This week, we are required to write about working in remote teams. We have all submitted our position papers, and now our research turns to the ethics of our topic, preventive health care.
We've had our team established since very early on in the semester, to our advantage I believe. We've been in contact with each other, thanks to Facebook Messenger, always asking questions and running things by each other. We've gotten to know each other quite well by now, as well as you can know someone these days without meeting them.
Susan Cain (2012), has written about the genius of the individual. Research has shown that some of the most creative minds of history have been loners. Sir Isaac Newton & Steve Wozniak, two undoubted geniuses of history.
I share this philosophy. I've always found it hard to talk to people face to face, and collaborate with people in person. I found it especially difficult when I was in a band, it proved easier and more productive for me to come up with things on my own, then present to the band as whole later on.
However, I see working in remote teams as a way of overcoming these problems. We are not working side by side with each other. We're not working in the same room or even the same building. The internet has given us the potential to work together without being together (Cain, 2012). Research has shown that teams in academia, not individuals, produced some of the most influential work. People working remotely, sometimes in different universities (Cain, 2012).
Working in this way requires strict deadlines and a team of people working for the same goals and objectives. We have all established that we all want A grades on this, so we all want the same outcome. We all seem to know our strengths and weaknesses, which I'm sure will all come to the fore when working on this report together.
Cain (2012) brilliantly points out what she calls "contradictory impulses"; "we love and need one another, yet we crave autonomy and privacy". This is what the internet can provide to creative people. Working in a remote team can be possible for even the most shy and private of us. We can all work for the same goals, while still retaining privacy.
In any case, I feel confident working in this team. We're all working toward the same goals and the same grade. We've all agreed to work on this report through Google Docs, which is very handy and easy to access.
"The scientists of today think deeply instead of clearly. One must be sane to think clearly, but one can think deeply and be quite insane" - Nikola Tesla.
Cain, S. (2012) The Rise of the New Groupthink. Retrieved from https://mobile.nytimes.com/2012/01/15/opinion/sunday/the-rise-of-the-new-groupthink.html?referer=http://t.co/QkQLEnzd
2 comments:
Hey Shaun,
A great post showing another perspective, the "loner" working within a group to be able to bring out the best work from each member. Taking out the personal contact which can be very difficult for some as you mentioned. I've always found group work really fun. I've played, coached, and officiated soccer so I have always been involved in team environments, but this is my first time within a remote team and due to the technology available it has been relatively easy to apply similar skills to this group.
I really like how our team has naturally taken to good communication, we are often talking and helping each other out, which I have found very helpful.
Looking forward to continuing our assignments as a group.
Ryan
Kia ora Shaun,
I agree with you on the effectiveness of working together, but separately at the same time. We are blessed to have the communication technology that we do today. This technology will allow us to work together, not necessarily at the same time to achieve a common goal.
Highlighting the necessity for deadlines also solidifies my belief of a productive group. These deadlines could be informally put as meet ups to check on progress and assist those who need it.
I believe the leadership structure in our group will be the key to success.
Glad to have you on my team,
N.
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