How do groups work well together?

What’s your job?

Warm up

Discuss the following questions at your table:• Who is responsible for making a group work

well together?• What does a group working well together look

like? Sound like?• What are positive jobs in a group?• What are negative jobs in a group?• What makes a group work well together?• What makes a group not work well together?

Note the answersIn your journal, make bulleted lists based on your group’s discussion of the following questions:• What makes a group work well together?– _– _– _

• What makes a group not work well together?– _– _– _

Group JobsBelow is a list of jobs in a group. Some of these jobs help a group work well together while others do not help a group function. Talk in your groups about what each of these jobs mean. Decide which ones are positive and negative.

• Aggressor• Blocker• Clown• Compromiser• Coordinator/Leader• Deserter• Dominator

• Elaborator• Encourager• Energizer• Follower• Gatekeeper• Harmonizer• Information Seeker

• Information Giver• Initiator/Contributor• Observer• Opinion Seeker• Opinion Giver• Summarizer

Group Jobs

In your journal, list the positive and negative jobs based on the discussion your table had.

• Aggressor• Blocker• Clown• Compromiser• Coordinator/Leader• Deserter• Dominator

• Elaborator• Encourager• Energizer• Follower• Gatekeeper• Harmonizer• Information Seeker

• Information Giver• Initiator/Contributor• Observer• Opinion Seeker• Opinion Giver• Summarizer

Positive Job + Negative Job -

Initiator or Contributor

• Suggests new ideas or different ways of approaching a problem; starts discussions, contributes ideas that help the group explore new areas

Information Seeker

• Asks for clarification, figures out what information is missing before moving on

Information Giver

• Provides factual information to the group, relates own experiences when relevant

Opinion Seeker

• Asks for clarification of the values, attitudes and opinions of group members, checks to make sure that different viewpoints are given

Opinion Giver

• Shares ideas, beliefs, and opinions about the topic

Elaborator

• Takes people’s ideas and builds on them with examples and facts, considers the consequences of ideas and actions

Coordinator or Leader

• Identifies and explains the relationships between ideas, may pull different ideas together and make sense of them

Energizer

• Gives the group energy to carry them forward, challenges the group to finish a task

Summarizer

• Summarizes main points of people in the group; restates main ideas

Encourager

• Supports, praises efforts of group, demonstrates warmth, provides a positive attitude

Harmonizer

• Seeks ways to reduce tension sometimes with humor, reconciles differences

Compromiser

• Offers to change position for the good of the group, willing to meet others half way

Gatekeeper

• Makes sure all members have a chance to talk and share ideas, encourages shy and quiet members to contribute ideas, limits those who dominate the conversation

Follower

• Follows ideas of the group, accepts what others say, but not silent

Aggressor

• Makes personal attacks, uses belittling and insulting comments; actions are usually attempts to decrease another member’s status

Blocker

• Opposes every idea or opinion and refuses to make own suggestions, puts up a lot of resistance that stalls the group

Dominator

• Tries to control the conversation and tell people what they should be doing, claims to know more and have better ideas than anyone else; The Dictator

Observer

• Sits and observes, but not engaged or contributing to the conversation even when given opportunities to share

Clown

• Uses group time as fun time and a way to get out of work, distracts other people by telling jokes, gets people off task

Deserter

• Doesn’t fulfill responsibilities, often leaves group to do other tasks to work alone or with other groups