People and Organization (P&O)

Team Roles in a Nutshell

Ever wondered why some teams just seem to work

and others hit the rocks? When things don’t work, it

is obvious to all and it often has a profound effect on

the people involved, as well as the project or

objective tobeachieved.

In the 1970s, Dr Meredith Belbin and his research

team at Henley Management College set about

observing teams, with a view to finding out where

andhow thesedifferences comeabout. Theywanted

to control the dynamics of teams to discover if – and

how–problemscouldbepre-emptedandavoided.

Over a period of nine years, international management teams were studied. Each participant

completed a battery of psychometric tests, so that attributes such as personality and behaviour

couldbebrought intoplayand their effectson the teamcouldbeaccurately considered.

As the research progressed, the research revealed that the difference between success and failure

for a team was not dependent on factors such as intellect, but more on behaviour. The researchfor a team was not dependent on factors such as intellect, but more on behaviour. The research

team began to identify separate clusters of behaviour, each of which formed distinct team

contributions or “Team Roles”. A Team Role came to be defined as: “A tendency to behave,

contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way.” It was found that different individuals

displayeddifferent TeamRoles to varyingdegrees.

The first Team Role to be identified was the “Plant”. The role was so-called because one such

individual was “planted” in each team. They tended to be highly creative and good at solving

problems inunconventionalways.

One by one, the other TeamRoles began to emerge. The Monitor Evaluator was needed to provide

a logical eye, make impartial judgements where required and to weigh up the team’s options in a

dispassionate way. Co-ordinators were needed to focus on the team’s objectives, draw out team

membersanddelegateworkappropriately.

When the team was at risk of becoming isolated and inwardly-focused, Resource Investigators

provided inside knowledgeon theopposition andmade sure that the team’s ideawould carry to the

worldoutside the team. Implementers wereneeded toplanapractical,workable strategy and carry

it out as efficiently as possible. Completer Finishers weremost effectively used at the endof a task,

to “polish” and scrutinise the work for errors, subjecting it to the highest standards of quality

control. Teamworkers helped the team to gel, using their versatility to identify the work required

and complete it on behalf of the team. Challenging individuals, known as Shapers, provided the

necessarydrive toensure that the teamkeptmovinganddidnot lose focusormomentum.

Whilst someTeamRolesweremore “highprofile” and some teammembers shoutedmore loudly than

others, each of the behaviours was essential in getting the team successfully from start to finish. The

keywasbalance. For example,MeredithBelbin found that a teamwithnoPlant struggled to comeup

with the initial spark of an idea with which to push forward. However, once too many Plants were in

the team, bad ideas concealed good ones and non-starters were given too much airtime. Similarly,

withno Shaper, the teamambledalongwithout drive anddirection,missingdeadlines. With toomany

Shapers, in-fightingbeganandmoralewas lowered.

As well as the strength or contribution they provided, each Team Role was also found to have an

“allowable weakness”: a flipside of the behavioural characteristics, which is allowable in the team

because of the strength which goes with it. For example, the unorthodox Plant could be forgetful or

scatty; or theResource Investigatormight forget to followupona lead. Co-ordinatorsmight get over-

enthusiastic on thedelegation front and Implementersmight be slow to relinquish their plans in favour

of positive changes. Completer Finishers, often driven by anxiety to get things right, were found to

take their perfectionism to extremes. Teamworkers, concerned with the welfare and morale of the

team, found it difficult to make decisions where this morale might be compromised or team politics,

involved. Shapers riskedbecomingaggressiveandbad-humoured in their attempts to get thingsdone.

It was only after the initial research had been completed that the ninth Team Role, “Specialist”

emerged. The simulated management exercises had been deliberately set up to require no previous

knowledge. In the real world, however, the value of an individual with in-depth knowledge of a key

area came to be recognised as yet another essential team contribution or Team Role. Just like the

other Team Roles, the Specialist also had a weakness: a tendency to focus narrowly on their ownother Team Roles, the Specialist also had a weakness: a tendency to focus narrowly on their own

subjectof choice, and toprioritise this over the team’sprogress.

The Team Roles that Meredith Belbin identified are used widely in thousands of organisations all over

the world today. By identifying our Team Roles, we can ensure that we use our strengths to

advantage and that we manage our weaknesses as best we can. Sometimes, thismeans being aware

of thepitfalls andmakinganeffort to avoid them.

Most people have a number of “preferred Team Roles” or behaviours they frequently and naturally

display. We also have “manageable roles”, roles which might not be the most natural course of

behaviour for us, but which we can assume if required and might wish to cultivate. Lastly, we have

least preferred roles, thosewe shouldnot assume, sincewe’ll be playing against type. In this instance,

the effort is likely to be great, and the outcome, poor. If work requires Team Roles other than our

own, it is a much better bet to find and work with others who possess roles complementary to our

own. Since people tend to display more than one preferred role, a team of four could quite easily

representall nineBelbinTeamRoles.

So, in a nutshell, the Belbin philosophy is about celebrating – and making the most of – individual

differences. The message is that there is room for everyone in the team: all positive contributions

are welcome.

www.belbin.com© Belbin Associates 2011