9 Challenges of Teamwork

Interactive Activity: Challenges and Solutions

This activity lists 12 challenges of groupwork and students are invited to click on each challenge to learn about possible solutions.

Challenge 1:

Navigating social interactions as the team gets to know each other and decide on roles within the team.

Possible Solutions:

• Each member sharing the “Welcome to Me” resource and discussing as a team everyone’s communication styles and preferences and how these can be met.
• Learn about any specific learning styles in your group- eg. Neurodivergence, mental illness, physical illness, and discuss what you can do to help make the space more inclusive for everyone. Remember: some people may not feel comfortable disclosing personal information about themselves. It is important to respect this, and instead focus on ways you can help everyone feel included.
• Discussing the different roles in the group project and who might take on which role.
• Reducing the demands of social communication by keeping in person meetings short or offering alternative communication options (such as messaging).

This challenge is common at the start of the teamwork project.

Challenge 2:

Scheduling problems- it may be challenging to find a time for the team to meet, or it may feel like one person is always compromising.

Possible Solutions:

• Consider using different options for meetings- zoom, messenger chats or email and try to be respectful of the different schedule’s others may have. Also look at online collaboration tools such as Google docs, which can allow multiple people to work on a document at the same time.
• Consider sharing your availability with team members at the start of the project so everyone is aware of each other’s schedule.

Challenge 3:

Different expectations- sometimes some team members are aiming for a high distinction (HD) while others may simply be aiming to pass. Or some people might like starting a project early while others wait until the last minute.

Possible Solutions:

• Early communication is very important in these situations. Perhaps it is possible to split the assignment into different parts and members of the team who like to do things early can complete that first, and then other members can complete other parts closer to the due date? Ensure you discuss these preferences openly and early with your group mates and keep your goals realistic. Compromise may be necessary in these situations.
• If different team members are wanting to achieve different grades, discuss this. Maybe instead of a HD, everyone aims for a Distinction or Credit. Or maybe each person completes a specific part of the project to the standard they want to be marked at. Recognise not everyone will want to put in the same amount of effort as you and instead consider how you can all come to an agreement. This is also likely to require compromise.
• You could say to your team “I prefer to start the project early, so I am not rushing to meet the due date. Would it be possible for me to work on the part of the assignment due first so I can start it early?”

Challenge 4:

One or two people dominating conversation

Possible Solutions:

• If you feel confident, politely call out the people who tend to be dominating the conversation. If you don’t feel confident to do this in front of the team, speak to the person at the end of the meeting.
• Reflect on your own engagement with the group. Are you letting others have a say?

This may become a challenge during the early stages of the group work (the norming stage).

Challenge 5:

Some people not having the opportunity to speak up

Possible Solutions:

• If you feel your team is not giving you the opportunity to talk, try to talk to one of the members one-on-one about your concerns so you have someone who can help you when the group comes together. You can also send your team members an email expressing your concerns. If you have tried at least 2 different ways to express your concerns to the team and it hasn’t worked, you can email your unit chair to ask for some help, using the email template for a staff member provided in the further resources chapter
• Use phrases such as “could you please repeat that?”, “can we pause for a minute, I can’t hear what anyone is saying”, “I noticed you haven’t had a chance to speak [insert person’s name], what do you think about this?” or “I don’t understand the issue/concept, could someone please explain?”.

This may be something that happens early in the team assignment as members are getting to know each other.

Challenge 6:

Conflicting ideas over the project

Possible Solutions:

• Brainstorming all the ideas as a team so everyone can share their ideas, before voting on the key ideas.
• Refer back to the team ‘rules’ you created at the start and reflect on whether each member is following these ‘rules’.

This may be a challenge early in the project when everyone has lots of ideas about the project.

Challenge 7:

Team members not completing their tasks.

Possible Solutions:

• Discussing the team ‘rules’ together to ensure everyone clearly understands their part of the assignment.
• Using a compassionate approach when talking with and about team members. You may find it frustrating if they are not completing their role, but perhaps there is something else going on for them. Consider whether the meetings have been accessible (see ‘Making your meeting accessible’ in the communication chapter) and the team members role/ task is clear.
• If you have tried 2 different ways to solve the problem as a team, you can reach out to the unit chair for support, using the email template for staff members provided in the further resources chapter.

This is a challenge that may occur early in the group project, or it may be something that comes on as the project progresses.

Challenge 8:

Team members disengaging or not replying to communications.

Possible Solutions:

• Reach out to unresponsive members (using different medians- email, Messenger- if possible). See the template for emailing a team member in the further resources chapter. If you are still unable to reach them, consider discussing the problem with a staff member.
• If you are a team member who finds it difficult to reply to emails, ensure you communicate this to your peers. Perhaps if they want to reach you, a voice message is easier. Discussing this as early as possible is the best way to avoid any miscommunications, or emails being missed.

This might be a problem as the assignment progress and team members become busy with other assignments or lose track of email communications.

Challenge 9:

Not much focus on the task- Team members can easily become sidetracked.

Possible Solutions:

• It can be helpful to identify priorities for each meeting so that team members focus on these goals rather than becoming distracted with any conflict. This may look like a ‘to do’ list each meeting.

Challenge 10:

Uneven contributions- Sometimes it may seem like team members are not contributing to the project as much as others which can cause frustrations and tensions.

Possible Solutions:

• Ensure you set up clear role expectations in the first few meetings, so everyone has an equal role in contributing to the project. If members are not completing their tasks, be respectful when discussing this with them and use a compassionate approach to understand their reasoning. (They may not understand their role and be afraid to ask for help).

Challenge 11:

“Groupthink”- this is a concept that occurs when team members agree with other members to avoid any conflict. This can mean ideas are missed or some team members feel frustrated their ideas aren’t heard.

Possible Solutions:

• It is helpful to brainstorm (or mind map) lots of possible ideas and then work as a group to evaluate which ideas are most suitable. It is also good to acknowledge the value in considering unconventional ideas that may initially seem too difficult or unreasonable.
• Break the task into smaller sections and focus on them one at a time.

Challenge 12:

Feelings of regret as the project ends.

Possible Solutions:

• Holding one final group meeting to reflect on the work you’ve done together and acknowledge your efforts.
• Have an informal catch-up, such as getting pizza or going for coffee, to provide a relaxed environment to debrief.
• It can also be helpful to complete the individual reflection or add your thoughts to the keep, stop, start padlet, which will help you to reflect on your experiences.

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Reflect on the prompts above and type your responses in the text box below. You have the option to export and save it when you have finished.

This activity then contains a text box for students to type their responses.

End of Activity Text Version