that can be difficult is forming the group. We used the personality test in class, but I think there is no real way to really ensure a group will work.