Belbin Team Roles Dr R. Meredith Belbin – during 1960s conducted research into how people work in teams – to identify what made some teams successful and others less so. What he concluded was that: in order for a team to work successfully, a number of different roles needed to be carried out (sports teams analogy) – eight different roles (plus ninth Specialist – 1988) – and that successful teams tended to have a good balance between the various team roles. 2. people tend to adopt a preferred role within a team – and that different people prefer different roles. In other words… people have: “A tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way.” Research formed the basis of Management Teams: Why they Succeed of Fail (1981) – Belbin team roles. Corollary of recognising the importance of team roles is to devise a means for identifying the team role/roles that we prefer to adopt. Devised the ‘Belbin Self-perception Inventory’.

Belbin Team Roles Shaper Implementer Completer finisher Co-ordinator Teamworker Resource investigator A ‘Team role’ is defined as a pattern of behaviour characteristic of the way in which one team member interacts with others in order to facilitate the progress of the team as a whole. And, crucially, this is also a reflection of our individual personality and strengths/weaknesses preferences So, understanding how you work with other also tells you about how you work by yourself (a team of one) And... by inference, the functions you tend naturally to fulfil, and those that you don’t Working on your own, you might need to adopt different roles at different times, ...to ensure that ‘team you’ is an effective team... (Different hats for different roles) That you don’t get bogged down in the details... Or keep going off at a tangent... Or fret that your work isn’t perfect.. Or spend too much time talking and not enough doing... Or loose interest as the task goes on... Or you lack inspiration and imagination... Plant Monitor evaluator Specialist

Belbin Groupings Shaper Team Leaders Co-ordinator Completer finisher Manager-workers Implementer Teamworker Negotiators Resource investigator Based on convergence of task traits (Belbin) Plant Intellectuals Monitor evaluator Specialist

Belbin Groupings (Fisher et al, 2001) Resource investigator Extraversion Implementer Monitor evaluator Conscientiousness (Specialist?) Teamworker Agreeableness Co-ordinator Based on Jungian personality factors (Belbin) Shaper Neuroticism Completer finisher Openness Plant