This document summarizes three case studies related to challenges with group work involving culturally diverse students. Case Study 1 discusses low participation of international students, which was addressed through a structured intercultural program. Case Study 2 involved international students misunderstanding an assessment, highlighting the need to clarify expectations. Case Study 3 addressed unequal contribution to group projects, which was partially solved through tracking individual work online. The document discusses benefits and challenges of group work as well as characteristics of effective groups.

1. Group Work That
Works!!
Dr.Ray Hibbins, GBS, Dept
of HTLSM
Dr. Peter Woods GBS, Dept
of Management

2. Presentation Overview
Introduction
Why group work?
The characteristics of effective groups
Case Study 1
Case Study 2
Case Study 3
Where to from here?
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3. Introduction
Productive diversity in business organisations
Universities and culturally and linguistically diverse
students.
Diverse project groups as the nexus of cultural and
language interaction and learning.
Case studies as stimuli for discussion about the
central issues involved
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4. Introduction
• Case studies-the background, the issues, and
suggested strategies used in attempting to solve
the issues/problems
• Resolved issues
• Unresolved issues
• Raising more questions and inviting your
comments
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5. Why group work?
• Graduate outcomes include:
-Professional, personal and interpersonal development
-Skills of conflict resolution, negotiation, problem solving
- Synergies in working effectively on a complex task
- Oral, written and interpersonal communication
• Results of graduate surveys
• Internationalisation (more than adding international content)
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6. Why group work?
• Sharing of skills and resources in working on
complex tasks
• Developing and practising intercultural skills and
sensitivities
• Experiencing team building through decision
making, planning and presenting
• Dependency, independency and interdependency
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7. The characteristics of effective groups
• Shared aims and objectives
• Clear direction and purpose
• Commitment to the group
• Generation and acceptance of group values and
norms
• Mutual trust and interdependency
• Participation by all members
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8. Characteristics of effective groups
• Shared responsibility for group outcomes
• Effective decision-making processes
• Flow of information and open communication
• Expression of feelings and disagreements
• Resolution of conflicts by members themselves
• A climate that does not stifle individuality
• A balanced approach to individual and group needs.
(adapted from Fowler, Gudmundsson & Whicker,2006:8-9)
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9. Case Study One – The Problem
• A third year course in International Human
Resource Management – 2 hour fortnightly
tutorials
• Low participation of international students
(particularly from Confucian oriented cultural
backgrounds) in discussion based tutorials
• Limited interaction between local and international
students in tutorial discussions
• The unrealised dream of productive diversity
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10. The ‘Solution’ – The ExcelL Program
• A structured program that develops intercultural
understanding around social interactions such as
‘participating in a group’ and ‘expressing
disagreement’
• Using a common framework, the program maps the
cultural contours of ‘participating in a group’ by
inviting participants from different cultures (including
local) to describe how it is done in their country
• The program is built around case studies relevant to
the course content
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11. Case Study 1 (ExcelL)
• Issues
- spending time on process
- are students ready for group work?
- Can/will international students take initiative? What is a good
leader?
- Roles and timelines
- Using international student resources
- Diversity in the classroom and student expectations
- Language differences and multiple meaning
construction
- Fears of racism, discrimination, prejudice and stereotyping
- How do I agree/ disagree? Give feedback?
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12. Case Study Two – The Problem
• A third year management course where students
operate in project groups in tutorials and to complete
an assessment task (a company analysis)
• On a different individual assessment task (journal
article analysis), groups of international students
hand in assignments that show a common
misunderstanding of the task, leading to very poor
marks
• The students appeal against their marks, claiming
that their whole group had a wrong understanding of
the assessment task (groupthink)
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13. Solution in Process – Myth Busting
• Related problem – QIBT and other international
students believe they don’t need orientation and they
don’t need to attend classes in the first week – bust the
myth through feedback!
• Realisation of my own myth that first year at GU
effectively covers assessment skills
• Provide a structured presentation on how to complete
assessment items – make the presentation available on
the course website
• Short assessment skill presentations during lecture time
in second and third year classes
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14. Case Study 2 (Group Think)
• Issues
- If one goes down then they must all go
down! Having a problem without knowing you do.
- Making expectations clear and establishing a
contract but the problems of poor student attendance at
orientation, early lectures and tutorials
- Breaking down diasporic groups. Homogeneity versus
heterogeneity
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15. Case Study Three – The Problem
• Unequal contribution in project group based
assessment
• Third year strategic management course analysing
a company case study
• Progressive attempts - 1) Signed group contract 2)
Group research, individually written 3) Marks for
group contribution (deducted when a problem is
apparent) 4) Groups marks based on group
meeting report (schedule, tasks, performance
evaluation)
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16. Technology to the Rescue – Solution in
progress
• Solution by Dr. Paul Bates – aviation courses
• Group members must submit their contribution to
the assignment to a secure section of the course
website by a particular date (at least one week
prior to the assignment due date)
• Marker has access to these sections of the site
• Contributions can be marked on their quality and
timeliness
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17. Case Study 3 (Technology to the
Rescue)
• Issues
- Academic quality of students and group performance
- Down with groups, they never work!
- Equal contribution of all group members
- Skill development and student numbers
- I cant work in groups, I work best alone
- Student attitudes and skilled ‘freeloading’
- You never know whose work it is
- The whole is the sum of the parts
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18. Where to from here?
• Is group work worthwhile?
• Language issues in groups
• Do groups change over the period of a semester?
• Forming, norming, storming and adjourning.
• The excitement of the journey
• Q and A
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