GROUP
ROLES
Task Behaviors
- Initiates discussion
- Suggests new goals or ideas
- Clarifies pertinent key issues
- Asks others for justification
- Promotes greater understanding
- Pulls together key ideas and suggestions --
summarizes
- Keeps group headed toward its stated goals
- Tests and evaluates the group’s accomplishments
- Prods group to move along or to accomplish more
- Performs a “group memory” function
Relations (Maintenance)
Behaviors
- Fosters group solidarity – encourages and
supports group members
- Recognizes contributions
- Mediates conflict through reconciliation or humor
- Demonstrates openness to other members’ ideas
- Helps resolve conflict by meeting others “half
way”
- Encourages all group members to participate
- Evaluates the quality of group processes
Blocking Behaviors
- Verbal or nonverbal behavior which is perceived
to be hostile or derogatory by other team members
- One person takes power not assigned or delegated
by other team members or assigned by outside authority
- Dominates: the loudest, most frequent speaker who
interrupts others
- Verbal or nonverbal behavior which distracts
other team members
- Motivated by anger, boredom or some other
emotion, stops participating in the team process in a way obvious to other
team members
- Overreacts to another member’s challenge of one’s
statements
- Argues endlessly about the meaning of words and
seems to dwell on nonessentials.
- Calls attention to self by boasting, bragging,
acting superior