Discuss how your ovservations support or contradict these writings - Essay Example

23 April Working in Solitude versus a Group Since so many people work in collaboration with one another, it seems as though that Solitude is Out of Fashion, according to the article by the same name. Many people work together in teams in order to more effectively and efficiently solve problems and finish projects. The article states that sometimes “creativity and achievement come from an oddly gregarious place,” (Cain). This can be true when working in a group where each person has different strengths and weaknesses that they can contribute to the effort.

Each person has a different way of thinking and cognitively processing concepts. It is true that when sometimes one person is stuck working on a project in solitude that they perhaps may run into a brick wall and not be able to think outside of the box. When working as a team, new ideas flow from all different directions. The only problem with this collaboration is that sometimes it can create conflict with in a group work setting. To manage conflict, it is important that everyone works together to communicate ideas effectively so that they can create something innovative.

It often takes one leader to take charge of a project in order to manage it and to get everyone else on board with the idea. On the contrary, the article states that psychologists Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi and Gregory Feist have conducted studies where “the most spectacularly creative people in many fields are often introverted,” and that they are “not joiners by nature,” (Cain). This can be true for many as well. Some people may have the type of personalities where they like to take do something on their own.

This may be because they are a little bit of a control freak and know that if they want something done right, then they have to do it themselves. There are a world full of people who operate best under this situation. They can do their own thing on their own time and at their own pace in order to get something done and to get it done to their own personal satisfaction. Sometimes doing something by yourself is very gratifying because you can take full credit for what you have accomplished.

I believe that it is possible to be creative within a group. It does take some effort to be heard. Depending on the size of the group, one person may have a great idea and someone else can expand on it, making it even bigger and better. For others, they may feel put on the spot if they are asked to throw in their own thoughts and they come to a blank simply because of the pressure that working in a group can result in. Creativity can flow in all different directions in a group and people can bounce ideas off of one another and in the end, have completed a task that they all can be proud of.

I find that I can learn more from working in a group. I like to hear ideas from different people who consider concepts differently than I would. Together, we can identify a problem and a solution and use all of our strengths to come up with a finished product. While it is nice to brainstorm in a group, and this is an area that I think is best suited in a group, I am the type of person who likes to work in solitude. Though I am not an introvert, I sometimes fear that others may think my ideas are not good.

I also like to have a bit of control over what I am doing. When working in a group, you cannot always guarantee that everyone is going to pull their own weight. I cannot ensure that another person is going to do what they are supposed to and for that reason, sometimes I like to take control of things and focus without distraction which is why I sometimes work better in solitude.Works CitedCain, Susan. “Solitude is Out of Fashion.” Print.