Destructive Team Roles [ #project management ]

Aggressors 

An aggressor is a project team member that is openly opposed and hostile to the project and project objectives. This is a negative role because it serves no productive purpose for the project.

 Blockers

A blocker is a project team member that blocks access to information and looks to disrupt the flow of communication. Since good project communication is essential for project success, this role is very destructive.

 Withdrawers 

A with drawer is a project team member who does not participate in Discussions,brainstorming sessions, team meetings, etc. This person will likely remain quiet or refuse to participate at all. This is a negative role because it usually produces a project team member that will not commit to the project plan and can have a negative effect on team morale.

Recognition Seekers 

A recognition seeker will look at a project to see how it can personally benefit him or her. Because this person is more interested in personal benefit rather than project success, he or she can ultimately jeopardize the project.

Topic Jumpers 

A topic jumper is a project team member that constantly changes the subject and brings up irrelevant facts. This is a destructive role because it disrupts effective communication and could prevent important topics from being fully discussed and brought to closure.

Dominator 

A dominator is a project team member that disrupts team participation and communication by presenting their own opinions forcefully and without any recognition or consideration of other’s contributions or points of view. This person will dominate the communication and bully their way through the project. This is a negative role because it prevents effective communication, quashes other’s valid opinions, and may be contrary to the project’s objectives.

Devil’s Advocate 

“advocatus diaboli”. Although the origins of this role are rooted as a positive role for the critical examination of canonization or beatification in the Roman Catholic Church, for project management this is considered a negative role. The definition of this role is a project team member that takes up the contrary view just for the sake of argument and not on the arguments merits (if any). This role is negative because is often frustrates and disrupts effective communication and discourages people from participating.