Team Roles: A Review and Integration

Abstract

The concept of roles is ubiquitous in the social sciences, and a number of scholars have examined the operation of roles in task teams. In fact, this research has resulted in a seemingly unlimited number of roles that have been described as relevant to team performance. In this study, we attempt to integrate this research by deriving a model that describes three primary behavioral dimensions that underlie team role behavior: (a) dominance, (b) sociability, and (c) task orientation. Based on this model, we conduct a cluster analysis of the 154 team roles described in previous research. We identify 13 primary team role clusters, and discuss the implications of this approach for gaining further insight into team role structure and performance. We believe this is one step toward speaking a common language in discussing team roles.