Group work roles

Introduction

Group work roles define tasks for group members.

Educational strategies and tactics can define roles for participants, both for presential and online activities. These are also called roles for group work or collaboration rules. The rational is that students groups function more efficiently and effectively when members have specific roles. Roles can be designed to trigger specific socio-cognitive processes, e.g. cognitive conflicts that will make people question their assumptions.

Division of roles also exists in other contexts, e.g. management models

See also:

• Collaborative learning
• Roles in computer-supported collaborative learning
• CSCL

Defining and assigning roles

The procedure for define roles could include three steps

• Define the roles that are needed with respect to (learning) goals to be achieved and group dynamics that is desired
• Explain roles to students
• Design activities that capitalize on outcomes within groups, between groups and at the class level
• Debrief

Typically, in an educational context, these roles do not define all the work that will be done. Roles rather just ensure that each group member adopts a specific coordination task.

Most common roles

Role name	Alternative names	Function
Facilitator:	Leader, Manager	Makes sure that objectives are met Manages discussion Coordinates work or discussion of coordination Ensures that work is done etc.
Scribe:	Secretary	Takes notes of decisions taken Prepares report or coordinates report writing
Presenter:	Summarizer, spokesperson	Presents results to other groups / class
Critic:	Sceptic, thinker, challenger	Raises objections, counter-propositions Identifies what could go wrong
Resource collector	Librarian	Collects (appropriate) resources
Time keeper		Monitors time and planing

In addition to the roles above, work itself must insured. It can be distributed among the group members and/or given to specialists, e.g. makers, data analysts, technicians,....

List of models in education

Below we include lists of roles found on the web (randomly picked and sorted for now).

Most text is quoted as in the original, but we changed the formatting and also omitted text like "Is reponsable for" that introduces role functions.

Collaborative Learning Guide

Source: Collaborative Learning Guide (PDF) handout, Illinois State Board of Education, retrieved July 10 2017.

Role name	Function
Facilitator:	Keeps group on task and verifies that all contribute.
Recorder:	Takes notes on important thoughts expressed in the group. Writes final summary.
Reporter:	Shares summary of group with large group. Speaks for the group, not just personal view.
Materials Manager:	Picks up, distributes, collects, turns in, or puts away materials.
Time Keeper:	Keeps track of time and reminds group how much time is left.
Checker:	Checks for accuracy and clarity of thinking during discussions. Checks written work and tracks poin

Doing CL, group roles

Source: Group Roles, Arhive, National Institute for Science education, retrieved July 10, 2017.

Role name	Function
Group facilitator:	moderates discussions, keeps the group on task, assures work is done by all, makes sure all have opportunity to participate and learn.
Timekeeper:	monitors time and moves group along so that they complete the task in the available time keeps area clean assumes role of any missing group member if there is no wildcard member.
Recorder:	takes notes of the group's discussion prepares a written conclusion.
Checker:	makes sure that all group members understand the concepts and the group's conclusions.
Summarizer:	restates the group's conclusions or answers.
Elaborator:	relates the discussion with prior concepts and knowledge.
Research-Runner:	gets needed materials is the liaison between groups and between their group and the instructor.
Wildcard:	assumes role of any missing member.

Student roles

Source: The following two groups of roles have been copied from Student Roles, Teaching Entry Level GeoScience, retrieved July 10, 2017. This list is based on the "Doing CL, group roles" above.

Potential Project Roles

Role name	Function
Leader/Editor:	This student is in charge of organizing the final product of the project, be it a paper, a presentation, etc. That doesn't mean technical details, but of making sure that the project meets the standards set out by the instructor (often as a rubric), plus any extras stipulated by the group. These standards generally include punctuality and completeness.
Recorder/Secretary:	This person takes notes whenever the group meets and keeps track of group data/sources/etc. This person distributes these notes to the rest of the group highlighting sections relevant for their parts of the project.
Checker:	Someone needs to double-check data, bibliographic sources, or graphics for accuracy and correctness.
Spokesperson/Press Secretary/Webmaster:	This person would be responsible for the technical details of the final product and would be ready to summarize the group's progress and findings to the instructor and to other groups.

Possible Discussion Roles

Role name	Function
Facilitator/Encourager:	This student gets discussion moving and keeps it moving, often by asking the other group members questions, sometimes about what they've just been saying.
Timekeeper:	Someone needs to make sure that the group stays on track and gets through a reasonable amount of material in the given time period.
Summarizer:	Every so often (perhaps once per question for a list of questions, or at the end for one question), this student provides a summary of the discussion for other students to approve or amend.
Reflector:	This student will listen to what others say and explain it back in his or her own words, asking the original speaker if the interpretation is correct.
Elaborator:	This person seeks connections between the current discussion and past topics or overall course themes.

Roles in groups

Source: This list is reproduced from Roles in groups, University of Queensland, Student Services, retrieved July 10 2017

Role name	Function
Manager/Leader:	getting the group organised keeping the group on task organising tasks into sub-tasks making sure everyone has a chance to contribute
Sceptic/Thinker:	ensure the group avoids premature agreement ask questions that will lead to understanding push the group to explore all possibilities
Checker/Recorder:	check for consensus among group members record the group’s solutions
Conciliator:	resolve conflicts minimise interpersonal stress ensure that members feel ‘safe’ to give opinions
Explainer:	re-emphasise the main points check understanding ensure that each member understands the task, their component and what they have to do

Cooperative group role cards

The following list is extracted from cards available at Cooperative Group Role Cards (PDF), readwritethink.org, retrieved July 10, 2017.

Role name	Function
Leader:	Makes sure that every voice is heard Focuses work around the learning task. Sound bites : Let’s hear from ___ next.” “That’s interesting, but let’s get back to our task.”
Recorder:	Compiles group members’ ideas on collaborative graphic organizer. Writes on the board for the whole class to see during the presentation Sound bites : “I think I heard you say_____; is that right?”, “How would you like me to write this?”
Time Keeper:	Encourages the group to stay on task Announces when time is halfway through and when time is nearly up Sound bite : "We only have five minutes left. Let’s see if we can wrap up by then.”
Presenter:	Presents the group’s finished work to the class Sound bite : “How would you like this to sound?”
Errand Monitor:	Briefly leaves the group to get supplies or to request help from the teacher when group members agree that they do not have the resources to solve the problem. Sound bites : “Do you think it’s time to ask the teacher for help? “I’ll get an extra graphic organizer from the shelf.”

Possible roles on teams

Source: The following list is reproduced from the Assign roles document available through What are best practices for designing group projects? (Eberly Center, Carnegie Mellon University, retrieved July 10 2017).

Role name	Function
Facilitator:	Moderates team discussion, keeps the group on task, and distributes work.
Recorder:	Takes notes summarizing team discussions and decisions, and keeps all necessary records.
Reporter:	Serves as group spokesperson to the class or instructor, summarizing the group’s activities and/or conclusions.
Timekeeper:	Keeps the group aware of time constraints and deadlines and makes sure meetings start on time.
Devil’s Advocate:	Raises counter-arguments and (constructive) objections, introduces alternative explanations and solutions.
Harmonizer:	Strives to create a harmonious and positive team atmosphere and reach consensus (while allowing a full expression of ideas.)
Prioritizer:	Makes sure group focuses on most important issues and does not get caught up in details.
Explorer:	Seeks to uncover new potential in situations and people (fellow team members but also clients) and explore new areas of inquiry.
Innovator:	Encourages imagination and contributes new and alternative perspectives and ideas.
Checker:	Checks to make sure all group members understand the concepts and the group’s conclusions.
Runner:	Gets needed materials and is the liaison between groups and between their group and the instructor.
Wildcard:	Assumes the role of any missing member and fills in wherever needed.

Group work role cards

Source: The following elements have been extracted from cards, available at Group work role cards, Makesenstraining, TES, retrieved July 10, 2017.

Role name	Function
Leader:	Making sure everyone does their job and helps Making sure the group completes the task on time
Reporter:	Making notes about what the group does Reporting what the group has done at the end of the task
Ideas person:	Thinking up ideas to help the group solve problems Explaining your ideas to the leader
Challenger:	Trying to think of what might go wrong Explaining your ideas to the leader
Helper:	Looking out for who has too much to do and offering help Telling the leader who you have decided to help
Coach:	Finding ways to encourage others. Making sure everyone works well together
Technician:	Looking after the tools and materials Making sure everyone has the tools and materials to do their job
Maker:	Making things that the group needs to complete the task Checking with the leader that you are making what is needed
Scribe:	Writing about what your group decides, and does. Helping the reporter to explain about your group at the end of the exercise
Reader:	Reading the instructions for the exercise to others in your group Explaining the instructions to other people in the group

Assigning Roles for Group Work

Source: Assigning Roles for Group Work, Facing History and Ourselves (retrieved July 10 2017).

• facilitator,
• recorder,
• presenter,
• timekeeper,
• artist

Individual Tasks

Source: The following list was extracted from Cooperative Learning: How to Assign Meaningful Tasks to Group Members, Chad Mannis, Daily Teaching tools, retrieved July 10 2017.

Role name	Function
The Facilitator:	provides leadership and direction for the group. leads discussions. suggests solutions to team problems. helps members clarify points. protects members from attack. makes sure that every voice is heard. focuses work around the learning task. says, "Let's hear from_____next." says, "That's interesting, but let's get back to our task."
The Recorder:	keeps a public record of the team's ideas and progress. checks to be sure that ideas are clear and accurate. uses charts, multiple colors, and other techniques to highlight and summarize the ideas of the team. says, "I think I heard you say_____; is that right?" says, "How would you like me to write this?"
The Summarizer:	restates the group's conclusions and responses. prepares a summary of the group's efforts. checks for clarity of understanding. says, "Does this accurately reflect what we've done today?" says, "Have I left out anything important here?"
The Presenter:	regularly contributes to the team's efforts. presents the group's finished work to the class. says, "How would you like this to sound?" says, "How much of what we discussed should be shared with the class?"

The autors also make the following suggestion for larger groups

Role name	Function
The Data Collector:	collects and records data for the activity.
The Checker:	keeps track of the group’s progress toward its goals.
The Elaborator:	connects discussions with prior material and activities.
The Encourager:	praises and affirms. Records positive comments and actions.
The Materials Manager:	gets and returns supplies and materials.
The Timekeeper:	monitors time and helps to keep the group on task.

List of models in management

Belbin model

Th model of Belbin (2011) aims for balanced teams that include individuals with specific capacities, ie. strengths that combined, create a succesful team. Capacities also include allowable weaknesses.

The model presented in his web page, a handout for students (PDF) and the 2011 book includes nine team roles.

Contents of the following table were taken from Wikipedia's Team Role Inventories page. We divided entries intro strengh and weaknesses.

Strengh name	Strength	Weaknesses
Completer-Finisher (CF):	The Completer Finisher is a perfectionist and will often go the extra mile to make sure everything is "just right," and the things he or she delivers can be trusted to have been double-checked and then checked again. The Completer Finisher has a strong inward sense of the need for accuracy, and sets his or her own high standards rather than working on the encouragement of others.	They may frustrate their teammates by worrying excessively about minor details and by refusing to delegate tasks that they do not trust anyone else to perform.
Co-ordinator (CO):	A Co-ordinator is a likely candidate for the chairperson of a team, since they have a talent for stepping back to see the big picture. Co-ordinators are confident, stable and mature and because they recognise abilities in others, they are very good at delegating tasks to the right person for the job. The Co-ordinator clarifies decisions, helping everyone else focus on their tasks.	Co-ordinators are sometimes perceived to be manipulative and will tend to delegate all work, leaving nothing but the delegating for them to do.
Implementer (IMP):	The Implementer takes their colleagues' suggestions and ideas and turns them into positive action. They are efficient and self-disciplined, and can always be relied on to deliver on time. They are motivated by their loyalty to the team or company, which means that they will often take on jobs everyone else avoids or dislikes.	Implementors may be seen as closed-minded and inflexible since they will often have difficulty deviating from their own well-thought-out plans, especially if such a deviation compromises efficiency or threatens well-established practices.
Monitor Evaluator (ME):	Monitor Evaluators are fair and logical observers and judges of what is going on in the team. Since they are good at detaching themselves from bias, they are often the ones to see all available options with the greatest clarity and impartiality. They take a broad view when problem-solving, and by moving slowly and analytically, will almost always come to the right decision.	Monitor evaluators can become very critical, damping enthusiasm for anything without logical grounds, and they have a hard time inspiring themselves or others to be passionate about their work.
Plant (PL):	Plants are creative, unorthodox and generators of ideas. If an innovative solution to a problem is needed, a Plant is a good person to ask. A good Plant will be bright and free-thinking.	Plants can tend to ignore incidentals. The Plant might be caricatured as the absent-minded professor/inventor, and often has a hard time communicating ideas to others. Multiple Plants in a team can lead to misunderstandings, as many ideas are generated without sufficient discernment or the impetus to follow the ideas through to action. Plants can also create problems with the timing of their ideas. The fact that the team has decided on a valid way forward and is now in the implementation stage will not stop the Plant from coming up with new solutions and disrupting the implementation process.
Resource Investigator (RI):	The Resource Investigator gives a team a rush of enthusiasm at the start of the project by vigorously pursuing contacts and opportunities. He or she is focused outside the team, and has a finger firmly on the pulse of the outside world. Where a Plant creates new ideas, a Resource Investigator will quite happily appropriate them from other companies or people. A good Resource Investigator is a maker of possibilities and an excellent networker.	Has a tendency to lose momentum towards the end of a project and to forget to follow things up.
Shaper (SH):	The Shaper is a task-focused individual who pursues objectives with vigour and who is driven by tremendous energy and the need to achieve. For the Shaper, winning is the name of the game. The Shaper provides the necessary drive to ensure that the team is kept moving and does not lose focus or momentum. Shapers are people who challenge the team to improve. They are dynamic and usually extraverted people who enjoy stimulating others, questioning norms, and finding the best approaches for solving problems. The Shaper is the one who shakes things up to make sure that all possibilities are considered and that the team does not become complacent.	Shapers could risk becoming aggressive and bad-humoured in their attempts to get things done. Shapers often see obstacles as exciting challenges and they tend to have the courage to push on when others feel like quitting.
Specialist (SP):	Specialists are passionate about learning in their own particular field. As a result, they are likely to be a fountain of knowledge and will enjoy imparting this knowledge to others. They also strive to improve and build upon their expertise. If there is anything they do not know the answer to, they will happily go and find out. Specialists bring a high level of concentration, ability, and skill in their discipline to the team, but can only contribute on that specialism.	Specialist will tend to be uninterested in anything which lies outside its narrow confines.
Team Worker (TW):	A Teamworker is the oil between the cogs that keeps the machine that is the team running smoothly. They are good listeners and diplomats, talented at smoothing over conflicts and helping parties understand one another without becoming confrontational.	Since the role can be a low-profile one, the beneficial effect of a Teamworker can go unnoticed and unappreciated until they are absent, when the team begins to argue, and small but important things cease to happen. Because of an unwillingness to take sides, a Teamworker may not be able to take decisive action when it's needed.

Bibliography

• Barkley, E.F., Cross, K.P., & Major, C.H. (2005). Collaborative learning techniques. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
• R. Meredith Belbin, (2011) "Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail (3rd ed.)", Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 19 Issue: 3, https://doi.org/10.1108/hrmid.2011.04419cae.002
• De Wever, Bram; Hilde Van Keer, Tammy Schellens, Martin Valcke, Roles as a structuring tool in online discussion groups: The differential impact of different roles on social knowledge construction, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 26, Issue 4, Emerging and Scripted Roles in Computer-supported Collaborative Learning, July 2010, Pages 516-523, DOI:10.1016/j.chb.2009.08.008.
• Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., and Smith, K. (1991). Cooperative learning: Increasing college faculty instructional productivity (ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report No. 4). Washington, DC: The George Washington University, School of Education and Human Development.
• Millis, B. J., and Cottell, P. G., Jr. (1998). Cooperative learning for higher education faculty. American Council on Education, Series on Higher Education. The Oryx Press, Phoenix, AZ.
• Smith, K. A. (1996). "Cooperative Learning: Making 'Group work' Work" In Sutherland, T. E., and Bonwell, C. C. (Eds.), Using active learning in college classes: A range of options for faculty, New Directions for Teaching and Learning No. 67.
• Strijbos Willem-Jan & Maarten F. De Laat (2010) Developing the role concept for computer-supported collaborative learning: An explorative synthesis, Computers in Human Behavior, Volume 26, Issue 4, Emerging and Scripted Roles in Computer-supported Collaborative Learning, July 2010, Pages 495-505, doi:10.1016/j.chb.2009.08.014