Putting the Puzzle Together

Malaika Isley

COM105-A01 – Organizational Communication

February 16, 2012

Heading a meeting and being included in meetings are two parts of a manager’s job that is the toughest to do. Meetings can be conducted with two people or in groups. They are conducted in order to ensure that all acts of communication are bought out in order to achieve the goal that lies ahead. Meetings are the place where any one person can find out where they fit in when the meeting is being conducted (Hattersley, 2008). Meaning, what role do they play within this meeting ahead?
Many people when hearing the word roles they assume you are referencing a play or production (Bressen, 2011). But, roles in the meeting sense are the many parts that we each play in the meeting within a group or individually. All roles serve a purpose for the individual or the group in the meeting. There is someone who is going to be rough, straight forward, detail oriented, someone who is going to want something completed yesterday. Also, there is someone from the group who is a risk taker, someone who is cautious. You will also have someone who needs to be directed step by step and maybe someone who needs to feel like they can say anything at anytime with no fear (Bressen, 2011). The groups that prosper usually will create the best ways to incorporate the diversity amongst each person that is there by creating a balance for all involved in the group (Bressen, 2011). There are several different types of roles that are used when going into a meeting. Think about what role you might play prior to heading into a meeting. Everyone that we know will put us into the category or character that they type cast us as but, we can decide on what role we want to play within the meeting depending on the specific occasion (Hattersley, 2008). “A little conscious planning can make the difference between success and failure” (Hattersley, 2008).

There are several types of roles that we can each play a part in within a meeting. The Leader; there must be a leader or facilitator in each meeting. The role of the Leader is the most experience and the power of authority but, not always the head of the meeting (Hattersley, 2008). The Gatekeeper; it is the idea that if you are leading the meeting as well you should try to take on this role at the same time. As the Gatekeeper you should get the information that needs to be discussed on the record. Ensure that there are specific goals or ideas listed to have completed. The Gatekeeper should be able to provide ideas to help resolve any issues that seem to be conflicting with any other problems and if the issue seems as if it cannot be rectified then it is time to redirect and move on and find other solutions that are not within the meeting to resolve issue. The Gatekeeper will shut down issues if they are not discussed at all or bought forward within a meeting so, let them be discussed before this occurred. The Joker; The role of the Joker in meetings can help with there is tension and conflict within a meeting. Having a witty personality can help the group or individuals involved remember what they are there for and the way to get to a successful ending (Hattersley, 2008). But, the joker’s role has to be used within the right timing. If not used within the right timing the jokes can get in the way of what is trying to be accomplished (Hattersley, 2008). The Outsider; this role is someone who is in the meeting but, they appear to be detached concerning all that is going on or showing no interests (Hattersley, 2008). You will notice this person will show signs of silence or the body language will show they just do not want to be there at that time. An Outsider will generally not just participate without being invited into the conversation or meeting. They often feel shy but, he or she may have ideas that may help within the meeting. The Consensus Builder; The person or group in this role shows how an emerging consensus can be put into a plan and then will gain praise from other employees within that group, ensure that they are safe and have plans for the future (Hattersley, 2008). The Cheerleader; the role of the cheerleader is pretty simple, the cheerleader is the role that will point out the common place between the two groups or roles that are in disagreement and can turn into the Consensus Builder. When in the Cheerleader role try to make your comments work with others comments remarks previously and then ensure that you give the praise to where the praise is to be given. Cheerleader role is all about flattery no matter what (Hattersley, 2008). The Joker can be more than one person in the group as this role can be taken on by a group of people within the meeting to bring about a certain amount of humor but, cautiously done to promote the right effect (Hattersley, 2008). One person as the Joker can be known as the class clown all to his own but, a group together can lighten the situation of the meeting. The Consensus Builder can have more than one person in that role in one group. Within that group each and everybody can take a turn being the Consensus Builder as this promotes the way to leadership (Hattersley, 2008). The Cheerleader role is just as a cheerleader from a team of players. A group that can praise others for their accomplishments as well as praise the team for the agenda or goal that has been set forth and going forward. I believe that the Leader role within a meeting cannot be a group. If you have too many Leaders in the meeting there can be conflict that arises because a Leader is the one who has the authority or final decision. The Gatekeeper role is similar to the Leader role as there should be only one person who is the Gatekeeper of the information going forth. There too will be conflict if there are too many people who are able to provide the information for the meeting and take over. This in turn can cause several conflicts and arguments and nothing will get accomplished with the meeting. From my point of view if I was to rank the roles that I chose in order of importance I would begin with Leader, Gatekeeper, Consensus Builder but the rest they can go in any order; Cheerleader, Outsider and Joker. The last three are hard to rank in order as they all depend upon the type of meeting that is going on and its agenda for that time period. You never know if a person will become the Outsider, Joker or Cheerleader unless you begin the meeting and see what is going forth. I intend to play the Gatekeeper as well as the Leader within groups. I have been had to run many meetings and make the final decision and have learned to be completely diplomatic about it. I also ensure that I take into consideration everyone’s ideas and opinions before making final decisions keeping a record of it all so that there are no confusions from anyone at the end of the meeting. I have a hard time actually listening to something that makes absolutely no sense or is not going to benefit the majority because some leader has decided that the decisions do not need to be discussed or evaluated. When in meetings my better interests are for the majority and then work from to get things taken care of without too much conflict and confusion. I have had to play the role of Outsider within one firm that I worked for as I always knew that my opinions no matter how good they, were not sought after so, I just sat there and detached myself from the entire meeting without responding to anything at all. Uncomfortable as it was I was put in that position due to my culture. They felt that I was not smart enough to advise or give any opinion concerning what was going on at all. But, if they sought after my opinion some things would not have turned out the way they were and I would not have felt as if I did not belong and not concerned. The value that I find with group roles is that is used to identify people who are within the groups’ behaviors’, strengths and weaknesses when in meetings or the workplace. The information that is taken from belonging to a group role can help a group better communicate with each other and work better together. Having group roles can make more productive relationships between workers, ensure that the teams are performing higher as they work together, the idea to raise self-awareness and for the teams to grow personally as well as individually (Belbin, 2012). The value of having groups will also build trust and understanding within a meeting (Belbin, 2012). Having group roles help better understand each person’s personality and where they stand when placed in a group either upon themselves or that others have placed them in. The important thing is to learn from the group that you are in or grow from it to move forward.

Reference

Bressen, T. (2011). Roles in Groups. Retrieved from http://treegroup.info/topics/A10-roles.html

Belbin Associates (2012). Belbin Team Roles. Retrieved from http://www.belbin.com/rte.asp?id=8

Hattersley, M & McJannet, L (2008). Management Communication: Principles & Practice, 3rd Edition, McGraw Hill.

Bibliography

Bressen, T. (2011). Roles in Groups. Retrieved from http://treegroup.info/topics/A10-roles.html

Belbin Associates (2012). Belbin Team Roles. Retrieved from http://www.belbin.com/rte.asp?id=8

Hattersley, M & McJannet, L (2008). Management Communication: Principles & Practice, 3rd Edition, McGraw Hill.