Some roles evolve to manage how people in the group are feeling and getting along with each other; such roles are called social roles. For example, in a college dormitory, one student might unofficially fill the role of “hall parent”—mentoring freshmen, listening compassionately to people’s problems, and making everyone feel secure. Consider these additional examples of social roles (Anderson, Riddle, & Martin, 1999; Benne & Sheats, 1948; Salazar, 1996):

Each member in a group can play task and social roles, and the roles can be official or unofficial. For example, Evelyn is the dorm’s resident advisor, officially tasked with maintaining harmony among the students who live there. But Mike is also an unofficial harmonizer because he has a knack for mitigating tensions between people. Mike also has a lot of ideas for events, so he frequently finds himself acting as an initiator during meetings. Members like Mike can move into or out of such personal or task roles depending on whether the role is needed and whether others in the group are willing to fill it.