3.4 THE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BE A GREAT BOSS: Identifying Group Behavior

(EXTRACTION FROM TEAM MANAGEMENT: Team Management Skills at http://www.mindtools.com)

Benne and Sheats' Group Roles

Identifying Both Positive and Negative Group Behavior Roles

A team is made up of all sorts of people.  People interaction and relation to one another is the key in determining the success of the team.  The way people behave in teams varies.  Some are helpful and supportive, others are more concerned with getting the work done, and others can cause friction, disharmony or discord within the team.

Theorists on group behavior were Kenneth Benne and Paul Sheats, defined three categories of group roles: task roles, personal and social roles, and dysfunctional or individualistic roles.

FUNCTIONAL ROLES OF GROUP MEMBERS
1	Task Roles	roles that relate to getting the work done
		·        Initiator/Contributor ·        Information Seeker ·        Information Giver ·        Opinion Seeker ·        Opinion Giver ·        Elaborator ·        Co-ordinator ·        Orienter ·        Evaluator/Critic ·        Energizer ·        Procedural Technician ·        Recorder
2	Personal and/or Social Roles	roles contribute to the positive functioning of the group
		·        Encourager ·        Harmonizer ·        Compromiser ·        Gatekeeper/Expediter ·        Observer/Commentator ·        Follower
3	Dysfunctional and/or Individualistic Roles	roles disrupt group progress and weaken its cohesion
		·        Aggressor ·        Blocker ·        Recognition Seeker ·        Self-Confessor ·        Disrupter/Playboy or Playgirl ·        Dominator ·        Help Seeker ·        Special Interest Pleader