Team behavioural roles

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[edit] Introduction

Team members are unavoidably different kinds of people, each with their own special contribution to the team. Their roles can be constructive or destructive. Constructive roles move the group towards action and accomplishing results, while destructive roles hinder the accomplishment of group goals.

[edit] Constructive roles

Constructive roles include:

• The initiator.
• The information seeker.
• The information giver (who contributes with knowledge and experience).
• The encourager.
• The harmoniser (who tries to maintain a good climate within the team).
• The clarifier.
• The summariser.
• The gatekeeper (who helps other participants to contribute to, or join conversations).

[edit] Destructive roles

Destructive roles include:

• The aggressor (who criticises and deflates the status of others).
• The blocker (who constantly rejects).
• The withdrawer (who holds back and doesn’t participate).
• The recognition seeker.
• The topic jumper.
• The dominator (who tries to take over conversations).

NB The devil’s advocate, who brings up alternative viewpoints, can be positive or negative.

[edit] Related articles on Designing Buildings

• Can relationships in and between organisations make tangible differences to business performance?
• Collaborative practices.
• Collaboration: a quality management perspective.
• Consultants.
• Consultant team start up meeting.
• Design team.
• Design team meeting.
• Expert v generalist.
• Integrated project team.
• Integrated supply team.
• Leadership styles.
• Neuroscience for project success.
• Recruiting and retaining talent in the construction industry.
• Team management - repeats some of the text in this article.
• What is a complete team?

[edit] External references

• Pennypacker, J 1997,Principles of project management: collected handbooks from the Project Management Institute, Project Management Institute, Inc, USA