Chapter 9: Communicating in Groups

Antigroup Roles

Competent leadership can address problematic antigroup roles. As you learn in Chapter 10, a directive leader might lay out tasks to thwart a distracter; a supportive leader might thank each member for his or her contributions, preventing a recognition seeker from claiming the glory. Leaders have the power to affect norms and roles by encouraging group members to make productive contributions.

Unlike task and social roles, antigroup roles create problems because they serve individual members’ priorities at the expense of group needs. You’ve probably seen evidence of these antigroup roles in the groups you belong to:

A blocker indulges in destructive communication, including opposing or criticizing all ideas and stubbornly reintroducing an idea after the group has already rejected or bypassed it (“None of the dates any of you proposed will work for the party. It really needs to be five weeks from today, as I said earlier”).
An avoider refuses to engage in the group’s proceedings by expressing cynicism or nonchalance toward ideas presented or by joking or changing the subject (“Well, whatever, I’m guessing it’s not a big deal if this party doesn’t even happen, right?”).
A recognition seeker calls attention to himself or herself by boasting or by going on and on about his or her qualifications or personal achievements (“I planned a gathering for a women’s studies group last year, and it went really well. People still talk about it! So trust me on this one”).
A distractor goes off on tangents or tells irrelevant stories (“Does anyone know what happened on Game of Thrones last night? I missed it”).

These antigroup roles are not limited to face-to-face group communication—you’ve no doubt run into a few distractors, blockers, or recognition seekers in online forums. Online groups are also often disrupted by trolls—individuals who intentionally insert irrelevant and inflammatory comments into the discussion in order to stir up controversy.

Antigroup roles obviously add to the dysfunction of a group (Wilson & Hanna, 1993). For instance, a blocker who acts superior to other team members and criticizes the members’ ideas may harm group morale and productivity. To mitigate the impact of these antigroup roles, members can revisit the norms the group has established and make the changes needed to improve group communication (for example, “All ideas get a fair hearing”). People fulfilling certain task or social roles can also help. For instance, if you’re a gatekeeper, you can prompt an avoider to contribute her opinion on a proposal that the group has been considering. Research also indicates that positive and proactive responses to avoiders and blockers can help establish individuals as leaders in their organizations (Garner & Poole, 2009).