Hi, I'm Julie Tietz, and welcome to Conflict Resolution-- Putting the Pieces Together. Today, we're going to talk about status and role in groups.
So when we form a group with our members, we then have this in-group and out-group dynamic. So the in-group is the group in which we are a member of. Whereas the out-group is the group in which we do not identify ourselves as a member of.
So in our groups, our in-groups, parties with in our groups tend to have an interest in status and role within that group. And it is part of that group member's construction of their individual identity.
And so when we're talking about a role, that's where it's a sense of owning responsibility, or the right to have meaningful contributions in a group situation. So in a specific group, a certain member may have a certain job or task that they always do, and that's their role within the group. So let's say, for example, I'm always the person within the group that formulates the agenda and gathers the notes to send out for a meeting.
Also within our group, status can be an important part of a certain member's individual identity. So in status, we are having a certain rank or value and importance in a certain role or situation. So that may be having the status of a chair in a committee or being a president of our group organization. These can also be described as roles. But the status or the rank of the position holds that group member in a higher level of the group in some situations. So our role and status are really important to us as individuals to have that status or role within our groups.
And a part of this as our individual identity, we want to promote a certain status and role. And so we may do so within our group by volunteering on certain tasks, or maybe noting or highlighting our special abilities so we can get a certain role or maintain a certain role or status within our group.
So since status and role are really important to not only our individual identity but also within our identity of a member of the group, we also have this tendency to want to protect our status and role. So if we feel threatened that somebody is going to take away our status or role, we then feel that we have to protect our interests and the status and role that we have within our group. And in doing so, this can create a conflict within our group.
So let's look at some examples here-- an example. Let's say we are in a group and it's a parents organization. And every year we hold an annual benefit to raise money for our parents organization to benefit our kids. And every year I am the chair of that event.
I have taken on this role for five years. I have really great connections. And my status within the community outside of the parents organization really helps us because I have connections through my other work. And I'm really respected and can do a lot for this benefit. So that's my role and status within the group for this specific event.
And along comes a new volunteer. And she wants to help out. And she is trying to take over a lot of my duties and responsibilities and trying to change the plan, trying to change the event.
And I don't like that because I feel that she is overstepping her bounds. And this is my role and I worked really hard at it. And I've gotten a lot of recognition and status for all of the work that I've done.
And because of this new volunteer, a conflict arises between the two of us and begins to affect the dynamics of the parents organization. Because this conflict has intensified and has gotten so bad and has affected our parents organization group, the new volunteer and I decide to go through a conflict resolution process and get a professional involved.
And so the conflict that we're discussing surrounds the benefit. And as we go through the process, we start to identify our interests. And as a conflict intervener, we really need to identify the interest-- that's part of our role-- help the parties to identify the interests.
And in this situation, we really need to be concerned or be aware of the status and role. And so we find out that my interest is maintaining my role as the event chair, and also maintaining my status as a respected community member. Because if I lose out on this event chair position, I may be viewed in the community as a failure or that I can't do my job very well.
And maybe vice versa, the other person's interest is expanding their role within a group-- they're new. And so in conflict resolution, we need to recognize these factors and work with them in the conflict resolution process.
So now that we've gone over status and role in groups, let's look at our key points. When we form groups, we form an in-group and out-group dynamic. In-group is the group we are members of. Out-group-- the groups that we are not a member of.
And within our own group, certain members have specific rules and statuses associated with those roles. And that really is important to their individual identity, and also as their individual identity as a member of the group. And it's natural for members to want to promote and protect their status and role.
And when we come into a conflict or conflict resolution process, we need to factor in those roles as statuses of the group members and identify those interests.
Well, here are your terms before we go. Feel free to pause and look at them a little closer.
Thank you so much for taking the time out to view this Tutorial I really hope that you've learned something. And I can't wait to catch you again next time.