Integrated writing

[Babo]

Reading part:

In many organizations, perhaps the best way to approach certain new projects is to
assemble a group of people into a team. Having a team of people attack a project offers several advantages. First of all, a group of people has a wider range of knowledge, expertise, and skills than any single individual is likely to possess. Also, because of the numbers of people involved and the greater resources they possess, a group can work more quickly in response to the task assigned to it and can come up with highly creative solutions to problems and issues. Sometimes these creative solutions come about because a group is more likely to make risky decisions that an individual might not undertake. This is because the group spreads responsibility for a decision to all the members and thus no single individual can be held accountable if the decision turns out to be wrong. Taking part in a group process can be very rewarding for members of the team. Team members who have a voice in making a decision will no doubt feel better about carrying out the work that is entailed by that decision than they might doing work that is imposed on them by others. Also, the individual team member has a much better chance to“shine,” to get his or her contributions and ideas not only recognized but recognized as highly significant, because a team’s overall results can be more far-reaching and have greater impact than what might have otherwise been possible for the person to accomplish or contribute working alone.

Listening part:

(Professor) Now I want to tell you about what one company found when it decided that it would turn over some of its new projects to teams of people, and make the team responsible for planning the projects and getting the work done. After about six months, the company took a look at how well the teams performed.
On virtually every team, some members got almost a “free ride” ... they didn’t
contribute much at all, but if their team did a good job, they nevertheless benefited from the recognition the team got. And what about group members who worked especially well and who provided a lot of insight on problems and issues? Well...the recognition for a job well done went to the group as a whole, no names were named. So it won’t surprise you to learn that when the real contributors were asked how they felt about the group process, their attitude was just the opposite of what the reading predicts. Another finding was that some projects just didn’t move very quickly. Why? Because it took so long to reach consensus...it took many, many meetings to build the agreement among group members about how they would move the project along. On the other hand, there were other instances where one or two people managed to become very influential over what their group did. Sometimes when those influencers said “That will never work” about an idea the group was developing, the idea was quickly dropped instead of being further discussed. And then there was another occasion when a couple influencers convinced the group that a plan of theirs was “highly creative.” And even though some members tried to warn the rest of the group that the project was moving in directions that might not work, they were basically ignored by other group members. Can you guess the ending to *this* story? When the project failed, the blame was placed on all the members of the group.

My response:

The lecturer talks about the research conducted by a firm that used a group system to handle the work. He says that the theory stated by the author is different and inaccurate when compared to what happen for real.
First, according to the lecturer some people got free rides. That is, they did not make any effort in the work assigned but got recognition for success. Moreover, the people who struggled hard and put their efforts to make the project successful, were not even recognized. They didn't get opportunity to "shine". This directly contradicts with the author's opinion.
Second, when people work in a group they make quick decisions. As according to the author, individuals in a group are more responsible and have wide range of resources. On the contrary, the lecturer says that the firm found out group members lazy and delaying the decision making process. They took more and more time, held out more meetings to make the final decision that had a bad impact on the project's approval. This is another part of reality where experience differs from the theory made by the author.
Third, the influential people might emerge and lead the group toward success or failure. If the influencing people went in the right direction, then there would be no problem. However, if they astray the right path and convince others for their wrong point of view and nobody dares to counter them, they will become dominant. Then this dominating group may proceed to the failure, not success of the firm.

Hi Remula, will you please check my essay.

TOEFL listening lectures: A university lecture by a professor on the possibility of life on Mars
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Never give up trying, if you want to achieve something in life.

[Remula]

Babo, write the question. What exactly they want you to do? It's very important.

[Babo]

OK question was:
Summarize the points made in the lecture you just heard, explaining how they cast doubt
on points made in the reading.
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Never give up trying, if you want to achieve something in life.

[Remula]

[Babo]

Thanks Remula for checking my essay.
_________________
Never give up trying, if you want to achieve something in life.