Of groups and sub-groups...

R(elative) G(rading) - giri, a common phrase used here in IIM Bangalore - almost always in a derogatory sense, i.e. when some students try score points through some seemingly unethical ways over their peers. Well, each to his/her own place :)

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But then, several students (including yours truly) have taken a seemingly high moral grounds on this issue, ridiculing these RG-giri-doers. And yet, I remember umpteen number of times when a prof has announced a group work in class, leaving the group formation to the students. What did we, the anti-RG squad, used to do? Try and form a group with people you know have above average calibre, before others swoosh them away. So much so that 2nd term onwards, as soon as the announcement was made, we, the above-average calibre guys, just used to signal each other through a wink of eye and form the group, while sitting in different corners of the lecture theatre!

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Well, a certain part of it is attributable to the comfort level one develops while working with the same set of people, and indeed, most of those students are today my best friends around. In fact, now it is almost given that everyone will form groups within his/her own friends' group, and this whole group formation exercise is reduced to fitting these smaller 'friends-groups' into the project groups while still observing the constraints of the upper cap on project group membership. But still, this comfort level was on level zero during the first few courses, we knowing each other barely, apart from the one's background (and hence the perceptive measure of calibre).

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But then, isn't one of the objectives of group work - peer learning from a diverse set of people - defeated when students work in same groups for the entire tenure of MBA?

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Working with different people each time has its own advanatges. One, you meet new people, and thus further developing the very network touted as the single most important advantage MBA offers. Two, you stand to gain learnings in terms of working with people with unknown temperaments/skills/mindsets. Three, when you know your groupmates are not your friends, you realize that your every contribution to the groupwork can be openly grilled through frank questions in front of the entire team. Last, but not the least, it tends to develop a real team spirit, taking up someone else's work (who is not your friend) due to time committment clashes for the person concerned.

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IMO, groups here should be randomly formed, course after course. If left to students, they would always take the (seemingly) easier route - dost hai na.

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And yeah, this also means an off-chance you get to work with a hot babe - of course, if Murphy doesn't have his say :)