Defining Team Members’ Roles

What are team members’ roles? Why are they necessary to the team? After defining each person’s role on a team, what are their responsibilities? Can a team have dual roles and responsibilities? Does your personality have to match your role on the team? What are the benefits and advantages in working within a team? These are all questions that are not clearly defined in the beginning. This causing the overall scope of the project to be difficult, lack of communication between team members and team members often to have conflict. As members are placed, the first task is to determine the overall mission of the team. Each member should feel comfortable to voice his/her strategies for the overall purpose. Members must have equal say on the scope and consideration of their ideas toward the success of the project. After defining the overall objectives, the team must decide on the implementation of shared responsibilities. Shared responsibilities of the team would include scheduling project meeting times, determining when to meet, how often to meet, where to meet, who will be responsible for scheduling meeting request(s), who will be responsible for preparing and sending out agendas routinely, who will be responsible for taking and publishing minutes, and status updates for in-between the scheduled meetings. The team could also focus on document review deadlines and approvals for the project. There are various roles a team must outline inside of a team for the success in completing a project. According to the required reading this week, there can be several role descriptions for a team, they are as follows: Coach – one who tries to create harmony by creating a positive atmosphere, motivate everyone else on the team and building a great rapport Champion – one who brings ideas and thoughts to the team. This person often bring out the priorities and focus of the team Explorer – one who uncovers better ways of doing things; an improvement. Innovator – one who uses their imagination to dream up new concepts Sculptor – one who brings things about to get to the goal of the team. Curator – one who brings clarity, ask questions to get a full understanding of what the goals and scope of the team project. Conductor – one who organizes things into a systematic structure Scientist – one who analyize and give explanation of the team’s goals or projects. Usually a team member may already perform some of these roles defined above, but may perform more of one role verses another. Members may also have what is known today as a dual role. A dual role means taking on two roles at the same time. Based on the roles defined above, the coach and champion can be the same individuals based upon the coach’s life experience most likely contribute to his role as a team player or champion. For example: Being a champion and having a passion for what you love, after your career in a particular team setting is over, you are wanting to go forward and teach others what you know. This would go into the coaching aspect of the role. In every champion there is a future coach, and in every future coach there is a champion. After determining the roles that exist for each team member, the team must decide which member’s personality matches a particular role. If you take an individual’s personality that is warmhearted, conscientious, and cooperative; want harmony in their environment, work with determination to establish it; Like to work with others to complete tasks accurately and on time; Loyal, follow through even in small matters; Notice what others need in their day-by-day lives and try to provide it; Want to be appreciated for who they are and for what they contribute. Myers Briggs). This personality type would be a great coach. Once the roles and responsibilities of each team have been defined, there are several advantages and disadvantages for working on a team. Some of the advantages would be cross-training, greater cooperation and new approaches to a particular task maybe discovered. Some of the disadvantages for working on team would be time management issues, members’ may think it is less motivating or may not be conducive with various roles within a team. Since I am a team leader in the Order of Eastern Stars, there are many members under my leadership. These members entrust my judgment, integrity, fairness, and knowledge. My primary duties are to protect the interest of each team member and the overall chapter. The advantages for my position is to assist and aid each member, help the overall community and being a strong driving force for humanity. Some of the disadvantages as being viewed as a leader comes with a heavy burden. Being known as the fixer, taking on all individuals’ pumultuous issues and trying to come up with the best solution regarding the problem at hand. The greatest burden would not be able to separate other people’s issues and problems as my own. References Myers, Isabel Briggs with Peter B. Myers (1980, 1995). Gifts Differing: Understanding Personality Type. Mountain View, CA: Davies-Black Publishing. ISBN 0-89106-074-X.