Author: Kim Schlechtriem
Date: 21.03.2024
Working in teams is very common in a workspace. Collaboration, communication
and commitment are three of many important elements of achieving success while
working in a team. A different aspect which plays a big role is personal character.
How do you function in a team, and how can your traits contribute to the shared
objective?
Belbin Team Roles
A trustworthy and popular tool that can help figure out someone’s strengths,
weaknesses and overall contribution when working in a team are the Belbin Team
Roles. According to this viewpoint, there are 9 different team roles. Which team role
best describes you, depends on your behaviour and apparent personality traits
when working in a team.
Impact on teams
It is very valuable for all employees to do the Belbin questionnaires. By identifying each individual team role, you are able to form stronger and more successful teams. With the knowledge of each team role, teams can be formed wherein each member complements each other. To form a high-performing team, the team roles should be balanced. This means there should be a diverse mix of behaviours within the team.
Not only new teams, but also existing teams will notice many benefits to identifying each Belbin Team Role. By identifying each member’s strengths and weaknesses, teamwork can be customised. It can contribute to more effective communication and instigate an improved task distribution within the team. It can also make individuals more confident in their role, as they identify more of their behaviour and traits.
The Nine Roles
So what are the nine Belbin Team Roles? The Resource Investigator is an extrovert by nature and explores new opportunities and ideas to bring back to the team. Next up is the Teamworker who is very cooperative and diplomatic. They help the team to gel. Another role is the Co-ordinator who helps focus on the team’s objectives and delegates the work appropriately between team members. Following is the Plant; they are highly creative and have an exquisite problem-solving ability.
The Monitor Evaluator is a sober and strategic member who has a logical perspective. Next is the Specialist who, the name already gives it away, is a specialist in a specific area of the team and can bring in-depth knowledge. Furthermore we have the Shaper who helps the team to focus. They provide a necessary drive to help the team not lose momentum. The Implementer plans a strategy and turns ideas into actions. They are reliable, practical and efficient. Lastly, the role of the Complete Finisher, whose traits are used most effectively at the end of tasks. They manage quality control by polishing and scrutinising errors.
You identify with multiple roles
After reading the different roles, you might come to think that multiple of them resonate with you. Everyone is diverse and has many different personality traits and behaviours, in a team, but also in their personal life. This is why, after doing the questionnaires, the results will show multiple roles. Each has their own percentage of how strongly they appear in your profile, however all are applicable to you.
Conclusion
Belbin Team Roles is not just a theory. It is a practical tool to help individuals, teams and organisations work more effectively to achieve business objectives. The Belbin questionnaires help identify an individual’s team role. It makes team members more self aware about their behavioural strengths and weaknesses. This all contributes to more effective and high-performing teamwork.
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