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306 PART 4: THE LEADER AS A RELATIONSHIP BUILDER

Exhibit 10.4 Two Types of Team Leadership Roles

Task-Specialist Behavior Socioemotional Behavior
Propose solutions and initiate Encourage contributions by others;
new ideas draw out others’ ideas by showing
warmth and acceptance
Evaluate effectiveness of task Smooth over conflicts between
solutions; offer feedback on others’ members; reduce tension and help
suggestions resolve differences
Seek information to clarify tasks, Be friendly and supportive of others;
responsibilities, and suggestions show concern for members’ needs
and feelings
Summarize ideas and facts related to Maintain standards of behavior and
the problem at hand remind others of agreed-upon norms
and standards for interaction
Energize others and stimulate the Seek to identify problems with team
team to action interactions or dysfunctional member
behavior; ask for others’ perceptions

Sources: Based on Robert A. Baron, Behavior in Organizations, 2nd ed. (Boston: Allyn & Bacon, 1986); Don
Hellriegel, John W. Slocum, Jr., and Richard W. Woodman, Organizational Behavior, 8th ed. (Cincinnati, OH:
South-Western, 1998), p. 244; and Gary A. Yukl, Leadership in Organizations, 4th ed. (Upper Saddle River, NJ:
Prentice Hall, 1998), pp. 384–387.

Task-specialist role
Task-specialist role position, such as that of team leader. The task-specialist role is associated with be-
team leadership role haviors such as initiating new ideas or different ways of considering problems;
team leadership role
associated with initiating new
associated with initiating new
ideas, evaluating the team’s evaluating the team’s effectiveness by questioning the logic, facts, or practical-
ideas, evaluating the team’s
effectiveness, seeking to clarify
effectiveness, seeking to clarify ity of proposed solutions; seeking information to clarify tasks, responsibilities,
tasks and responsibilities, and suggestions; summarizing facts and ideas for others; and stimulating others
tasks and responsibilities,
summarizing facts and ideas for
summarizing facts and ideas for
others, and stimulating others
others, and stimulating others to action when energy and interest wane. The socioemotional role includes behav-
to action iors such as facilitating the participation of others and being receptive to others’
to action
ideas; smoothing over conflicts between team members and striving to reduce

Socioemotional role
Socioemotional role
team leadership role associated
team leadership role associated tensions; showing concern for team members’ needs and feelings; serving as a role
with facilitating others’
with facilitating others’ model and reminding others of agreed-upon standards for interaction and coope-
participation, smoothing
participation, smoothing ration; and seeking to identify problems with team interactions or dysfunctional
confl icts, showing concern for
confl icts, showing concern for 47
team members’ needs and
team members’ needs and member behaviors.
feelings, serving as a role
feelings, serving as a role The importance of these roles can be seen on a movie set, which can
model, and reminding others of
model, and reminding others of often become a pressure cooker with creative people struggling with technical
standards for team interaction
standards for team interaction
specialists to meet both time and artistic goals. The unit production manager
and the assistant directors are often considered the backbone of the team be-
cause they are primarily responsible for fi lling the vital task and socioemotional
roles. The unit production manager coordinates all the intricate details of the
production schedule, monitors work progress, and makes sure technical spe-
cialists and other team members deliver results on time. The assistant direc-
tor, on the other hand, needs to have superb relationship skills in
Action Memo
order to solve interpersonal disputes and diffuse tensions within
the team. 48
As a leader, you can make sure that both
Ideally, a team leader plays both task-specialist and socioemo-
the task and socioemotional needs of
tional roles to some extent. By satisfying both types of needs, the
team members are met so that people
leader gains the respect and admiration of others. However, a leader
accomplishment.
experience both friendly support and goal

might find it necessary to put more emphasis on one role over another.
For example, if many members of the team are highly task-oriented, the
leader might put more emphasis on meeting socioemotional needs.