Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

Task-Related Roles and Behaviours

Task roles and their related behaviours contribute directly to the group’s
completion of a task or achievement of its goal or purpose. Task-related roles
typically serve leadership, informational, or procedural functions. In this section
we will discuss the following roles and behaviours: task leader, expediter,
information provider, information seeker, gatekeeper, and recorder.
Task Leader
Within any group, there may be a task leader who has a high group status
because of his or her maturity, problem-solving abilities, knowledge, and/or
leadership experience and skills and functions primarily to help the group
complete its task (Cragan & Wright, 1991). This person may be a designated or
emergent leader, but in either case, task leaders tend to talk more during group
interactions than other group members and also tend to do more work in the
group. Depending on the number of tasks a group has, there may be more than
one task leader, especially if the tasks require different sets of skills or
knowledge. Because of the added responsibilities of being a task leader, people
in these roles may experience higher levels of stress. A task leader’s stresses,
however, may be lessened through some of the maintenance role behaviours
that we will discuss later.
Task-leader behaviours can be further divided into two types: substantive and
procedural (Pavitt, 1999). The substantive leader is the “idea person” who
communicates “big picture” thoughts and suggestions that feed group
discussion. The procedural leader is the person who gives the most guidance,
perhaps following up on the ideas generated by the substantive leader. A skilled
and experienced task leader may be able to perform both of these roles, but
when the roles are filled by two different people, the person considered the
procedural leader is more likely than the substantive leader to be viewed by
members as the overall group leader. This indicates that task-focused groups
assign more status to the person who actually guides the group toward the
completion of the task (a “doer”) than the person who comes up with ideas (the
“thinker”).
Expediter
The expediter is a task-related role that functions to keep the group on track
toward completing its task by managing the agenda and setting and assessing
goals in order to monitor the group’s progress. An expediter doesn’t push group

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

members mindlessly along toward the completion of their task; an expediter

must have a good sense of when a topic has been sufficiently discussed or when
a group’s extended focus on one area has led to diminishing returns. In such
cases, the expediter may say, “Now that we’ve had a thorough discussion of the
pros and cons of switching the office from PCs to Macs, which side do you think
has more support?” or “We’ve spent half of this meeting looking for examples
of what other libraries have done and haven’t found anything useful. Maybe we
should switch gears so we can get something concrete done tonight.”
An expediter in a restaurant keeps the food flowing from the kitchen to the
diners in a timely and orderly fashion, just as the expediter in a group keeps the
group on an agenda.
If you’ve ever worked in a restaurant, you’re probably familiar with an
expediter’s role in the kitchen. The person working “expo” helps make sure that
the timing on all the dishes for a meal works out and that each plate is correct
before it goes out to the table. This is by no means an easy job, since some
entrées cook quicker than others and not everyone orders their burger the same
way. So, the expediter helps make order out of chaos by calling the food out to
the kitchen in a particular order that logically works so that all the food will come
up at the same time. Once the food is up, he or she also checks what’s on the
plate against what’s on the ticket to make sure it matches. Expediting in a
restaurant and in a small group is like a dance that requires some flexible and
creative thinking and an ability to stick to a time frame and assess progress. To
avoid the perception that group members are being rushed, a skilled expediter
can demonstrate good active-listening skills by paraphrasing what has been
discussed and summarizing what has been accomplished in such a way that
makes it easier for group members to see the need to move on.
Information Provider
The role of information provider includes behaviours that are more evenly
shared than in other roles, as ideally, all group members present new ideas,
initiate discussions of new topics, and contribute their own relevant knowledge
and experiences. When group members are brought together because they each
have different types of information, early group meetings may consist of group
members taking turns briefing each other on their area of expertise. In other
situations, only one person in the group may be chosen because of his or her
specialized knowledge and this person may be expected to be the primary
information provider for all other group members. For example, I was asked to

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

serve on a university committee that is reviewing our undergraduate learning

goals. Since my official role is to serve as the “faculty expert” on the
subcommittee related to speaking, I played a more central information-provider
function for our group during most of our initial meetings. Since other people
on the subcommittee weren’t as familiar with speaking and its place within
higher education curriculum, it made sense that information-providing
behaviours were not as evenly distributed in this case.
Information Seeker
The information seeker asks for more information, elaboration, or clarification
on items relevant to the group’s task. The information sought may include
factual information or group member opinions. In general, information seekers
ask questions for clarification, but they can also ask questions that help provide
an important evaluative function. Most groups could benefit from more critically
oriented information-seeking behaviours. As our discussion of groupthink notes,
critical questioning helps increase the quality of ideas and group outcomes and
helps avoid groupthink. By asking for more information, people have to defend
(in a no adversarial way) and/or support their claims, which can help ensure that
the information being discussed is credible, relevant, and thoroughly
considered. When information seeking or questioning occurs as a result of poor
listening skills, it risks negatively impacting the group. Skilled information
providers and seekers are also good active listeners. They increase all group
members’ knowledge when they paraphrase and ask clarifying questions about
the information presented.
Gatekeeper
The gatekeeper manages the flow of conversation in a group in order to achieve
an appropriate balance so that all group members get to participate in a
meaningful way. The gatekeeper may prompt others to provide information by
saying something like “Let’s each share one idea we have for a movie to show
during Black History Month.” He or she may also help correct an imbalance
between members who have provided much information already and members
who have been quiet by saying something like “Aretha, we’ve heard a lot from
you today. Let’s hear from someone else. Beau, what are your thoughts on
Aretha’s suggestion?” Gatekeepers should be cautious about “calling people
out” or at least making them feel that way. Instead of scolding someone for not
participating, they should be invitational and ask a member to contribute to
something specific instead of just asking if they have anything to add. Since

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

gatekeepers make group members feel included, they also service the relational
aspects of the group.
Recorder
The recorder takes notes on the discussion and activities that occur during a
group meeting. The recorder is the only role that is essentially limited to one
person at a time since in most cases it wouldn’t be necessary or beneficial to
have more than one person recording. At less formal meetings there may be no
recorder, while at formal meetings there is almost always a person who records
meeting minutes, which are an overview of what occurred at the meeting. Each
committee will have different rules or norms regarding the level of detail within
and availability of the minutes. While some group’s minutes are required by law
to be public, others may be strictly confidential. Even though a record of a group
meeting may be valuable, the role of recorder is often regarded as a low-status
position, since the person in the role may feel or be viewed as subservient to the
other members who are able to more actively contribute to the group’s
functioning. Because of this, it may be desirable to have the role of recorder
rotate among members (Cragan & Wright, 1991).
The recorder writes and/or types notes during group meetings in order to
document the discussion and other interactions.

Maintenance Roles and Behaviours

Maintenance roles and their corresponding behaviours function to create and
maintain social cohesion and fulfil the interpersonal needs of group members.
All these role behaviours require strong and sensitive interpersonal skills. The
maintenance roles we will discuss in this section include social-emotional leader,
supporter, tension releaser, harmonizer, and interpreter.
Social-Emotional Leader
The social-emotional leader within a group may perform a variety of
maintenance roles and is generally someone who is well liked by the other group
members and whose role behaviours complement but don’t compete with the
task leader. The social-emotional leader may also reassure and support the task
leader when he or she becomes stressed. In general, the social-emotional leader
is a reflective thinker who has good perception skills that he or she uses to
analyse the group dynamics and climate and then initiate the appropriate role

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

behaviours to maintain a positive climate. Unlike the role of task leader, this isn’t
a role that typically shifts from one person to another. While all members of the
group perform some maintenance role behaviours at various times, the
socioemotional leader reliably functions to support group members and
maintain a positive relational climate. Social-emotional leadership functions can
actually become detrimental to the group and lead to less satisfaction among
members when the maintenance behaviours being performed are seen as
redundant or as too distracting from the task (Pavitt, 1999).
Supporter
The role of supporter is characterized by communication behaviours that
encourage other group members and provide emotional support as needed. The
supporter’s work primarily occurs in one-on-one exchanges that are more
intimate and in-depth than the exchanges that take place during full group
meetings. While many group members may make supporting comments publicly
at group meetings, these comments are typically superficial and/or brief. A
supporter uses active empathetic listening skills to connect with group members
who may seem down or frustrated by saying something like “Tayesha, you
seemed kind of down today. Is there anything you’d like to talk about?”
Supporters also follow up on previous conversations with group members to
maintain the connections they’ve already established by saying things like “Alan,
I remember you said your mom is having surgery this weekend. I hope it goes
well. Let me know if you need anything.” The supporter’s communication
behaviours are probably the least noticeable of any of the other maintenance
roles, which may make this group member’s efforts seem overlooked. Leaders
and other group members can help support the supporter by acknowledging his
or her contributions.
Tension Releaser
The tension releaser is someone who is naturally funny and sensitive to the
personalities of the group and the dynamics of any given situation and who uses
these qualities to manage the frustration level of the group. Being funny is not
enough to fulfil this role, as jokes or comments could indeed be humorous to
other group members but be delivered at an inopportune time, which ultimately
creates rather than releases tension. The healthy use of humour by the tension
releaser performs the same maintenance function as the empathy employed by
the harmonizer or the social-emotional leader, but it is less intimate and is
typically directed toward the whole group instead of just one person. The

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

tension releaser may start serving his or her function during the forming stage
of group development when primary tensions are present due to the typical
uncertainties present during initial interactions. The tension releaser may help
“break the ice” or make others feel at ease during the group’s more socially
awkward first meetings. When people make a failed attempt to release tension,
they may be viewed as a joker, which is a self-centred role we will learn more
about later.
Harmonizer
The harmonizer role is played by group members who help manage the various
types of group conflict that emerge during group communication. They keep
their eyes and ears open for signs of conflict among group members and ideally
intervene before it escalates. For example, the harmonizer may sense that one
group member’s critique of another member’s idea wasn’t received positively,
and he or she may be able to rephrase the critique in a more constructive way,
which can help diminish the other group member’s defensiveness. Harmonizers
also deescalate conflict once it has already started—for example, by suggesting
that the group take a break and then mediating between group members in a
side conversation. These actions can help prevent conflict from spilling over into
other group interactions. In cases where the whole group experiences conflict,
the harmonizer may help lead the group in perception-checking discussions that
help members see an issue from multiple perspectives. For a harmonizer to be
effective, it’s important that he or she be viewed as impartial and committed to
the group as a whole rather than to one side of an issue or one person or faction
within the larger group. A special kind of harmonizer that helps manage cultural
differences within the group is the interpreter.

An interpreter is a group member who has cultural sensitivity and experience

interacting with multiple cultures and can help facilitate intercultural
interactions within a group.
Interpreter
An interpreter helps manage the diversity within a group by mediating
intercultural conflict, articulating common ground between different people,
and generally creating a climate where difference is seen as an opportunity
rather than as something to be feared. Just as an interpreter at the United
Nations acts as a bridge between two different languages, the interpreter can

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

bridge identity differences between group members. Interpreters can help

perform the other maintenance roles discussed with a special awareness of and
sensitivity toward cultural differences. While a literal interpreter would serve a
task-related function within a group, this type of interpreter may help support a
person who feels left out of the group because he or she has a different cultural
identity than the majority of the group. Interpreters often act as allies to people
who are different even though the interpreter doesn’t share the specific cultural
identity. The interpreter may help manage conflict that arises as a result of
diversity, in this case, acting like an ambassador or mediator. Interpreters,
because of their cultural sensitivity, may also take a proactive role to help
address conflict before it emerges—for example, by taking a group member
aside and explaining why his or her behaviour or comments may be perceived
as offensive.
Negative Roles and Behaviours
Group communication scholars began exploring the negative side of group
member roles more than sixty years ago (Benne & Sheats, 1948). Studying these
negative roles can help us analyse group interactions and potentially better
understand why some groups are more successful than others. It’s important to
acknowledge that we all perform some negative behaviours within groups but
that those behaviours do not necessarily constitute a role. A person may
temporarily monopolize a discussion to bring attention to his or her idea. If that
behaviour gets the attention of the group members and makes them realize they
were misinformed or headed in a negative direction, then that behaviour may
have been warranted. Negative behaviours can be enacted with varying degrees
of intensity and regularity, and their effects may range from mild annoyance to
group failure. In general, the effects grow increasingly negative as they increase
in intensity and frequency. While a single enactment of a negative role
behaviour may still harm the group, regular enactment of such behaviours
would constitute a role, and playing that role is guaranteed to negatively impact
the group. We will divide our discussion of negative roles into self-centred and
unproductive roles.
Self-Cantered Roles
The behaviours associated with all the self-centred roles divert attention from
the task to the group member exhibiting the behaviour. Although all these roles
share in their quest to divert attention, they do it in different ways and for
different reasons. The self-centred roles we will discuss are the central negative,

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

monopoliser, self-confessor, insecure compliment seeker, and joker (Cragan &

Wright, 1991).
Central Negative
The central negative argues against most of the ideas and proposals discussed
in the group and often emerges as a result of a leadership challenge during
group formation. The failed attempt to lead the group can lead to feelings of
resentment toward the leader and/or the purpose of the group, which then
manifest in negative behaviours that delay, divert, or block the group’s progress
toward achieving its goal. This scenario is unfortunate because the central
negative is typically a motivated and intelligent group member who can benefit
the group if properly handled by the group leader or other members. Group
communication scholars suggest that the group leader or leaders actively
incorporate central negatives into group tasks and responsibilities to make them
feel valued and to help diminish any residual anger, disappointment, or hurt
feelings from the leadership conflict (Bormann & Bormann, 1988). Otherwise
the central negative will continue to argue against the proposals and decisions
of the group, even when they may be in agreement. In some cases, the central
negative may unintentionally serve a beneficial function if his or her criticisms
prevent groupthink.
Monopoliser
The monopoliser is a group member who makes excessive verbal contributions,
preventing equal participation by other group members. In short, monopolisers
like to hear the sound of their own voice and do not follow typical norms for
conversational turn taking. There are some people who are well informed,
charismatic, and competent communicators who can get away with impromptu
lectures and long stories, but monopolisers do not possess the magnetic
qualities of such people. A group member’s excessive verbal contributions are
more likely to be labelled as monopolizing when they are not related to the task
or when they provide unnecessary or redundant elaboration. Some
monopolisers do not intentionally speak for longer than they should. Instead,
they think they are making a genuine contribution to the group. These folks
likely lack sensitivity to nonverbal cues, or they would see that other group
members are tired of listening or annoyed. Other monopolisers just like to talk
and don’t care what others think. Some may be trying to make up for a lack of
knowledge or experience. This type of monopoliser is best described as a
dilettante, or an amateur who tries to pass himself or herself off as an expert.

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

There are some subgroups of behaviours that fall under the monopoliser’s role.
The “stage hog” monopolizes discussion with excessive verbal contributions and
engages in one-upping and narcissistic listening. One-upping is a spotlight-
stealing strategy in which people try to verbally “out-do” others by saying
something like “You think that’s bad? Listen to what happened to me!” They
also listen to others in order to find something they can connect back to
themselves, not to understand the message. The stage hog is like the diva that
refuses to leave the stage to let the next performer begin. Unlike a monopoliser,
who may engage in his or her behaviours unknowingly, stage hogs are usually
aware of what they’re doing.
A monopoliser makes excessive verbal contributions and holds the floor without
allowing others to speak.
The “egghead” monopolizes the discussion with excessive contributions that are
based in actual knowledge but that exceed the level of understanding of other
group members or the needs of the group (Cragan & Wright, 1999). The egghead
is different from the dilettante monopoliser discussed earlier because this
person has genuine knowledge and expertise on a subject, which may be useful
to the group. But like the monopoliser and stage hog, the egghead’s excessive
contributions draw attention away from the task, slow the group down, and may
contribute to a negative group climate. The egghead may be like an
absentminded professor who is smart but lacks the social sensitivity to tell when
he or she has said enough and is now starting to annoy other group members.
This type of egghead naively believes that other group members care as much
about the subject as he or she does. The second type of egghead is more
pompous and monopolizes the discussion to flaunt his or her intellectual
superiority. While the first type of egghead may be tolerated to a point by the
group and seen as eccentric but valuable, the second type of egghead is
perceived more negatively and more quickly hurts the group. In general, the
egghead’s advanced knowledge of a subject and excessive contributions can
hurt the group’s potential for synergy, since other group members may defer to
the egghead expert, which can diminish the creativity that comes from outside
and nonexpert perspectives.
Self-Confessor
The self-confessor is a group member who tries to use group meetings as
therapy sessions for issues not related to the group’s task. Self-confessors tend
to make personal self-disclosures that are unnecessarily intimate. While it is

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

reasonable to expect that someone experiencing a personal problem may want

to consult with the group, especially if that person has formed close
relationships with other group members, a self-confessor consistently comes to
meetings with drama or a personal problem. A supporter or gatekeeper may be
able to manage some degree of self-confessor behaviour, but a chronic self-
confessor is likely to build frustration among other group members that can lead
to interpersonal conflict and a lack of cohesion and productivity. Most groups
develop a norm regarding how much personal information is discussed during
group meetings, and some limit such disclosures to time before or after the
meeting, which may help deter the self-confessor.
Insecure Compliment Seeker
The insecure compliment seeker wants to know that he or she is valued by the
group and seeks recognition that is often not task related. For example, they
don’t want to be told they did a good job compiling a report; they want to know
that they’re a good person or attractive or smart—even though they might not
be any of those things. In short, they try to get validation from their relationships
with group members—validation that they may be lacking in relationships
outside the group. Or they may be someone who continually seeks the approval
of others or tries to overcompensate for insecurity through excessive behaviours
aimed at eliciting compliments. For example, if a group member wears a tight-
fitting t-shirt in hopes of drawing attention to his physique but doesn’t receive
any compliments from the group, he may say, “My girlfriend said she could tell
I’ve been working out. What do you think?”
Joker
The joker is a person who consistently uses sarcasm, plays pranks, or tells jokes,
which distracts from the overall functioning of the group. In short, the joker is
an incompetent tension releaser. Rather than being seen as the witty group
member with good timing, the joker is seen as the “class clown.” Like the
insecure compliment seeker, the joker usually seeks attention and approval
because of an underlying insecurity. A group’s leader may have to intervene and
privately meet with a person engaging in joker behaviour to help prevent a toxic
or unsafe climate from forming. This may be ineffective, though, if a joker’s
behaviours are targeted toward the group leader, which could indicate that the
joker has a general problem with authority. In the worst-case scenario, a joker
may have to be expelled from the group if his or her behaviour becomes violent,
offensive, illegal, or otherwise unethical.

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

Unproductive Roles
There are some negative roles in group communication that do not primarily
function to divert attention away from the group’s task to a specific group
member. Instead, these unproductive roles just prevent or make it more
difficult for the group to make progress. These roles include the blocker,
withdrawer, aggressor, and doormat.
Blocker
The blocker intentionally or unintentionally keeps things from getting done in
the group. Intentionally, a person may suggest that the group look into a matter
further or explore another option before making a final decision even though
the group has already thoroughly considered the matter. They may cite a
procedural rule or suggest that input be sought from additional people in order
to delay progress. Behaviours that lead to more information gathering can be
good for the group, but when they are unnecessary, they are blocking
behaviours. Unintentionally, a group member may set blocking behaviours into
motion by missing a meeting or not getting his or her work done on time. People
can also block progress by playing the airhead role, which is the opposite of the
egghead role discussed earlier. An airhead skirts his or her responsibilities by
claiming ignorance when he or she actually understands or intentionally
performs poorly on a task so the other group members question his or her
intellectual abilities to handle other tasks (Cragan & Wright, 1999). Since
exhibiting airhead behaviours gets a person out of performing tasks, they can
also be a tactic of a withdrawer, which we will discuss next.

A blocker prevents the group from progressing toward the completion of its task
by creating barriers, suggesting unnecessary work, or avoiding group members.
Withdrawer
A withdrawer mentally and/or physically removes herself or himself from group
activities and only participates when forced to. When groups exceed five
members, the likelihood of having a member exhibit withdrawer behaviours
increases. For example, a member may attend meetings and seemingly pay
attention but not contribute to discussions or not volunteer to take on tasks,
instead waiting on other members to volunteer first. Withdrawers are often
responsible for the social loafing that makes other group members dread group

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

work. A member may also avoid eye contact with other group members, sit
apart from the group, or orient his or her body away from the group to avoid
participation. Withdrawers generally do not exhibit active listening behaviours.
At the extreme, a group member may stop attending group meetings
completely. Adopting a problem-solving model that requires equal participation,
starting to build social cohesion early, and choosing a meeting space and seating
arrangement that encourages interactivity can help minimize withdrawing
behaviours. Gatekeepers, supporters, and group leaders can also intervene after
early signs of withdrawing to try to reengage the group member.
Aggressor
An aggressor exhibits negative behaviours such as putting others’ ideas down,
attacking others personally when they feel confronted or insecure, competing
unnecessarily to “win” at the expense of others within the group, and being
outspoken to the point of distraction. An aggressor’s behaviours can quickly
cross the fine line between being abrasive or dominant and being unethical. For
example, a person vigorously defending a position that is relevant and valid is
different from a person who claims others’ ideas are stupid but has nothing to
contribute. As with most behaviours, the aggressor’s fall into a continuum based
on their intensity. On the more benign end of the continuum is assertive
behaviour, toward the middle is aggressive behaviour, and on the unethical side
is bullying behaviour. At their worst, an aggressor’s behaviours can lead to
shouting matches or even physical violence within a group. Establishing group
rules and norms that set up a safe climate for discussion and include
mechanisms for temporarily or permanently removing a group member who
violates that safe space may proactively prevent such behaviours.
Doormat
While we all need to take one for the team sometimes or compromise for the
sake of the group, the doormat is a person who is chronically submissive to the
point that it hurts the group’s progress (Cragan & Wright, 1999). Doormat
behaviours include quickly giving in when challenged, self-criticism, and claims
of inadequacy. Some people who exhibit doormat behaviours may have
difficulty being self-assured and assertive, may be conflict avoidant, or may even
feel that their behaviours will make other group members like them. Other
people play the martyr and make sure to publicly note their “sacrifices” for the
group, hoping to elicit praise or attention. If their sacrifices aren’t recognised,

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies

Group Member Roles Team Leadership 6N1948

they may engage in further negative behaviours such as whining and/or insecure
compliment seeking.

Ref: Communication in the Real World: An Introduction to Communication Studies