4.20: Team Roles and Group Contracts
Teamwork has the potential to capitalize on the diverse strengths of team members while offsetting individual weaknesses, but teamwork scenarios also have the potential for significant interpersonal conflict. In this section, we examine productive team roles, counterproductive team member habits, and the importance of contracts in teamwork scenarios. We also offer a model of constructive criticism designed to mitigate the risk that individuals find critiques to be objectionable.
11.1.1 Team Roles and Counter-Productive Habits
No matter how many people are in a group, there are certain tasks that will always have to be done. These tasks ensure that work will happen in an organized, productive way. The most reliable way of making sure that these tasks are completed is to make different members responsible for them. To put it another way, these responsibilities are best met by taking on specific roles on the team.
At this stage of post-secondary education, most students have a sense of which skill set is their strongest. Keep in mind, however, that school and work are not just about performance. They are also about growth. If you do not get your preferred role, don’t hesitate to try a role that is out of your comfort zone. You may find that you rise to the challenge and discover a whole new competency that you didn’t know you had.
Table 11.1.1a: Productive Team Roles
| Scheduler | Arrange meeting times, sets communication channels (ex. face-to-face, Zoom, MS Teams), sends out invitations and reminders |
| Meeting Chair | Sets meeting agenda, manages participation and time during meetings |
| Recorder | Notes down ideas, developments, and next steps |
| Designated Critic | Tests ideas by asking tough questions and by providing constructive criticism |
| Visual Designer | Designs the slide or document template, and finds relevant visual images (ex. stock photographs) |
| File Coordinator | Merges individual contributions into one file or one folder making sure formatting is consistent |
| Editor | Proofreads for grammar and spelling before submission |
In group work situations where there are fewer members, each person might have to take on a few roles. When this happens, make sure that merged roles are closely aligned (ex. Scheduler+Meeting Chair; File Coordinator+Editor). In situations where there are more members than roles, look to see where multiple perspectives would be the most beneficial. In those cases, more than one person can take on a role (ex. Designated Critic; Visual Designer).
To ensure that you are part of the communication solution rather than part of the communication problem, make sure that you do not fall into any of the counter-productive habits described below.
Table 11.1.1b: Counter-Productive Habits
| Role | Actions |
|---|---|
| Dominator | Consistently privileges their own ideas or interrupts others when they’re speaking |
| Attention-seeker | Redirects the focus towards themselves or their ideas, takes credit where it is not due |
| Blocker | Impedes progress by complaining about others’ ideas instead of offering constructive criticism |
| Slacker | Does little-to-no work, forcing others to do more than is fair |
| Clown | Distracting members with humour in a way that prevents work from being accomplished |
(adapted from Benne & Sheats, 1948; McLean, 2005)
When group members are assigning Productive Roles, it is important to be clear and specific. This way, everyone knows what is expected of them. If communication isn’t ideal, however, and team members are falling into Counter-Productive Habits, avoid blaming or name-calling. Instead of accusing a team member of “always being a Dominator” or “being a Slacker,” concentrate on identifying behaviours and describing the effect it has on the team dynamic or project outcomes. Remember to be empathetic. If you think that someone is being overly-dominant or too light-hearted, they might think that they are contributing strong leadership or comic relief. In these cases, try talking it out to see if there is a compromise within reach.
11.1.2 Group Contracts
Group contracts are another tool that can be used to clarify and structure expectations at the start of a team effort. The process of creating a contract is a great way to build accountability and commitment that will last until the time that the project is done. Not only does it solve some problems before they arise, but it can build in an agreed-upon method for resolving miscommunications and disputes when they inevitably arise.
Table 11.1.2: Parts of a Group Contract
| Member Names | Sometimes, group members are meeting each other for the first time. Writing down everybody’s name is a tidy way to get past awkward introductions. It also ensures that everyone’s name will be spelled correctly on all future documents. |
| Roles | Choosing roles at the start of the process (see Table 1.1a) will ensure that the group works together as a team, not just as a collection of individuals who are forced to work beside each other. |
| Task List | Read the assigned question or project goal together. Brainstorm the steps that need to be taken to reach the final outcome. |
| Schedule of Work | Creating mini-due dates for each of the steps creates a sense of accountability. If people are committing to smaller due dates, it will guarantee that the final due date will be met. It also gives a feeling of progress and ongoing success. |
| Method of Decision-Making and Conflict Resolution | How will disagreements be resolved? If group members wait until a conflict actually arises, it is too late. Feelings will be at risk of getting hurt. Figure out now how future decisions will be made:
|
| Consequences for Non-Participation | Too often, a group member contributes nothing and then expects an equal share of the grades or credit. Let everyone know up front that failure to deliver on assigned work comes at a cost. Decide on a fair approach to this kind of situation before it happens. Here are some examples of what that could look like:
|
| Signature and Date | This may not be a formal legal contract, but when people sign off on something, they are making a promise to their group members and to themselves. They will be less likely to ignore a project if they feel that their credibility is invested in it. Also, in worst-case scenarios where someone does have to be taken off a project, it is helpful to your professor or supervisor if that person agreed up front that this is a fair consequence. |
11.1.3 Constructive Criticism
The word “criticism” often has a negative association. Sometimes people use this word to describe what feels like an unfair complaint or attack. However, the real meaning of the word is much more positive. When authentic criticism happens, it means that someone is taking the time to give serious attention to your work. Even better than criticism is constructive criticism. This term refers to feedback that makes a project stronger. Constructive criticism should identify what is going right in a project as well as those areas where the project can be improved. Even well-intentioned criticism can risk hurting people’s feelings, so follow these suggestions to make sure that the group stays on a positive path.
Tips for constructive criticism:
- structure your feedback in a GLOW-GROW-GLOW pattern. Begin your message with a sincere, positive observation. This is a GLOW statement. Then, identify an area that would benefit from more effort or attention. This is a GROW statement. To make sure that you end on a positive note, finish with one more GLOW statement.
- stay specific in your feedback. Even if you can’t provide a detailed solution, be sure to give direct examples of where you think the work is problematic or could be improved. There are few things that are more frustrating than someone who complains about a situation without telling you why they’re dissatisfied.
- be sincere in your feedback. Make sure you mean what you say. If the GLOW statement is superficial or sounds phony, you and your criticism will lose all credibility. If the GROW statement is superficial or sounds phony, team members will think that you didn’t put in enough effort.
- ask questions and make suggestions. Be clear that you are interested in what the other person has created and that you respect the effort that they put in. If you aren’t sure why something was done the way it was, ask them to clarify what their intention was. If you think you see a way to fix it, share that. Just be careful not to assume that your way is the only way. If another group member has taken on responsibility for a part of a project, that is their work and they are entitled to do it to the best of their ability.
Finally, remember that your opinion is just that: your opinion. If other group members don’t agree with your criticism, it could be that it is not valid. As long as you keep the conversation respectful, these kinds of discussions can lead to trust and progress, even when everyone doesn’t agree on every detail.
Key Takeaway
Almost all jobs require advanced teamwork skills, which involve being effective in performing a particular role (e.g., leader) in a working group, contributing to group problem-solving, and both giving and receiving constructive criticism.
Exercises
1. Think of a group you belong to and identify some of the roles played by its members. Identify your role (give it a label, perhaps based on those given in Fig. 1.1a) and explain how it enriches the group.
2. Consider past group work you’ve done in high school or even recently in college and identify a particular problem you had to overcome to guarantee the group’s success. Did the group as a whole contribute to its solution, or did an individual member have to step up and pull through? Describe your problem-solving procedure. Was it successful immediately or did it require fine-tuning along the way?
3. Identify a problem that can only be solved with teamwork in the profession you’ll enter into upon graduating. Describe the problem-solving process using the procedure explained in Chapter 1.
4. Think of a leader you admire and respect, someone who had or has authority over you. How did they become a leader? By appointment, democratic selection, or emergence? How would you characterize their leadership style? Are they autocratic or laissez-faire? Are they like a technician, conductor, or a coach? Do they use the carrot or the stick to get action from the people they have authority over?
5. Roleplay with a classmate the following scenario: You’re a mid-level manager and are concerned about an employee arriving 15-20 minutes late every day, although sometimes it’s around 30-40 minutes. The employee leaves at the same time as everyone else at the end of the day so that missing work time isn’t made up. What you don’t know (but will find out from talking with the employee) is that they must drop their child off at elementary school shortly before 8 am, battle gridlock highway traffic on the way to work (hence the lateness), and then leave at a certain time to pick their child up from after-school daycare (hence not being able to stay later). What you do know is that talking with the employee in private is the right way to handle this and that the executive director above you considers it your responsibility to have everyone arriving on time and being paid for their hours as stipulated in their contracts; the director isn’t afraid of firing someone for such a breach of contract, so you have the authority to threaten the employee with that consequence if you feel that it’s necessary. The fact that this employee is being paid for working fewer hours than stipulated in the contract will be a strike against you unless you either get them back on track or fire them if you can’t work their full hours. Be creative in discussing an amicable solution with the employee that satisfies everyone involved. Switch between being both the manager and the employee in your roleplay.
References
Benne, K. D., & Sheats, P. (1948). Functional roles of group members. Journal of Social Issues, 4(2), 41–49. https://www.metanoia.ac.uk/media/1514/bradford-lp-functionalrolesofgroupmembers.pdf
McLean, S. (2005). The basics of interpersonal communication. Allyn & Bacon.
