Group Roles Small Group Communication

Task Roles The group's task is the job to be done. People who are concerned with the task tend to: 1. make suggestions as to the best way to proceed or deal with a problem; 2. attempt to summarize what has been covered or what has been going on in the group; 3. give or ask for facts, ideas, opinions, feelings, feedback, or search for alternatives; 4. keep the group on target; prevent going off on tangents.

Relationships means how well people in the group work together. People who are concerned with relationships tend to: 1. be more concerned with how people feel than how much they know; 2. help others get into the discussion; 3. try to reconcile disagreements; 4. encourage people with friendly remarks and gestures. Relationship Roles

3 Types of Roles Behavior in the group can be of 3 types: –1. that which helps the group accomplish its task; –2. that which helps group members get along better (relationships); and –3. self oriented behavior which contributes to neither group task nor group relationships. Examples of these types of behavior, called roles, are:

Task Roles 1. Initiating: – proposing tasks or goals; defining a group problem; suggesting ways to solve a problem. 2. Seeking information or opinions: –requesting facts; asking for expressions of feeling; requesting a statement or estimate; seeking suggestions and ideas. 3. Giving information or opinion: –offering facts; providing relevant information; stating an opinion; giving suggestions and ideas.

Task Roles (cont.) 4. Clarifying and elaborating: –interpreting ideas or suggestions; clearing up confusion; defining terms; indicating alternatives and issues before the group. 5. Summarizing: –pulling together related ideas; restating suggestions after the group has discussed them; offering a decision or conclusion for the group to accept or reject. 6. Consensus testing: –asking if the group is nearing a decision; taking a straw vote."

Relationship Roles 1. Harmonizing: –attempting to reconcile disagreements; reducing tension; getting people to explore differences. 2. Gate keeping: –helping to keep communication channels open; facilitating the participation of others; suggesting procedures that permit sharing remarks.

Relationship Roles (cont.) 3. Encouraging: –being friendly, warm, and responsive to others; indicating by facial expression or remarks the acceptance of others' contributions. 4. Compromising: –when one's own idea or status is involved in a conflict, offering a compromise which yields status; admitting error; modifying one's position in the interest of group cohesion or growth.

Self-Oriented Roles 1. Dominator: –interrupts others; launches on long monologues; is over-positive and over- dogmatic; tries to lead group and assert authority; is generally autocratic. 2. Negativist: –rejects ideas suggested by others; takes a negative attitude on issues; argues frequently and unnecessarily; is pessimistic, refuses to cooperate; pouts.

Self-Oriented Roles (cont.) 3. Aggressor: –tries to achieve importance in group; boasts; criticizes or blames others; tries to get attention; shows anger or irritation against group or individuals; deflates importance or position of others in group. 4. Playboy: – is not interested in the group except as it can help him or her to have a good time.

Self-Oriented Roles (cont.) 5. Storyteller: –likes to tell long "fishing stories" which are not relevant to the group; gets off on long tangents. 6. Interrupter: – talks over others; engages in side conversations; whispers to neighbor. 7. Poor me: –tries to get the group's attention to deal with own personal concerns, discomfort, bad luck, etc

Your Group Roles A group member who can play a variety of task and relationship roles and can avoid self oriented roles will be most helpful to the group.