Role Negotiation and Role Analysis

Whether team members have worked together at length or are just starting, member roles are a frequent area of confusion. The result can be team members find themselves in the frustrating position of not knowing how the various pieces of work fit together to achieve the overall team objectives. Role conflict (one team member) occurs when one team member holds two mutually incompatible roles. For example, leading a project team to discover the best possible solution when your manager wants you to advocate a specific solution.

Role conflict (multiple team members) occurs when team members hold the same role, and these are in conflict with one another. An example might be two salespeople who are given the same territory with the same customers. Role incompatibility occurs when there are incompatible expectations about a given role. For example, some may expect the operations manager to facilitate the meeting while other members expect him quietly to take notes.

Role overload describes the situation when a person has too many roles to fulfill, such as sitting on multiple committees and being expected to act as the liaison between all of them, or to participate on the project team and all subteams. Role underload occurs when a role is not fully developed with enough significant work or responsibilities. Role ambiguity occurs when the role owner or team members are unclear about the responsibilities of a given role. A role negotiation exercise called “responsibility charting” can help teams resolve the confusion, conflict, and frustration about roles.