Question:
What roles do people play when participating in small-group work?
Answer/Quote: David M. Litsey suggests 18 roles that people can play
in a group enterprise. He divides these roles into three categories:
‘Maintenance,’ ‘Task Roles,’ and ‘Self-Serving Roles.’
Self-Serving Roles
1. Dominator: Interrupts, embarks on long
monologues, is overpositive, tries to lead group, asserts authority, is
autocratic, monopolizes.
2. Blocker: Interferes with the progress
of the group by rejecting ideas; takes negative attitude on all suggestions;
argues unduly; is pessimistic; refuses to cooperate.
3. Deserter: Withdraws in some way; is
indifferent, aloof, excessively formal; daydreams, doodles, whispers to others,
wanders from subject.
4. Aggressor: Struggles for status,
boasts, criticizes; deflates ego or status of others, ‘
5. Recognition-seeker: exaggerated attempt
to get attention by boasting or claiming experience or great accomplishments.
6. Playboy type: displays a lack of
involvement in the group process by horseplay, inappropriate humor or cynicism.
Comment:
All of these roles will be fun to discuss,
especially the latter self-serving roles. We’ve all experienced those roles and maybe even played them. RayS.
To
familiarize students with these roles, Litsey suggests having students view a
video tape of a group discussion. Each student in the class is assigned to
observe one of the members of the group.
Another
way in which to familiarize students with these roles would be to stage a small
group discussion in which each student in the group plays one of the roles.
Source:
Litsey, David M. “Small Group Training and the English Classroom.” English Journal (September 1969), 920-927.
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