In order for a group to be effective there should be 2-way communication, both individual and group goals should be clarified and individuality should be emphasised. Participation and leadership should be shared, high power members should not dominate and decision making techniques should be implemented.^[1]

To create an effective group:^[2]

• Establish clear and relevant goals so members of the group feel mutually responsible. This will evoke a high level of commitment from every member.
• Establish 2 way communication within the group.
• Ensure leadership and participation are distributed among all group members and make sure power is distributed among group members corresponding to the needs of group members. Members power should be based on expertise, ability and access to information, not on personality or authority.
• Match decision making with the needs of the situation.
• Engage in debate by disagreeing and challenging each others conclusions.
• Face and resolve conflicts constructively.

Preventing Groupthink^[3]

• Encourage all group members to be critical evaluators, this helps group members to have voice and feel more secure about giving their opinion.
• The project manager or leader of the group should not state their preference up front - this will encourage a further flow of ideas, rather than the first good or prefered idea being chosen.
• Divide the group into sub-groups for a short period of time and then discuss what happened within the subgroups - this can help form fresh ideas, allowing less confident members of the group a smaller setting in which to converse.

Links to Further Reading

More on Effective Group Work

Some Tips for Working in Groups

Transitioning to College - Making Group Work Work for You

Trust in Online Teams