Roles within groups

Task Roles: roles that help the group accomplish its task

  1. Initiator-contributor: Generates new ideas.
  2. Information-seeker: Asks for information about the task.
  3. Opinion-seeker: Asks for the input from the group about its values.
  4. Information-giver: Offers facts or generalization to the group.
  5. Opinion-giver: States his or her beliefs about a group issue.
  6. Elaborator: Explains ideas within the group, offers examples to clarify ideas.
  7. Coordinator: Shows the relationships between ideas.
  8. Orienter: Shifts the direction of the group's discussion.
  9. Evaluator-critic: Measures group's actions against some objective standard.
  10. Energizer: Stimulates the group to a higher level of activity.
  11. Procedural-technician: Performs logistical functions for the group.
  12. Recorder: Keeps a record of group actions.

Maintenance roles: roles that help the group build and maintain itself as a group

  1. Encourager: Praises the ideas of others.
  2. Harmonizer: Mediates differences between group members.
  3. Compromiser: Moves group to another position that is favored by all group members.
  4. Gatekeeper/expediter: Keeps communication channels open.
  5. Standard Setter: Suggests standards or criteria for the group to achieve.
  6. Group observer: Keeps records of group activities and uses this information to offer feedback to the group.
  7. Follower: Goes along with the group and accepts the group's ideas.

Blocking Roles: Roles the block the effective functioning of the group

  1. Aggressor: Attacks other group members, deflates the status of others, and other aggressive behavior.
  2. Blocker: Resists movement by the group.
  3. Recognition seeker: Calls attention to himself or herself.
  4. Self-confessor: Seeks to disclose nongroup related feelings or opinions.
  5. Dominator: Asserts control over the group by manipulating the other group members.
  6. Help seeker: Tries to gain the sympathy of the group.
  7. Special interest pleader: Uses stereotypes to assert his or her own prejudices.

Stages of Group Development

1. Forming Stage:

The first entry of individual group members into a team

People are concerned with getting acquainted, establishing interpersonal relationships, discovering what is considered acceptable and learning how others perceive the team’s task

2. Storming Stage

A period of high emotionality

Tension often emerges between members over tasks and interpersonal concerns

Subteams form around areas of agreement and disagreement

Attention begins to shift toward obstacles that may stand in the way of task accomplishment

3. Norming Stage

Members of the team begin to become coordinated as a working unit and tend to operate with shared rules of conduct

Members develop initial feelings of closeness, a division of labour, and a sense of shared expectations

4. Performing Stage

Teams are more mature, organized and well functioning

Team members are able to deal in creative ways with both complex tasks and any interpersonal conflicts

5. Adjourning Stage

Team members prepare to disband

Ideally the team disbands with a feeling of accomplishment

Group Norms

A norm refers to the behaviours expected of team members; it is a “rule” or “standard” that guides the behaviour of team members.

Violations of norms may result in team sanctions such as being expelled from a team or socially ostracized by other members.

A performance norm defines the level of work effort and performance that members are expected to contribute to the team task; it can be positive or negative.

Conformity to norms is largely determined by the strength of cohesiveness, which is the degree to which members are attracted to and motivated to remain part of a team.

Persons in a highly cohesive team value their membership and strive to maintain positive relations with other team members, thereby benefiting both the team members and the organization.

How Team Cohesiveness and Performance Norms

Influence Team Performance

a.Positive norms in combination with high cohesiveness lead to the high productivity and strong commitment to supportive norms.

b.Positive norms in combination with low cohesiveness lead to moderate productivity and weak commitments to supportive norms.

c.Negative norms in combination with low cohesiveness lead to low to moderate productivity and weak commitments to harmful norms.

  1. Negative norms in combination with high cohesiveness lead to low productivity and strong commitments to harmful norms.

Name:

Choose one past teambuilding activity to analyze.

Your choice: ______

Being able to work, as a part of a team or group to solve problems is one of the employee characteristics that our large and small companies alike are screaming for. Workers who lack the ability to look at a problem from more than one angle or who are locked into simply following someone else’s instruction are not going to advance.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:

What was your first reaction to the activity?

What did your team do during the planning time before the activity started?

How were the plans made? Was your original plan successful?

Who was the leader during activity? How was this person chosen? Did the leader change during the activity? Why or why not?

Which person would you rather be: the leader or the follower? Why?

Was your team successful in completing the assignment?

Where in our daily lives can you apply the lessons you learned during this activity?

How does this activity compare with being in the workplace?

Describe how your group progressed through the stages of team development?

How would you describe your group dynamics? (make reference to your notes)

Using the Norms & Cohesiveness Model describe your team/group?

If you were to do this activity again, what would you do differently next time? would any of the suggestions regarding team cohesiveness and positive norms be a consideration for future attempts?