Roles and Responsibilities of Team Members

© COLEG

Roles and Responsibilities

Task Performance Roles Maintenance Roles Blocking Roles

TPR - Initiator

Suggests new or different ideas for discussion or review

Proposes new or different approaches to problems

Helps motivate others to suggest imaginative or creative ideas

TPR – Opinion Giver

Makes pertinent comments about group roles or the task in hand

Considers other team members’ suggestions and offers opinions on them

Encourages others to suggest or give their own opinions through example

TPR - Elaborator

Builds on suggestions made by other people in the group

Helps other members to formulate ideas through a more detailed explanation

Encourages others to engage in group discussions through example

TPR - Clarifier

Provides relevant examples for others in the team

Provides rationales for group activities or group behaviours

Probes meaning and understanding of team activities or team behaviour

TPR - Tester

Raises relevant questions to ‘test’ opinions of the team

‘Tests’ whether the team is ready to reach decisions about problems or solutions

MR - Harmoniser

Mediates differences of opinion in the group

Reconciles different points of view Helps group members to reach

consensus

MR – Tension Reliever

Uses humour at appropriate stages in a productive way

Knows when a break in activities is appropriate

Helps group cohesion to develop

MR - Compromiser

Willing to see others’ point of view without stubbornly sticking to his/her own

Accepts decisions of others for the overall benefit of the group activity

MR - Encourager

Praises and supports other group members in their contribution to activities

Friendly and encouraging Helps group cohesion and motivation

within group

MR – Gate Keeper

Helps keep communication open Creates opportunities to encourage

participation by others in group activities Helps group cohesion to develop

BR - Aggressor

Deflates status of others within group Disagrees with others aggressively Criticises others in the group Demonstrates challenging and

threatening behaviour in a destructive way

BR - Blocker

Stubbornly disagrees with any suggestion made by others

Rejects others’ views consistently Cites unrelated personal experiences Resists any attempts to build group

cohesion

BR - Withdrawer

Will not participate Is a ‘wool gatherer’ Carries on private conversations within

the group Is a self-appointed taker of notes Wants to undertake activities by

him/herself

BR – Recognition Seeker

Attempts to demonstrate own importance by boasting

Constantly seeks attention Talks excessively Is overly conscious of own status

BR – Topic Jumper

Constantly changes the subject Prevents any attempt to deal with the

task in hand Displays evidence of a ‘grasshopper

mind’

BR - Dominator

Tries to take over the group Does not listen to others Tries to assert authority Tries to manipulate group

BR – Special Interest Player

Uses the time of the group to draw attention to own concerns

Wants to demonstrate that he/she is different from others in the group

Demonstrate no interest in the concerns of others

Has an ‘impressive’ quality of total self-absorption

BR - Gazer

Distracts others by an absorbing interest in his/her shoes or something outwith group activity

Participation level is high for gazing activity but low for everything else

Not to be confused with a ‘geyser’ who lies dormant then spouts forth without warning

TPR - Summariser

‘Draws together’ group discussion in relation to problems, decisions and solutions

Assists group to review group activity or behaviour at a a variety of stages

Reports concisely on the meaning and purposes of group activities and behaviour