Since human have an innate need for affiliation, there is a natural tendency for us to form groups. It can either be an informal one where friendship evolves naturally, or a formal one where there are goals to be accomplished as a team. I’m sure almost everyone has the experience of being part of a group. Do you know that whether consciously or unconsciously, you are playing a particular role in your group at a certain point of time? My question to you would be which role do you actually play?
There are two broad categories in our role playing:Task Roles and Maintenance Roles. We often specialize in either one, but the best group member is one who is able to display both kinds of behavior, depending on the needs of the group. Continuing on, I will be giving a personal sharing about the roles I play.
Task Roles
I see myself as an Initiator-Contributor who starts the ball rolling. This is so because I belief that in order to motivate others, I have to be motivated first. Also, this helps to enhance the group performance when goals and ideas are clearly laid out. In this way, all the members will know what to expect from this particular project or partnership. With that, it brings me to evaluate myself as an Evaluator-Critic who sets the benchmark for the group functioning. Personally, I have expectations of my own and my group’s performance as we accomplish tasks. No one would want a lousy output, neither do I. Therefore, I would constantly assess the quality of our output against a yardstick. If you are wondering what standard of comparison I use, my answer would be alongside the principles associated with our group. Hence, I also play the role of an Opinion Seeker who would seek clarification of values that our group holds. To me, it is a crucial role to play for ensuring a smooth and comfortable working relationship. Imagine what would happen if a person constantly decides and demands the group to achieve something that everyone in the group is unwilling to adhere to. The concept of group synergy confirms the fact that groups provide more input than an individual is capable of. Thus as an Information Seeker, I constantly question the group about our progress and encourage each of us to contribute suggestions and improvements that could refine the quality of the fruit of our labor. By playing these task roles, there is always a motivating drive for me to achieve the best that we are capable of. What is the point of putting in our precious time and effort if we are not giving our best?
Maintenance Roles
A highly task-oriented person may be too insensitive to the other member feelings in the midst of achieving goals, thereby causing tension and discontentment within the group climate. Hence, it is always desirable to be able to strike a balance in the various responsibilities we undertake. As a Gatekeeper-Expediter, I feel that it is important to give everyone a chance to voice their concerns as well as to express their opinion about the project that we are on. This gives them a sense of participation and belonging when their ideas and suggestions are taken into account for the benefit of the group as a whole. As I play the role of an Encourager, I belief that it is always pleasant to say a word of thanks and show appreciation to the contributor. It allows the person to know that he/she is not taken for granted and his/her ideas are valued.
Though out my experiences, I’ve never evaluated myself in the roles that I am playing in a group setting. It is indeed fascinating to discover a lot of myself through this communication course. I don’t mind a few comments from you about your perception of the roles I play when I am/was working with you!
Do take a few moments to discover more about yourself with the list of roles displayed below:
TASK ROLES
INITIATOR/CONTRIBUTOR: suggest new ideas
INFORMATION GIVER: offers facts and relevant information
OPINION GIVER: states beliefs/opinions
INFORMATION SEEKER: ask for information for facts
OPINION SEEKER: asks for clarification of values
COORDINATOR: pulls ideas together and coordinate work
ELABORATOR: works out details, gives examples
EVALUATOR-CRITC: develops standard
ORIENTOR: summarizes and ask questions about new paths
PROCEDURAL TECHNICIAN:performs routine tasks for the group
ENERGIZER: stimulates the group to action leading to closure
MAINTENANCE ROLES
ENCOURAGER: praises good points, exhibits acceptance
HARMONIZER: reduces tension and mediate differences
GATEKEEPER/EXPEDITER: attempts to encourage communication
STANDARD SETTER: applies standards for the group
COMPROMISER: is willing to compromise or yield his/her idea
GROUP OBSERVER: observe process and offers feed backs
FOLLOWER: going along with the ideas of others
So what role do you normally play? I’m eager to understand more about you, my dear friends! Just want to let you know that your comments are greatly appreciated!
