Select a group to observe (HOA meeting, board meeting, team work meeting, Boy Scout Meeting, small group Bible Study). Watch as an official observer of the roles of the people in the group, and how these differences serve different group functions.
Write a 3-4 page paper analyzing the different roles in the group, and how different roles serve different functions in a group. Use the questions below to guide your analysis:
• What specific task roles (e.g., initiator-contributor, information-giver, clarifier-elaborator, devil’s advocate) were observed (see Rothwell, chapter 5, under “Types of Roles”)? What specific verbal and nonverbal behaviors were observed by group members serving task roles? Describe how group members serving task roles contribute to the overall group functioning?
• What specific maintenance roles (e.g., supporter-encourager; harmonizer-tension reliever) were observed (see Rothwell, chapter 5, under “Types of Roles”)? What specific verbal and nonverbal behaviors were observed by group members serving maintenance roles? Describe how group members serving maintenance roles contribute to the overall group functioning?
• What specific, if any, disruptive roles (e.g., stagehog, clown, blocker) were observed (see Rothwell, chapter 5, under “Types of Roles”)? What specific verbal and nonverbal behaviors were observed by group members serving disruptive roles? Describe how group members serving disruptive roles impacted group functioning?
