C

oming into college, it’s safe 
to assume you’ll have a group 
assignment or two. They can go 

in many directions: some nice, others 
painful. In my experience, everyone just 
wants to get the work done as quickly 
as possible — with as few conflicts as 
possible. More motivated members 
pick up the slack for the less motivated 
ones, and so the vicious cycle of disdain 
toward group projects begins. Last year 
when an assignment in one of my class-
es called for pair work, we would switch 
partners throughout the semester to get 
to know all the people in the class. The 
assignments were short and I’d meet 
with my partner for an hour or so to get 
the job done, refraining from talk of our 
personal lives, where we were from or 
even what brought us to the University 
of Michigan. 

During the second rotation, my part-

ner took the time to ask me how my day 
was, which was weird. I was used to get-
ting straight to business, not dabbling 
in something as wishy-washy as the 
quality of my day. Why would we waste 
time on this? It wasn’t going to change 
anything and would only detract from 
the time we had to complete the assign-
ment. But as we asked each other ques-
tions, delving into one another’s lives, 
the conversation became more natural 
and enjoyable. Suddenly, 30 minutes 
had gone by and I’d made a connection 
with someone who is still my friend 
today. In taking the time to learn about 
this person’s life, I found that he was 
an international student here and had 
lived in many different countries before 
coming to the University of Michigan. I 
remember thinking how cool that was, 

that someone would choose to come all 
the way to Michigan out of all the uni-
versities in the world to choose from.

Fast forward to winter semester of 

last year. As part of my involvement in 
the Center for Positive Organizations — 
a research center in the Ross School of 
Business — I was taking a class called 
The Foundations of Positive Organiza-
tional Scholarship. We examined the 
research behind positive leadership and 
positive business, learning that every-
one you interact with has a story that is 
unique to them. According toresearch, 

there’s strong evidence to support that 
connecting with people can elevate your 
mood, build resilience, increase creativ-
ity and even improve your health. That’s 
amazing to me. By talking to others, and 
listening to their stories, we can feel 
better about ourselves in multiple ways.

The business program at the Uni-

versity is extremely group-oriented. 
I have group projects for almost all of 
my classes, and I’m constantly meeting 
different people; however, oftentimes 
we aren’t really talking to one another. 
When I met with my partner for The 

Foundations of Positive Organizational 
Scholarship, I at first didn’t take the 
time to learn about who he was, what 
his purpose was in the Business School 
or what made him tick. I cared about 
what he brought to the table and how 
he would help me get the A I so badly 
wanted.

Taking a step back, I realize how 

much healthier and productive we are 
when we get to know one another and 
indulge in each other’s stories. After 
learning about positive organizational 
research, my eyes were opened to this 
unique background people are con-
stantly carrying around on their shoul-
ders. I thought about the myriad types 
of students we have here on campus 
and how they have such different life 
experiences than mine. We have in-
staters, out-of-staters, first-generation 
students, fourth-generation students, 
transfer students, graduate students 
and people from all over the world here 
in one place, with so many different sto-
ries and purposes.

With recruitment for summer intern-

ships in full swing, classes, homework 
and extracurriculars, I know I’m not 
alone in forgetting about self-care. 
However, it only takes a few minutes 
to chat with someone in the Starbucks 
line, or reach out to an old friend you 
haven’t spoken with, or even call your 
grandmother to say hello. After learn-
ing about the type of impact these con-
nections with others can have on the 
mind and body, there’s no reason not to 
take a chance and learn something new 
about someone each day.

3B
Wednesday, September 28, 2016 / The Statement 

All Around the World: Rethinking Group Work

B Y I S O B E L F U T T E R

“This is a man who has called women pigs, slobs 
and dogs and someone who has said pregnancy is 
an inconvenience to employers, who has said that 
women don’t deserve equal pay unless they do as 
good a job as men.”

— HILLARY CLINTON, Democratic presidential nominee, referring to GOP 
presidential candidate Donald Trump’s comments toward and about women.

on the record: presidential debate

“I think my strongest asset by far is my 
temperament. I have a winning temperament.”

—DONALD TRUMP, to which the live audience at Hofstra University audibly 
laughed.

“African-Americans, Hispanics are living in hell 
because it’s so dangerous. You walk down the 
street, you get shot. We have to take the guns away 
from the people that shouldn’t them. These are bad 
people.

—DONALD TRUMP, describing what he said is the everyday reality for 
communities of color.

ILLUSTRATIONS BY EMILIE FARRUGIA

COVER DESIGN BY SHANE ACHENBACH

