Roles in Group Dynamics

Human existence is dependent on groups. Political groups, personal groups of friends, and research teams are just a few examples. Different as they all seem, groups are all based on certain dynamics that are quite similar. One such aspect of the group is the “role”. How are roles chosen, by the group or by the individual? How can conflict arise from roles, and how are they solved?

A group is basically defined as, “two or more freely interacting people with shared norms, goals, and with a common identity”(Kreitner & Kinicki, 2003). When a person enters into a group, that person will work to establish an identity within the group called a role. This will define that person’s responsibilities and expectations in the group.

According to Bruce W. Tuckman, an educational psychologist, there are five stages to group development: Forming, Storming, Norming, and Performing (Kreitner & Kinicki, 2003, 414/12/12-3). These stages are steps to establishing a functioning role in the group. Generally, roles are chosen and delegated out by the individual and group members after a leader has developed in the first two steps. Based on the individual intelligences and personal expertise displayed by the members, roles are formed. However, this is not a flawless task and roles are often misunderstood, vague, or unbalanced. From these issues arise conflict within the group which must be addressed or risk the destruction of the team.

One such conflict is role overload, or when the expectations of the group are more than the individual can handle, or differ in a similar way. This can leave the member exhausted, attempting to get more done in less time. Stress builds and productivity falls. Personal defeat can isolate the member from the group and shatter communication.

Another problem that can occur is role conflict. This is when the members of a group each have a different expectation of another’s responsibilities. This person will feel torn and unable to come to terms with the group identity, which can also occur when there is a moral or ethical dilemma with another of the group. This setback can greatly hamper efficiency and interpersonal relations. If left unresolved, this could result in abandoning of the group and the goal.

Lastly, role ambiguity is a serious problem with a very different definition than the above two. This is when a role is left too vague or undefined, and the individual does not know what is expected of them by the group. Members experiencing role ambiguity find their self confidence drops and due to that efficiency slows to a crawl. Without an identity relative to the other group members, an individual cannot perform and they will often isolate and shy away from the other group members.

How are all these different problems handled? Solid, unemotional discussion, and sometimes role re-delegation until responsibilities have settled comfortably on the correct person. Self-evaluation and personality testing can also aid in correct role placement and determination, such as Howard Gardner’s multiple intelligences test (Carter, Bishop, & Kravits, , Key 2.1, Key 2.2). Such tests can help evaluate the best role for you in a group.

In order to successfully work and interact within a group, a role must be realized, assigned, and sometimes re-assigned. The group itself and the individual determine this, sometimes with conflict involved. These well-working groups however have the ability to use their roles to solve these conflicts when they arrive and achieve the collective goal. This has been the way of human culture since the dawn of time, and will continue to be the way of man for ages to come.

References

Carter, C., Bishop, J., & Kravits, S. (). . In (Ed.), (pp. ). : .

Kreitner, , & Kinicki, (2003). Group Dynamics . In (Ed.), Organizational Behavior (Sixth Edition ed., pp. 410-411). : The McGraw-Hill Companies.