LO1. Describe Team Role and Scope

Information Sheet 1.1: Group Structure

Group structure is defined as the layout of a group. It is a combination of group roles, norms, conformity, workplace behavior, status, reference groups, status, social loafing, cohorts, group demography and cohesiveness.

• Group Roles − The different roles a person plays as a part of the group.
• Norms − The typical standard set by the group collaboratively that every member has to follow.
• Conformity − The decisions or stand taken by majority in the group.
• Workplace behavior − The ethics that one needs to follow while working with an organization.
• Status − The designation of members in the group.
• Social Loafing − The phenomena where group members put less effort towards achieving a goal than they would have while working alone.
• Cohorts − Sharing common behavior in the group.
• Reference Groups − Other groups to which a group is compared to.
• Group Demography − Extent of sharing same behavior.
• Cohesiveness − Extent of belongingness towards each other in the group.

Roles

Roles are a set of expected behavior patterns associated to someone occupying a given position in a social unit. There are three broad types of roles people play in small groups −

• Task roles
• Building and maintenance roles
• Self-centered roles

Task Roles

Task roles are roles that focus on completing group’s goal. The different task roles of a group are stated below −

• Coordinator − Links statements made by one group member to another.

Example − “Gita’s comment relate well to what Ram was saying.”

• Energizer − Provokes group to take action.

Example − “How many of you are willing to bring in a video on dispute for the next session?”

• Elaborator − Extends upon another’s ideas.

Example − “I think what Niki and Anni are suggesting is that we first explain nonverbally before we turn to verbal communication.”

• Evaluator-critic − Evaluates the group’s work against higher standards.

Example − “This is okay, but I think Shree needs to give more feedback.”

• Information-giver − Gives helpful information.

Example − “Rohit has some books about conflict we could use.”

• Information-seeker − Questions for clarification.

Example − “Richa or Trishala, could you please tell me what you said about disconfirming responses?”

• Recorder − Keeps notes regarding the meeting.

Example − “Last session we did not get to A-P’s presentation. Rahul and Rohit had just finished theirs.”

• Procedural Technician − Takes accountability for tasks.

Example − “I checked out the VCR for Nigaar and Neha’s presentations.”

Group-Building / Maintenance Roles

It focuses on building interpersonal relationships and maintaining harmony. The various maintenance roles in a group are −

• Encourager − Gives positive feedback.

Example − “I think what Shyam was saying was totally right.”

• Follower − Obtains ideas of others in the group.

Example − “Let’s follow Adi’s plan—he had the right idea.”

• Compromiser − Attempts to reach a solution acceptable by everyone.

Example − “Pratik, Sid, and Nimmi have offered three great solutions. Why don’t we integrate them?”

• Gatekeeper − Assists participation from everyone in the group.

Example − “I don’t think we’ve heard from Madhuri yet.”

• Harmonizer − Limits conflict and tension.

Example − “After that test, we deserve a free meal!”

• Observer − Examines group progress.

Example − “I think we’ve learned a lot so far. Monica and Mona gave us great information.”

Self-centered Roles

These roles aim to impede or disrupt the group from reaching its goals. The various self-centered roles in a group are as follows −

• Aggressor − Acts aggressively towards other group members and their ideas.

Example − “Playing desert survival is the greatest idea I’ve ever heard.”

• Dominator − Dominates group speaking time.

Example − Interrupting—“I’m going to tell you seven reasons why this is a great idea.”

• Blocker − Refuses to collaborate with other’s ideas.

Example − “I refuse to play Family Swap.”

• Help-Seeker − Acts helpless to neglect work.

Example − “I don’t think I can put together a summary. Why don’t you do it for me?”

• Loafer − Refrains from work.

Example − “Why don’t we just go have coffee instead of finishing this project?”

• Special Interest Advocate − Presents own viewpoint and requirements.

Example − “I can’t meet today. I need to sleep early and call my mom.”

• Self-confessor − Talks about the topics important to self and not the group.

Example − “I really like tea. Yesterday I went to CCD. Their coffee is better than what you get elsewhere . . .”

Norms

Norms are the acceptable standards of behavior within a group that are shared by the group members. Every group develops its own customs, values, habits and expectations for how things need to be done.

These patterns and expectations, or group norms as they’re called sometimes, direct the ways team members interact with each other.

Norms can help or block a group in achieving its goals.

Types of Norms

There are four different types of norms that exist in a group −

• Performance norms

These are centered on how hard a person should work in a given group. They are informal clues that help a person understand how hard they should work and what type of output they should give.

For example − Team leader puts various posters in the firm to motivate employees to work efficiently and give their best performance.

• Appearance Norms

Appearance norms updates or guides us as to how we should look or what our physical appearance should be, like what fashion we should wear or how we should style our hair or any number of areas related to how we should look.

For example − There is a formal dress code we need to follow while working in a organization, we cannot wear a wedding gown to a board meeting.

• Social arrangement norms

This norm is basically centered on how we should behave in social settings. Again here, there are clues we need to pick up on when we are out with friends or at social events that help us fit in and get a closer connection to the group.

For Example − We cannot take our official work to a friend’s birthday party just for the sake of completing it.

• Resource allocation norms

This norm focuses on the allocation of resources in a business surrounding. This may include raw materials as well as working overtime or any other resource found or needed within an organization.

For Example − If the client needs the project by tomorrow then anyhow it has to be completed by using available resources or doing over time.

Information Sheet 1.2: Group Development

TUCKMAN’S STAGES OF GROUP DEVELOPMENT

These stages are commonly known as: Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. Tuckman’s model explains that as the team develops maturity and ability, relationships establish, and leadership style changes to more collaborative or shared leadership.

This process of learning to work together effectively is known as team development. Research has shown that teams go through definitive stages during development. Bruce Tuckman, an educational psychologist, identified a five-stage development process that most teams follow to become high performing. He called the stages: forming, storming, norming, performing, and adjourning. Team progress through the stages is shown in the following diagram.

Forming stage

The forming stage involves a period of orientation and getting acquainted. Uncertainty is high during this stage, and people are looking for leadership and authority. A member who asserts authority or is knowledgeable may be looked to take control. Team members are asking such questions as “What does the team offer me?” “What is expected of me?” “Will I fit in?” Most interactions are social as members get to know each other.

Storming stage

The storming stage is the most difficult and critical stage to pass through. It is a period marked by conflict and competition as individual personalities emerge. Team performance may actually decrease in this stage because energy is put into unproductive activities. Members may disagree on team goals, and subgroups and cliques may form around strong personalities or areas of agreement. To get through this stage, members must work to overcome obstacles, to accept individual differences, and to work through conflicting ideas on team tasks and goals. Teams can get bogged down in this stage. Failure to address conflicts may result in long-term problems.

Norming stage

If teams get through the storming stage, conflict is resolved and some degree of unity emerges. In the norming stage, consensus develops around who the leader or leaders are, and individual member’s roles. Interpersonal differences begin to be resolved, and a sense of cohesion and unity emerges. Team performance increases during this stage as members learn to cooperate and begin to focus on team goals. However, the harmony is precarious, and if disagreements re-emerge the team can slide back into storming.

Performing stage

In the performing stage, consensus and cooperation have been well-established and the team is mature, organized, and well-functioning. There is a clear and stable structure, and members are committed to the team’s mission. Problems and conflicts still emerge, but they are dealt with constructively. (We will discuss the role of conflict and conflict resolution in the next section). The team is focused on problem solving and meeting team goals.

Adjourning stage

In the adjourning stage, most of the team’s goals have been accomplished. The emphasis is on wrapping up final tasks and documenting the effort and results. As the work load is diminished, individual members may be reassigned to other teams, and the team disbands. There may be regret as the team ends, so a ceremonial acknowledgement of the work and success of the team can be helpful. If the team is a standing committee with ongoing responsibility, members may be replaced by new people and the team can go back to a forming or storming stage and repeat the development process.

The final stage, adjourning, involves the termination of task behaviors and disengagement from relationships. A planned conclusion usually includes recognition for participation and achievement and an opportunity for members to say personal goodbyes. Concluding a group can create some apprehension – in effect, a minor crisis. The termination of the group is a regressive movement from giving up control to giving up inclusion in the group.

Information Sheet 1.3: Sources of Information

Literature of a Subject is its Foundation. It represents a record of achievements of human race. Literature is diverse, Complex and multilingual in nature. It is becoming more and more inter-disciplinary. It is growing at a fast pace. In sciences, it is almost doubling itself in every very few years according to some studies. In social Sciences, it is doubling at the rate of every eight to twelve years. Literature serves the informational needs of various kinds of Users. It forms source of Information. Traditionally Specking, information Sources would include primarily books, periodicals and newspapers. However, the number and forms of source are continuously increasing. In addition, unpublished sources are becoming increasingly important to scholars. Occasions will arise, especially in a special library of University library, when information would be required by a user without precondition about the form of document. In such a situation, what matters is the finding of information not the sources of information.

Primary Sources

These sources are records of events or evidence as they are first described or actually happened without any interpretation or commentary. It is information that is shown for the first time or original materials on which other research is based.  Primary sources display original thinking, report on new discoveries, or share fresh information.

Examples of primary sources:

Theses, dissertations, scholarly journal articles (research based), some government reports, symposia and conference proceedings, original artwork, poems, photographs, speeches, letters, memos, personal narratives, diaries, interviews, autobiographies, and correspondence.

Secondary Sources

These sources offer an analysis or restatement of primary sources. They often try to describe or explain primary sources. They tend to be works which summarize, interpret, reorganize, or otherwise provide an added value to a primary source.

Examples of Secondary Sources:

Textbooks, edited works, books and articles that interpret or review research works, histories, biographies, literary criticism and interpretation, reviews of law and legislation, political analyses and commentaries.

Tertiary Sources

These are sources that index, abstract, organize, compile, or digest other sources. Some reference materials and textbooks are considered tertiary sources when their chief purpose is to list, summarize or simply repackage ideas or other information. Tertiary sources are usually not credited to a particular author.

Examples of Tertiary Sources:

Dictionaries/encyclopedias (may also be secondary), almanacs, fact books, Wikipedia, bibliographies (may also be secondary), directories, guidebooks, manuals, handbooks, and textbooks (may be secondary), indexing and abstracting sources.