To Team or Not to Team

     After having done multiple essays, used different programs, and completed different types of assignments, I now know how I want to do my portfolio. I have come to the decision of working on my portfolio independently. I originally always wanted to work on this project independently but after having firsthand experience on what each type of portfolio will have in store, doing an independent project will work better in my favor. My main reasons for wanting to choose to work independently is the style and the program for the independent project (InDesign) work a lot better for me and were fun to use. And the second reason is that based on my personality type, I work better in independent settings. “Ineffective teams may be the product of inappropriate team composition” (Source 2). 

To start, my first reason was that the style and the program for the independent portfolio (InDesign) work a lot better in my case and were fun to use. The style of the independent portfolio is a magazine while the team one is a video. I have written magazines for past English classes and though they are very time consuming, they were interesting and an alternative to doing a whole project. And that works the same for this case. One of the sources stated, “certain personality types are more accepting of others and more willing to consider different perspectives” (Source 2). Another observation I made was after having done the “Lost at Sea” activity. It wasn't an enjoyable project for me and made me reflect on my reasons for not liking it. And they mainly consisted of having to work in a group with other people, which leads me to my next reason.  

My second reason for wanting to choose the independent portfolio is that based on my personality type, I work better in an independent setting. One of the articles stated, “The facilitated sessions help teams to comprehend where they fall within five distinct pillars of teamwork: trust, conflict, commitment, accountability, and results” (Source 1). After having looked back on past projects/assignments where I’ve worked in teams compared to times when I wasn’t, I realized my work improves when on my own because I don’t have to rely on those around me and I don’t have to worry about a conflict in the group. Another observation I made was when we were assigned the “Social Media Peer Account” activity, I immediately didn’t like the idea of this assignment because I’m not a huge social media person and even when I do go on social media it’s only for my few close friends. 

In conclusion, I have decided to go with the independent portfolio option rather than the team option. Based on the style I like to work on my assignments with and most of all my personality types are the reasons why I am better off working by myself. I’m not going to say that I don’t enjoy working with other people because at times I really do enjoy it. But that is only when it comes to little assignment like a work sheet or a paired activity. This is a major project that is going to determine whether I get this AICE credit or not. And if something bad happens on a big project like this, it’s better that I only have myself to blame.