In a previous study the authors investigated the relationship between role differentiation and seating arrangements in freely formed groups. However, the design of that experiment did not permit constant monitoring of the groups so that the strategies employed in effecting the final seating positions were not revealed. The present paper reports on the process of spatial adaptation in four‐man problem‐solving groups throughout the period of role differentiation. Results showed that the non‐dominant member, who was subsequently chosen as having contributed the least to the solution of the problem, became isolated from a subgroup formed by the remaining members. Other aspects of task performance in the groups were also recorded, including solution times, role selection times, verbal interaction patterns and the effects of initial chair positions. Secondary analyses performed on these data indicated that the more egalitarian groups took longer to arrive at a solution, and that initial chair placement distances did not affect the seating arrangements adopted in the g