Sharing Responsibility

As the previous example illustrated, everyone involved in a medical procedure—nurses, lab technicians, anesthesiologists, and doctors—plays an important role in its success (or failure). In addition to their specific task roles, members are also committed to the group’s mission: delivering proper and safe patient care. So when the surgical staff member realized the patient was getting the wrong procedure, the staff member felt a responsibility to speak up. When group members behave in this way, it is known as shared leadership; members influence one another’s work, and they each feel a sense of ownership about their contributions and the group’s goals. To encourage a sense of shared leadership, the formal leader of a small group should communicate in ways that help members accomplish their tasks, maintain strong interpersonal bonds, and encourage all members to engage in honest (but respectful) dialogue. Chapter 12 explores the concept of shared leadership in more detail.

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In The Avengers, a group of self-involved superheroes are forced to band together to take on a common enemy. Although an action movie may seem unrelated to small group communication, the characters actually take on a variety of roles—both maintenance and task— throughout the film, while also establishing norms (especially about behavior!) and sharing leadership responsibilities in order to fulfill their goal: defeat Loki.
Columbia Pictures/Courtesy Everett Collection