Good Essay About A Or B

Management

Informal roles within a group influence the way the team goes about its business. There is an intricate interplay of the personalities of the members in a team, as the team forms itself, meets challenges, clarifies its goals and moves forward. In this context, the informal roles played by members of a team can be categorized into task roles and maintenance roles. The best forum to see various personas of team members in evidence is in projects in which members need to collaborate with one another.
Once the task is underway, there would remain doubts in the minds of members of the group. However, not all would summon the courage to draw attention to themselves by seeking clarifications. Those who do seek clarifications are the info-seekers. Info-seekers fulfill the role of clarifying the task for all members of the team. While info seekers seek clarifications, those who provide the answers are the clarifiers.
In a long task, there is a tendency for the team to lose track of the key goalposts covered. The summarizers perform the role of consolidating accomplishments. Often, a team loses steam while pursuing its goals. It is enthused along the way by energizers who state the commitment to the goal enthusiastically.

Group Maintenance Roles

No task in a team activity is without the inevitable friction. When different people provide varying opinions, there is every chance that a few of the views would be at cross-purposes. If the votaries of these views were to maintain their positions, the team would come to a halt in its progress. In such moments, the role of the harmonizers becomes crucial. Harmonizers would serve to explore the different viewpoints in a tactful manner and try to bring the warring elements around to a common ground.
As the team progresses towards its goals, there would be positive contributions from some members. There would be the attendant human tendency of jealousy and one-upmanship, which would threaten to demoralize those who would be positively contributing to team efforts. In such situations, the role of encouragers is highlighted. Encouragers would not stop themselves from showering praise and warmth to the members of the team who are contributing. Encouragers would therefore imbue the team with positive and warm energy and prevent ennui and demoralization from setting in.
As the team progresses towards its goals, there would invariably be times when the team would be under pressure. Emotions would run high. Success or defeat might stare at the face of the team. There would be a need for the team to express its feelings so that members do not bottle up their emotions. The pressure valves for the team are the feeling expressers, who voice their own and the team’s feelings. They help in keeping the team attuned to its internal emotions, and help in channelizing harmful emotions away from the group effort towards success.

Conclusion

The various aspects highlighted as roles of team members are not necessarily mutually exclusive. At times, one person of a team may perform different roles at different times. Someone who is an initiator may turn into an opinion seeker and later into a harmonizer. Thus, it is not necessary that there be one member per role, but that all roles be performed by some or the other member when the need arises. If a situation arises when there is no team member willing to perform one of the roles, the team would be in danger of losing cohesion and focus. The team that has members to perform all the roles is the team that would ultimately be successful in meeting its goals.