ENGL 419: Multimedia Writing

After doing this reading, I really didn't find myself associating with any of these roles, luckily. But if I had to say which one I'd pick, I'd say the bully, in the sense that I may push people to get things done if a group is at a standstill. From meeting with my group during the last class, I don't forsee any problems with us working together.

I think one role that wasn't identified was the interrupter- someone who chronically interrupts other group members, sometimes physically, or interrupts their idea by shooting down suggestions. I also think a positive role that the reading didn't include was the mother (or father) hen; the person who makes sure that everyone is comfortable in their duties and checks to see if they can answer any questions or help in any way.

I have a bit of a tendency toward being a bully in groupwork - I sometimes feel that my ideas are the correct or best ideas to use, even if they are not. As a result, I try to reserve my opinions until they are asked for in order to prevent the bully sentiment from surfacing.

I think the article should have included the role of the Pushover. This person will do the work assigned to them, but refuses to voice their opinion for fear of being wrong or stepping on another group member's toes. The result is that the group loses that valid input.

The Scheduler makes sure everything in the group runs according to the time frame - that members have their work done on time, and that the work flows smoothly.

1.Yes, but I would say I am the bully if anything. I speak up when something needs to be done, but go about it in a positive way. I don’t think it helps to be negative towards your group members. I try to give input, but also listen to my other group members. I try to keep a good positive vibe in a group situation. I try to keep everyone on track, but also make sure we have fun doing it. In order to keep it good with your group members I think it’s wise to listen to everyone’s opinion, making sure everyone has a voice. Also I think its good to make sure that each member knows what needs to get accomplished and know that each person is there for one another if need be. I think this helps narrow down any possible disputes.
2. Im not quite sure of any roles off hand. I saw that someone mentioned the role of the interrupter- someone who chronically interrupts other group members, sometimes physically, or interrupts their idea by shooting down suggestions. I thought that was a good role worth mentioning. Also this person mentioned the mother/father hen; the person who makes sure that everyone is comfortable in their duties and checks to see if they can answer any questions or help in any way. I would definitely say that I try to play that role when in groups.

I think a positive role can be a leader that emerges because depending on the type of leader they can motivate others in the group to do the work. A leader can also be a negative role in the group because they might be too controlling or want all of the project to be done their own way and not respect the ideas of others in teh group.
This article is easy to relate to because I have been in groups where the members did not get alone and each of them took on one of the roles or didn't take a role at all. This was hard to deal with because it makes it even more difficule to get the project done and concentrate on the project as opposed to concentrating too much on the feelings of others in thr group. Of course feelings are somewhat important however they should not take over the goal of finishing the project at hand. I have had experiences where it was impossible to meet outside of class and some projects have been made easier when the professor allows groups to have meetings during class even if it is just for a short time.
One thing I think is very hard is the tolerance of other members because I have been in groups where one person is attacked because of their differences or because they dont understand the material as well as others in the group.

1. Yes, of couse. I would be lieing if I did not say that I one of these roles. I think one that I have taken before would be the Deadbeat. Sometimes I don't have enough knowledge of whats going on, and I don't ask for help, so I don't do anything. I don't disrupt, but I don't help out either.
2. 1. The Confused -- A person, either intentionally or unintentionally does not have an idea of what is going on. They will ask members to repeat everything over again. This might be due to not doing the proper reading, etc.
   2. The Jester -- This is just a partiall role, because if something was this all the time, it would be negative. The jester helps break the ice, finds common links between members, and makes the group have a more positive outlook.

1. In my previous group work experience, I would hope I never fit any of these roles. If I was to lean towards any one category, however, it would have to be that of the bully. Occasionally, I will see another students idea as being detrimental to the project and will persuade the group to do things another way. As long as everyone agrees that the idea is not the best one, I don't see this as a disruptive role.

2. The loner- Someone who never builds off of other ideas, they always bring up ways THEY would do things without seeing themselves as part of the group. Typically, the person will only do good work if they are working toward their own, unaltered idea; they will not work towards other people's ideas.

A good positive role is the exact opposite of the negative role described above. Someone who takes the ideas of two feuding loners and mixes them together to form something everyone can be happy with. While this is, hopefully, the end result of every group, this person actively works towards that goal rather than trying to work "around" other members.

1. I have taken the role of a deadbeat before. This is when I was less into school and was barely even attending classes. I don't worry about taking on this role anymore because I was going through a period in my life that I just didn't have any motivation. But to make sure I don't take this role on again I set deadlines for myself and assign things upon myself so i'm forced to do it.

2.
1. The talker. This person pretty much will lead group meetings off topic a lot because they talk a lot. They will a lot of times talk so much that it can add lots of extra minutes to the teams meetings. The benefits of a talker is they usually are pretty creative and can come up with really good ideas.
2. Supporter. They will usually not step up as a leader but will always be kind of the leader in the shadows. They are always there giving support and can be counted on to get things done when they need to be done.

I cannot directly relate any of the five groups mentioned to myself in the past group experiences that I have had; however, I think I may be a little inclined to being a saboteur. At times I may think that a different way is better to do but at the end I would end up degrading the quality of the group work as a whole. In order for me to not take a disruptive role in the group, I would need to get the group's approval before I make any changes.

Another disruptive role would be a modified version of the martyr, the worker. The worker does the majority of the work that he is assigned and never contributes his own ideas. However the worker would not complain in any way even though he is aware of the extra workload that he is doing. This may be to compensate for the lack of ideas contributed to the group.

A positive group member role would be the boss. He/she would arrange the work load to be divided and the schedule that is due; but because he/she is open to ideas and who does not look down upon the other members, everybody would get along fine. Some groups do need somebody to induce order for it to function properly.

1. I have been the martyr a few times

I can maybe see myself being the saboteur.

To avoid these by running everything by the group first and evenly distributing the workload.

2. the Boss- tells everyone what to do but doesn't do anything themself. similar to the bully.

the Organizer- the one who makes sure that everything is in prited and in order to turn it at all stages of the project. They will keep orderly any drafts of the project.

I have been the deadbeat; I was so overwhelmed with other projects that I wasn't able to contribute much. I can manage my time better.

An idiot - Someone who tries to contribute, but whose input makes no sense and has no relevance, and they just don't get it.

Leader - Someone who is good at coordinating the group and making sure everybody's workload is equal.

I've put roles in bold.

Part 1: Whiners, Martyrs, Saboteurs, Bullies, and Deadbeats!? I think that these archetypes or roles are little bit oversimplified or sensationalized. Not very many people are 100% of one role. I guess there's not a good example that I fit into because it's oversimplified.

What can you do to make sure you don't take on a disruptive role with your group?

This sounds like a rhetorical question. I don't know specifically what you mean. I suppose I could still stay on task.

Part 2: The five listed roles don't cover everything.
1. Name and define a different disruptive role.

Some negative roles from THIS WEB PAGE are freeloaders, withdrawers, blockers, and the status and recognition seekers.

A different disruptive role would be the "playboy," but the term might be 60 or so years old and it wouldn't mean the same thing as today.
In the required speech class at my high school, we watched "12 Angry Men." It's a fiction movie about a jury with some personal problems with each other, and it's been so many years that Jack Klugman is the only name that I can remember from it. We were given a printout before watching the movie about the 12 roles that the 12 people play. The actor who was the playboy juror was too much of a baseball fan and said that he plans to vote innocent no matter what if it means that he can leave before the day and time of the baseball game that he wants to watch. Our teacher said that she thinks that he would be one of the worst people to have on a jury.

This may be the extreme, but another disruptive role could be the diva or prima donna. The diva role would be an actor or singer like Madonna or possibly Barbara Streisand who makes too many demands or asks for too much of a pay raise. The prima donna could be like the new employee from Dilbert cartoons who uses too much puffery, hype, or rhetoric, but not any substance. This comic strip character said, "Behold, for I am the way, the light, and the truth. I shall need an assistant to help document all of my miracles!"

This may sound cynical if you didn't watch the same newscasts or read the same articles that I did. Another disruptive role would be the sexist or religious extremist. Go to http://video.msn.com/v/us/v.htm , in the blank below the rewind and fast forward buttons type in "Sunday School," and click on "video on the web." Go through the list of videos until you are at August 21 to August 23rd. I think that the lady that taught Sunday School for 54 years was Mary Lambert. I think that the Reverend is a jerk for reading that sexist passage from 1 Timothy as an excuse to fire her. On NBC Nightly News about 10 years ago, a Christian man was working at a store such as Circuit City or Rent-To-Own if I remember correctly. They asked him to work on Sundays, and he tried to sue them because he says its religious discrimination that he can't work on the Sabbath. I don't remember anything from the newscast about the time of day on Sundays, or even if he said he goes to church. I don't even know if he was only using it as an excuse to sue. At least he has a job; I know people who would jump in a minute to get a job even if it meant working on Sundays. I can think of some other examples where people are sexist or religious extremists, but I think I'll stop here.

2. Name and define a positive group member role.

I would suppose that just keeping pace with the schedule and staying on task would be a positive role. The roles from http://trc.ucdavis.edu/trc/papers/vohs/sec06-2.html would be the encourager, feeling expresser, harmonizer, compromiser, and gatekeeper.

I enjoy taking the martyr role in the group.. that shallow i'm above the world and don't care kind of attitude just seems to fit above me most the time, and I definitely am not motivated enough to make the changes i'm suggesting myself.

Disruptive - Another disruptive role would be the "I refuse to turn off my cell phone during productive time" role - the one that lets distrations get in the way all the time and slow down progress.

Positive - The "I'm amazing at using google" role is definitely a postive. Not everyone is a stellar websearcher, and they're nice to have when you can find one.

1. I have been in alot of groups over the years, whether it be a job/school/committee/etc. I usually find myself being a leader if I am interested in the groups topic, and a follower if I am bored. I usually should take a step back and just see what is going on a little more and listen more than talk.

2. A not necessarily disruptive member, but to me a unhelpful member is the follower. People that just follow along and agree with all the other ideas and thoughts. They don't help give the group roundness and expansion for thoughts.

A positive member is the person who plays devils advocate in my opinion. The person the always thinks of the ways our ideas our wrong or could be modified. This helps the group expand its horizon.

I was on a group project that didn't seem to be getting anything done. We didn't have any deadlines for the project. I feel into the deadbeat role, so did most of the others.

Another disruptive role I can think of is a counterproductive person. They just don't do anything themselves, they keep others from working by distracting them.

A peacemaker would try to keep big conficts from happening and solve ones that do.

I have to say that I have taken on the deadbeat roll in a previous group. It is not something I enjoy admitting because I do feel bad about it now. Not only did I let my group down, but I also let myself down because I learned nothing by doing nothing. Disruptive roles can be avoided by attending every group meeting with a positive attitude towards solving the problem.

One role that I have seen in groups before is the dictator. For some reason, certain students feel as if only their opinions and decisions count. They have to take control of everything and do everything their way. This role just pisses off everyone else in the group.

One positive role in a group is a mediator. This person makes sure things flow smoothly between others in the group. They usually want to get things rolling at meetings and offer solutions to conflicting roles.

1. If I had to pick a role I would deffently have to pick the bully. I tend to speak my mind no matter how positive or negative it is.

2.
a. I think that a disruptive role not included could be the over achiever. This is the person that has to do everything and won't take other's input.
b. a positive role could be the peace maker. This is the person who takes everyone's ideas and make it one project

Edit: - Forgot to do this at home so you get this hash.

I'm pretty adept at the whiner and the deadbeat. They're innate skills rather than learned. I won't be too disruptive beyond complaining a lot about my own work.
The independant + the back-up. The independant is a double edged sword where they might get work done, but can be dangerous in that they might often ignore or not address group issues or ideas.
The Back-up is the person who either avoids doing work until they have to, or the person who volunteers to do too much if something falls through. Both types are dangerous because in the first case it forces too much work onto the other group members, and the latter is catching the work load which will cause too much stress on the one group member.