15.1 Leadership, Roles, and Problem Solving in Groups
Melissa Ashman; Arley Cruthers; eCampusOntario; Ontario Business Faculty; and University of Minnesota
Chapter Learning Outcomes
In this chapter you will:
- Explore various perspectives on how and why people become leaders.
- Explore group roles and behaviors.
- Explore the group problem-solving process and decision-making techniques.
What makes a good leader? What are some positive and negative roles that people play in groups? How do groups solve problems and make decisions in order to accomplish their task? This chapter will begin to answer those questions, because leadership and group member roles influence the performance of small groups. Whether you consider yourself a leader or not, all members of a group can perform leadership functions, and being familiar with these behaviors can improve your group’s performance. Likewise, knowing the various roles that typically emerge in a group can help you better understand a group’s dynamics and hopefully improve your overall group experience.
Chapter Acknowledgements
This chapter has been adapted from the following text:
Communication in the Real World by University of Minnesota is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted.
