Roles

Roles in Group Decision-Making

Types of Roles

  1. Task Roles

    • Substantive: Focused on the content and outcome of the decision-making process.

    • Procedural: How the group operates and follows through with tasks.

  2. Social Roles

    • Group-building: Enhance relationships and team cohesion.

    • Group-maintenance: Support balance within the group and help maintain group dynamics.

  3. Self-centered Roles:

    • Detrimental to the group's success and often focus on individual needs.

  4. Unproductive Roles:

    • Roles that hinder group progress and decision-making.

Detailed Task Roles

  • Expediter or Coordinator: Keeps the group on track and organized.

  • Information Seeker: Requests needed facts and information from group members.

  • Information Provider: Supplies valuable information and resources.

  • Initiator: Proposes new ideas and approaches to the task.

  • Elaborator: Clarifies and expands on ideas presented.

  • Gatekeeper: Manages participation and regulates information flow among members.

  • Orienter: Keeps the group focused on its objectives and goals.

  • Evaluator-Critic: Assesses the group’s ideas and offers constructive criticism.

  • Recorder: Documents discussion points and decisions made by the group.

Social Roles in Groups

  • Supporter: Creates a supportive atmosphere for group members.

  • Harmonizer: Mediates conflicts and fosters goodwill.

  • Emotional Releaser: Brings humor or lightness to difficult discussions.

  • Standard Setter: Sets high-performance standards for the group's work.

  • Interpreter: Help others understand different perspectives.

  • Compromiser: Facilitates agreements between conflicting members.

Negative Self-Centered Roles

  1. Central Negative: Constantly critiques and undermines group decisions.

  2. Monopolizer/Dominator: Takes control of discussions and minimizes input from others.

  3. Special Interest Pleader: Advocates for a personal agenda rather than the group's goals.

  4. Self-Confessor: Engages in excessive self-disclosure, shifting focus to themselves.

  5. Compliment/Recognition Seeker: Seeks undue attention and praise from others.

  6. Joker or Clown: Disrupts meetings and discussions with inappropriate humor.

Negative Unproductive Roles

  • Blocker: Prevents progress by rejecting proposals and ideas.

  • Social loafer or deserter: Lacks participation and effort in the group's tasks.

  • Aggressor: Attacks others’ ideas and contributions.

  • Doormat: Exhibits chronic submissiveness and fails to contribute or advocate.

  • "The Listener": Passively observes without engaging in the discussion.

Considerations for Thinking About Roles

  • Norms: Implicit rules that guide behavior in groups.

  • Status: Recognizes hierarchy and influence among members.

  • Trust: Establishes reliability and expectations in interpersonal relationships.

Norms in Group Settings

  • Rules vs. Norms: Distinction between formal regulations and the informal codes of conduct.

  • Enforcement: Strategies to uphold established norms.

    • Minor infractions: Utilization of gentle reminders.

    • Major infractions: Implementing formal consequences.

  • Changing Norms: Discusses processes for modifying existing group norms.

The Concept of Status

  • Sources of Status: Conferred through titles or emerges based on group contribution.

  • Importance of Status: Influences dynamics, decision-making power, and member interactions.

Trust in Group Dynamics

  • Definition: Willingness to rely on another based on:

    • Integrity

    • Strength

    • Ability

    • Dependability

  • Challenges in Building Trust: Reasons it may be difficult to establish and maintain trust.

  • Developing Trust: Strategies to cultivate trust within a group.