Collaboration lessons from business education

What is the difference between group collaboration in computer science versus in business? Coming from a background in both, I noticed that collaboration is done very differently in these fields. In computer science, group work is often seen as a source of persistent frustration among students.  Many students prefer to work individually rather than in a group, especially in randomly generated groups. Whereas in business, students often prefer working in groups and having the ability to rely on each other.

A fundamental issue affecting computer science students is the lack of organization and role assignment once groups are formed. In business, students are taught to assign roles immediately, following a standard breakdown tailored to the project. Of course, there are differences in projects in both fields; one is more technical and generally produces a software product, while the other is more conceptual and results in a written breakdown without reaching the implementation stage. However, the result of producing a piece of work that has contributions from more than one person is the same. This aspect of group collaboration remains unchanged.

So what is the secret to successful group collaboration? There is no one right answer, but one key difference in why business students complete group work successfully, having collaborated the whole way through, is structuring themselves as an actual business. Once a group project is assigned and groups are formed, almost immediately one student takes on the role of project manager, establishing a clear line of communication within the group and scheduling meeting times. Introducing this almost agile and scrum-like way of organizing is one big step to successful group collaboration.

Bringing this kind of organizational structure in a thoughtful manner into computer science classrooms is a way forward to support CS students in learning to work together in groups, without having to change the project structure itself.