Question: Developing Roles, Rules, and Norms
Objective: Your objective is to gain experience in developing roles, rules, and norms that contribute to group effectiveness.
Procedure: The class divides into groups of three to five people, and each group appoints one member as spokesperson, to present the group's findings to the whole class. Here is the scenario. Assume the role of a group of jazz musicians who recently started performing together. Each member of the group has had some individual success as a musician and hopes that the group will become a top-performing jazz ensemble. The immediate goals of the group are to develop a repertoire of pieces that showcase each member's individual strengths and display the energy, vitality, and creativity of the group as a whole; to play as many gigs as possible at bars and clubs within a 500-mile radius of home; and to start making contacts with recording companies. The group's long-range goal is to be a nationally visible and successful jazz group with a major-label recording contract. The group has gotten together and played several times both with and without an audience present and thinks it has what it takes to "make it big." The group realizes, however, that it needs to get its act together to meet both its short- and long-range goals.
1. What roles should the musicians develop to help achieve group goals?
2. What rules should the musicians develop to help achieve group goals?
3. What norms should the musicians develop to help achieve group goals?
4. What steps should the musicians take to help ensure that the group has the right balance of conformity and deviance?
When your group has answered those questions, the spokesperson will describe to the rest of the class the roles, rules, and norms that your group thinks will help the jazz group achieve its goals. The spokesperson also will discuss the steps group members think should be taken to help ensure that the jazz group has the right balance of conformity and deviance.