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The ability to work as part of a team is one
of the most important skills in today’s job
market. Employers are looking for workers who can
contribute their own ideas, but also want
people who can work with others to create and
develop projects and plans.
If you work in a team, lead a team, want ideas to make your team work better, or are looking for ways to overcome difficulties in your team, then this Nine Belbin Team Roles is for you.
What Does Teamwork Mean?
Teamwork is generally understood as the willingness of a group of people
to work together to achieve a common aim. another meaning, teamwork happens
when people cooperate and use their individual skills to achieve common goals.
What is a Team Role?
The term 'Team Role' refers to one of nine clusters of behavioural
attributes, identified by Dr Meredith Belbin's research , as being effective in
order to facilitate team progress.
Belbin’s Team Roles (1970s)
Meredith Belbin identified nine roles that people within teams tend to
assume. Each role has different characteristics and
ways of working; Belbin suggested that an effective team needs a good balance
of all these roles. Managers can apply this theory to understand
the ways individuals in the team prefer to work, as well as using the
theory to ensure there is a good balance of roles across the team.
Sees to it that the results are free from errors and up to the expected
standards.
Strengths: Painstaking, conscientious, anxious. Searches out
errors. Polishes and perfects.
Allowable weaknesses: Can be inclined to worry unduly, and
reluctant to delegate.
Don't be surprised to find that: They could be accused of
taking their perfectionism to extremes.
Role 2 : Coordinator
Remains focused on the goal, knows how to assign work, and delegate
tasks to the right team members.
Strengths: Mature,
confident, identifies talent. Clarifies goals.
Allowable weaknesses: Can be seen as manipulative and might
offload their own share of the work.
Don't be surprised to find that: They might over-delegate,
leaving themselves little work to do.
A practical thinker who’s able to plan and carry out effective
strategies.
Strengths: Practical, reliable, efficient. Turns ideas into
actions and organises work that needs to be done.
Allowable weaknesses: Can be a bit inflexible and slow to
respond to new possibilities.
Don't be surprised to find that: They might be slow to
relinquish their plans in favour of positive changes.
Role 4 : Monitor Evaluator
Makes unbiased judgments and assesses the team’s effort from a logical
standpoint.
Strengths: Sober, strategic and discerning. Sees all options
and judges accurately.
Allowable weaknesses: Sometimes lacks the drive and ability
to inspire others and can be overly critical.
Don't be surprised to find that: They could be slow to come
to decisions.
Role 5 : Plant
Thinks outside the box and generates ideas.
Strengths: Creative,
imaginative, free-thinking, generates ideas and solves difficult problems.
Allowable weaknesses: Might ignore incidentals, and may be
too preoccupied to communicate effectively.
Don't be surprised to find that: They could be absent-minded
or forgetful.
Checks out external resources and sifts through existing solutions to
bring the best ones to the team.
Allowable weaknesses: Might be over-optimistic, and can lose
interest once the initial enthusiasm has passed.
Don't be surprised to find that: They might forget to follow
up on a lead.
Drives the team and makes sure things keep moving forward.
Strengths: Challenging,
dynamic, thrives on pressure. Has the drive and courage to overcome obstacles.
Allowable weaknesses: Can be prone to provocation, and may
sometimes offend people's feelings.
Don't be surprised to find that: They could risk becoming
aggressive and bad-humoured in their attempts to get things done.
Brings in the necessary technical expertise.
Strengths: Single-minded,
self-starting and dedicated. They provide specialist knowledge and skills.
Allowable weaknesses: Tends to contribute on a narrow front
and can dwell on the technicalities.
Don't be surprised to find that: They overload you with
information.
Identifies what needs to be done and completes the tasks on behalf of or
in cooperation with the other team members.
Strengths: Co-operative, perceptive and diplomatic. Listens
and averts friction.
Allowable weaknesses: Can be indecisive in crunch situations
and tends to avoid confrontation.
Don't be surprised to find that: They might be hesitant to
make unpopular decisions.
Conclusion
The nine Belbin’s Team Roles are:
1-
Resource Investigator
2-
Team worker
3-
Coordinator (the Social
roles)
4-
Plant
5-
Monitor Evaluator
6-
Specialist (the Thinking Evaluator)
7-
Shaper
8-
Implementer
9-
Completer Finisher (the
Action or Task roles).
Further reading :
- Dr Meredith Belbin Team Roles
