Facilitator Guide Lesson Plan Facilitator Guide
Topic: Benne & Sheats' Group Roles in Schools
60 MINUTE SESSION
Graduate Level | School Counseling
Learning Objectives
Identify and categorize the 27 functional roles defined by Benne and Sheats.
Analyze how roles manifest developmentally across K-12 settings.
Apply clinical criteria for member departure/removal and manage group transitions.
Required Materials
Role Radar Reference Sheet
Seminar Discussion Guide
Departure Decision Guide
Fishbowl Role Cards
Instructional Timeline
Time Activity Focus 05 Min Bridge & Hook Recalling past group roles in K-12. 10 Min Direct Instruction The 3 Pillars (Task, Maintenance, Individual). 20 Min Active Observation Fishbowl Role-Play & Role Identification. 20 Min Case Study Seminar Departure Criteria & Clinical Decision Making. 05 Min Closing Self-Reflection & Exit Ticket.
Instructional Procedures
3
The Fishbowl: Role Play (20 Min)
Facilitate a 10-minute simulation using the Fishbowl Role Cards . Observers use the Role Radar to guess secret roles. Debrief focus: "How did the 'Individual' roles impact the group's ability to complete the 'Task'?"
4
Case Study Seminar: Departure Decisions (20 Min)
Break students into small groups to analyze the Departure Decision Guide . Use the breakout prompts provided on the guide:
The Mandated Member: Ethical tensions in removal.Grade-Level Communication: How would you tell a 2nd grader vs. a 12th grader?Group Impact: How do you address the departure without breaking confidentiality?
Facilitator Note on "The Required Member"
In schools, we often cannot remove students due to lack of other placements. If a student MUST remain, focus on "Contained Participation"—using standard setters to model boundaries and high-frequency maintenance interventions to manage the disruptive individual role.
Role Radar Reference Sheet Role Radar
Benne & Sheats’ Functional Group Roles Reference
Group Dynamics Lab | Ref: B&S-1948
Functional roles are defined by the work they do for the group. They are fluid: one person may play several roles in a single session, or a single role may be played by multiple people.
I. Task Roles (The Productivity Engine)
1. Initiator-Contributor
Proposes new ideas, goals, or ways to approach group problems.
2. Information Seeker
Asks for clarification of suggestions or factual information.
3. Opinion Seeker
Asks for clarification of values pertinent to what the group is doing.
4. Information Giver
Offers facts or generalizations that are "authoritative."
5. Opinion Giver
States their beliefs or opinions about suggestions.
6. Elaborator
Gives examples or develops meanings; tries to deduce how ideas would work.
7. Coordinator
Clarifies relationships among various ideas and suggestions.
8. Orienter
Defines the position of the group with respect to its goals.
9. Evaluator-Critic
Subjects accomplishments of group to some standard of functioning.
10. Energizer
Prods the group to action or decision.
11. Procedural Technician
Performs routine tasks (distributing materials, rearranging chairs).
12. Recorder
Writes down suggestions and group decisions; the "group memory."
II. Maintenance Roles (The Social Glue)
1. Encourager
Praises, agrees with, and accepts the contributions of others.
2. Harmonizer
Mediates differences between other members.
3. Compromiser
Operates from within a conflict; may admit error to move on.
4. Gatekeeper/Expediter
Attempts to keep communication channels open; encourages participation.
5. Standard Setter
Expresses standards for the group to attempt to achieve.
6. Group Observer/Commentator
Keeps records of group processes and interprets these to the group.
7. Follower
Goes along with the movement of the group; passive audience.
III. Individual Roles (The Productivity Anchors)
1. Aggressor
Deflates the status of others; expresses disapproval of values.
2. Blocker
Tends to be negativistic and stubbornly resistant; opposes beyond reason.
Seminar Discussion Guide Seminar Guide
Topic: School Dynamics & Role Application
Student Session Notes
Objective: Transition from theory to practice. Use the prompts below to guide your seminar discussion on applying Benne & Sheats’ roles to K-12 school counseling groups.
PROMPT 1
Developmental Manifestations
How do specific roles look different across developmental stages? Choose one role and describe its behavior in each setting.
Elementary (K-5)
Middle School (6-8)
High School (9-12)
PROMPT 2
The Facilitator’s Response
In a school counseling group (e.g., social skills or grief), how do you shift a member from an Individual Role (like the Blocker ) back into a Task or Maintenance Role without shaming them?
PROMPT 3
The Power of the Silent Follower
Is the Follower (a Maintenance Role) necessarily "passive"? Discuss how silence can be a form of active maintenance in a school group setting.
Critical Incident Scenario
You are leading a high school "First Generation College Bound" group. Jordan is playing the Aggressor , constantly making cynical comments about the process. Mia is the Standard Setter , trying to keep everyone on track. The tension is rising.
Question for the Seminar:
How can you leverage Mia's role to neutralize Jordan's behavior without directly confronting Jordan and risking a shutdown?
Fishbowl Role Cards Fishbowl Role Cards
Cut these cards out for the "Active Observation" activity.
Task Role
The Energizer
Your goal is to keep the group moving. You are worried about time and want a decision NOW.
Secret Instruction:
Every 2 minutes, remind the group that they are "getting bogged down" and need to "just pick something."
Maintenance Role
The Harmonizer
Your goal is to keep everyone happy. Conflict makes you very uncomfortable.
Secret Instruction:
If anyone disagrees, immediately jump in to find common ground or crack a joke to ease the tension.
Individual Role
The Blocker
Your goal is to be "the devil's advocate" to a stubborn degree. You dislike the group's direction.
Secret Instruction:
Find a reason why every suggestion "won't work because of school policy" or "the students won't like it."
Task Role
The Information Seeker
You are obsessed with details. You don't want to make a move without all the facts.
Secret Instruction:
Keep asking for "more data" or "more specifics." Ask: "Do we have the actual numbers on student anxiety levels for this?"
Maintenance Role
The Gatekeeper
You want to make sure everyone is participating. You are the social monitor.
Secret Instruction:
Frequently ask quieter members what they think. If one person talks too much, gently try to pivot the floor to someone else.
Individual Role
The Recognition-Seeker
You want the group to know how much experience you have and how hard you are working.
Secret Instruction:
Tie every point back to a personal story about a project you led or a "really cool thing" you did once.
Observer Instructions
Give the 6 cards above to your volunteers. The rest of the class are Observers . Their job is to use their Role Radar sheets to try and identify which role each person is playing based solely on their behavior in the group task.
Group Dynamics Slides Group Dynamics Lab
Benne & Sheats in the K-12 Group Room
Facilitating Functional Roles for Student Success
The Functional Lens
"Group roles are fluid behaviors , not fixed personality traits."
— Benne & Sheats, 1948
Students play roles to meet needs.
Roles determine group productivity.
Facilitators can "shape" roles.
Why in K-12?
Children and adolescents often lack the awareness that they are "playing a role." In a school group, these roles often mask developmental milestones or defense mechanisms .
The Three Pillar Framework
Task Roles
Focus on "The Work." How the group accomplishes its goals.
Example
"The Information Seeker"
Maintenance
Focus on "The Climate." How members feel and relate.
Example
"The Harmonizer"
Individual
Focus on "Self." Needs met at the group's expense.
Example
"The Playboy/Playgirl"
K-5: Concrete Behaviors
Early Childhood
01
Initiator
"I know a game! Let's play tag!"
02
Help-Seeker
"Teacher, I can't do my drawing."
03
Follower
Mirroring the most popular peer.
Counselor Challenge:
At this age, individual roles are often literal and immediate . The "Blocker" may just be tired or hungry. Look for the physical need behind the functional role.
9-12: The Social Game
Adolescence
The Playboy/Playgirl
Sarcasm, eye-rolling, checking phone. Masking vulnerability with detachment.
The Recognition-Seeker
Dominating airtime with stories of social status or trauma-dumping.
The Compromiser
High-stakes social negotiation to keep peace within peer cliques.
Facilitation Key:
Focus on authenticity . Adolescent "Individual" roles are usually protective. How do we create enough safety for them to drop the role and join the Task?
The "Pivot" Technique
Identify
"I notice we have lots of great stories, but we are losing our goal."
Label the Role, not the Child
Departure Decision Guide The Departure Decision
Protocol for Member Removal & Transition in K-12 Groups
Advanced Clinical Protocol
Criteria for Early Termination or Removal
1. Sustained Hostility or Resistance
The member’s behavior is consistently disruptive to the point that other members are unable to engage in the group’s work or feel unsafe (emotionally or physically).
2. Misalignment of Needs
The member’s therapeutic or developmental needs are contrary to the stated purpose of the group (e.g., a student with severe social anxiety in a high-confrontation leadership group).
3. Lack of Commitment
Chronic absenteeism or a persistent lack of engagement that hampers the group’s cohesion and progress.
4. Breach of Ethics or Safety
Clear violations of group rules or repeated breaches of confidentiality that have not been remediated through redirection.
5. Success & Graduation
The member has met group expectations and goals; they are no longer gaining benefit and their continued presence may stall their individual growth.
Communication Matrix by Grade Level
Level Language & Sensitivity Focus Elementary "We decided that for now, your work would be better done in a smaller space with just me." Safety, comfort, and direct redirection. Middle School "The group’s focus and your current goals aren’t matching up right now. Let’s talk about a different plan." Autonomy and clarifying "the fit." High School "Based on our group agreement and the current dynamics, your participation is no longer serving your growth or the group’s purpose." Professionalism, ethics, and mutual goals.
Addressing the Remaining Group
Confidentiality First: Never share the specific "why" of a removal. Use vague but firm language: "A decision was made that [Name] will be focusing on their goals elsewhere."
Processing: Allow the group to express their feelings (relief, guilt, confusion) without violating the departed student's privacy.
Breakout Discussion Lab
Activity 1: The Mandated Member
The Scenario: You have a member who has violated confidentiality twice. However, this is a mandated "Alternatives to Suspension" group, and if they leave, they are automatically expelled from school.
• How do you balance the safety of the group with the high-stakes consequence for the individual?
