ABSTRACT
The saying “two heads are better than one” is generally true in situations that require problem solving or task accomplishment. Research has generally demonstrated that groups outperform individuals in both the quantity and quality of their performance,3 although it depends on how the tasks are distributed within the team. If the group members simply combine their tasks together without integration, the group performance is no better than if the group members are working by themselves.4 For example, if you are assigned to a group that is tasked with presenting the content of a book to your class, your group will perform better if everyone reads the entire book and works on the presentation together rather than simply taking turns describing each member’s section of the book. When the output of a group that has simply divided the work without integration is compared to the output of a highly talented individual, the group performance is slightly lower than the individual’s. If the group composition includes some low-performing members and the task is complex, it might be better to hand off the task to a high-performing individual.5 In addition, when creativity is needed, groups are not the best choice. Group members attempting to solve a problem creatively will produce fewer ideas than the same number of people working individually.6
