Specific roles of individuals

Lifeboat Activity

Work in small group to complete the activity

Reflection

-How did your role contribute to or hinder your group’s success?

-Does this reflect the role you play in your family, school or community life?

-Does your role vary within groups? Why?

Group Effectiveness

The wellbeing of individuals within the group depends on:

Satisfaction of their needs
Comfort in their environment - physical and socioemotional
Autonomy, or their ability to have some control over their destiny
Their ability to communicate effectively and elicit a response

Specific roles of individuals

The specific roles adopted by individuals in groups to:

1. To ensure tasks are achieved (task oriented)

Describes people who help coordinate a group or get something done
Goal focused and concentrate on completion of the job.
They set direction for group and ensures group stays on task by researching, sharing information, allocating roles, reviewing and evaluating
Positive: generally well organised, enthusiastic
motivated and dedicated
Negatives: often do not consider emotional impact on group members of getting job done. Could lead to disharmony and potential dysfunction
Examples:
- Expert
- Brainstormer
- Judge
- Chairperson
- Secretary
- Implementer

2. To maintain/ build relationships (socio-emotional)

Members are concerned with the wellbeing of the group and its members. They work at knowing each of the members so that they can best cater to their needs. Their primary focus is on group cohesion.
Examples:
- Peace-maker
- Encourager
- Mediator
- Negotiator

3. To influence the group's progress (destructive)

Members work at diverting attention from the task so that goals are either not achieved or are achieved at substandard level. They may push the group to make hasty (rushed) decisions and ill- informed judgements. This may impact on the group’s harmony.
Examples:
- Distracter
- Delayer
- Side-tracker
- Clown

Compare the specific roles various individuals adopt within a range of school and community groups

Compare means to identify similarities and differences.

Examples of roles:

Principal
Teacher
Parents / Class Parent
Coach of a sporting team
Scout leader
Councillor (works for Council)
Volunteer

Determine the specific roles they adopt in groups to which they belong and propose how and why their roles may vary.

Think of a group you belong to
Two parts - the specific role (task oriented, socio-emotional or destructive)
Propose how and why your role may vary

Think it through

1. Propose reasons why your role may vary across different groups

2. Explain why task-oriented roles may dominate in the group

3. Explain why people would take on socio-emotional roles in the group

4. Give an example of a destructive role that a group member might play and suggest when this might occur. What would the outcome be?

Norms, Conformity and Cohesion

Norms

Definition: A standard or pattern of behaviour that is considered normal in a particular society.

Norms may be established formally as rules, or they may be an implied or expected standard of behaviour observed by the group.
Failure to conform may result in rejection or isolation from other group members.

Activity: Watch the Mean Girls Trailer. Make a list of the norms portrayed within the trailer. Consider the norms of our class and the norms of our school. Create a table to display your ideas.

Consider the norms of our class and the norms of our school. Create a table to display your ideas.

Seating arrangements - different areas of the playground are zoned for different year groups in some schools

Canteen lines - senior queue

Seating arrangement in a classroom - not sitting in another student's seat is important in some schools

Consider the norms of your family

Eg. Pizza night is Friday night, Thursday night is family night, seating arrangements (eg kids aren't allowed to sit in parent's seat at the dinner table.

Conformity

Definition: compliance with standards, rules, or laws OR behaviour in accordance with socially accepted conventions.

Activity: Explain what is meant by the term conformity, using examples from one of the videos above to assist with your explanation. (4 marks)

WAGOLL (What a good one looks like)

Cohesiveness

Definition: the quality of forming a united whole.

Extent to which group can work respectfully and cooperatively together as a team
Enables focus to be kept of goal
Groups that are cohesive are more likely to achieve success
Allows people to develop a sense of trust in each other and often brings them closer together

Explore how individuals can influence a group's progress and discuss the impact this can have on group cohesiveness

Watch the “Snap Cup” scene from Legally Blonde and discuss how individuals can influence a group’s progress. Then discuss the impact this can have on group cohesiveness.

Discuss the impact that a highly competitive individual may have on group cohesiveness in the following situations:

1. Students prior to examination time in a classroom environment
2. Car sales staff who are paid commission on sales made
3. Playing a grand final in a team sport

Reflect upon your membership of a specific group. Explain how the progress of your group's goals have been impacted (either positively or negatively) by individuals within the group.

Identify and discuss how the cohesiveness of the group was impacted.

Consolidating Questions

Extension Activity

Explain why certain roles within a group may influence the way norms are formed in those groups.

What are the specific roles that might be adopted by task-oriented group members?
What are the main characteristics of an individual who takes on a socio-emotional role in a group?
How does the individual who adopts a destructive role within a group affect the groups likelihood of achieving its goals?
What is a norm?
In what way might an individual affect a group if they conform to the group norms?
What is cohesiveness?
How does conformity develop group cohesiveness?

Google Sites

Report abuse