# Kantor's Four Player Model ## The Idea in Brief Every team conversation has four essential communication stances: Mover, Follower, Opposer, and Bystander. All four are necessary for effective team functioning. When roles are missing or overrepresented, teams get stuck. The insight: people default to one stance. Knowing your default—and developing flexibility to use others—transforms team dynamics. --- ## The Four Stances **Mover.** Initiates direction and drives action. Proposes ideas, sets agendas, pushes the team forward. Brings energy and momentum. *Shadow side:* Can become controlling, dominating, or narcissistic. Pushes their agenda at the expense of others' input. **Follower.** Implements ideas and builds harmony. Supports proposals, senses others' needs, helps execute. Brings cohesion and follow-through. *Shadow side:* Can lose themselves through excessive compliance. Avoids conflict even when it's needed. Says yes when they mean no. **Opposer.** Challenges proposals and surfaces differences. Provides critical feedback, questions assumptions, encourages deeper exploration. Brings rigour and honest disagreement. *Shadow side:* Can devolve into harsh criticism or reflexive resistance. Opposes for its own sake. Becomes confrontational rather than constructive. **Bystander.** Offers perspective and analytical clarity. Observes patterns, reflects back what they see, supports development. Brings perspective and calm. *Shadow side:* Can become detached and passive. Watches from the sidelines instead of contributing. Withholds useful observations. --- ## Why Teams Get Stuck Most people have a default stance they revert to, especially under pressure. This creates predictable problems: **Too many Movers.** Competing agendas, no one listening, power struggles. **Too many Followers.** Groupthink, no one willing to challenge, poor decisions get implemented. **Too many Opposers.** Nothing moves forward, constant criticism, demoralising atmosphere. **Too many Bystanders.** No energy, no decisions, analysis paralysis. **Missing roles.** If no one Opposes, bad ideas go unchallenged. If no one Follows, good ideas never get implemented. The absence of a role is as problematic as its excess. --- ## Using the Model **Know your default.** Which stance do you naturally take? What's your shadow side when stressed? **Notice what's missing.** In a stuck conversation, ask: which role is absent? Can you step into it, even if it's not your natural style? **Develop range.** The goal isn't to abandon your default but to expand your repertoire. Practice the stances that feel uncomfortable. **Name the dynamic.** Teams that share this language can notice patterns in real-time: "We have three Movers and no Opposer right now—what are we missing?" --- ## Sources - David Kantor, *Reading the Room* (2012) --- ## See Also - [[Blake-Mouton Grid]] — Another framework for understanding leadership style - [[Mintzberg's Managerial Roles]] — Roles managers play across different functions - [[Crucial Conversations]] — Skills for high-stakes dialogue