Waterline Model (Harrison, Scherer, Short)

Balancing Maintenance and Task

cf.: Waterline Diagram
cf.: powerpoint slides suitable for presenting the model to others
cf.: Task vs. Maintenance Test

 

Structure	clarity about goals and roles, especially decision making authority in reaching goals; effective role organization
Group	team effectiveness; participation, influence, learning interactions, conflict resolution, membership, interaction patterns
Inter-personal	how two people communicate with the one another and how respond to 1-1 conflict
Intra-personal	how individuals experience the process working together and their effectiveness in learning from their experience

Paying attention to both task and maintenance

• TASK … is above the waterline
• MAINTENANCE … it below the waterline

Task Functions

• Developing the agenda
• Initiating
• Information seeking
• Information giving
• Opinion giving
• Elaborating
• Coordinating
• Evaluating
• Energizing
• Structuring
• Summarizing
• Consensus testing
• Reality tester

Maintenance Functions

• Gatekeeping
• Encouraging
• Harmonizing
• Consensus seeking
• Giving and receiving feedback
• Standard setting
• Tension reliever
• Expressing group feelings
• Processing

Dysfunctional Behaviors

• Blocking
• Power Seeking
• Recognition Seeking
• Dominating
• Clowning

Some things to look for in groups…

• Participation
• Influence
• Style of influence
• Decision making procedures
• Task functions
• Maintenance functions
• Group atmosphere
• Membership
• Feelings
• Norms