Belbin Methodology

The Nine Roles

When a team is performing well, each team member usually has distinct responsibilities. Equally important, you'll notice that every role required to achieve the team's goal is being played fully and well. Despite clear roles and responsibilities, a team will frequently fall short of its full potential. How frequently does this occur in the teams with which you work? Maybe some team members don't do what you expect them to do. Others may be too rigid, causing things to "fall between the cracks." Perhaps someone who is respected for their expertise fails to see the big picture. Perhaps one team member becomes frustrated because they disagree with another team member's approach.

Understanding Belbin's Model of Team Roles

Belbin identified nine team roles and classified them into three categories: action-oriented, people-oriented, and thought-oriented. Each team role is linked to typical behavioural and interpersonal skills.

The nine roles are:

• Shaper: Shapers are people who push the team to be better. They are dynamic and usually extroverted people who enjoy stimulating others, challenging norms, and figuring out the best ways to solve problems.
• Implementer: Implementers are those who make things happen. They translate the team's ideas and concepts into actionable steps and plans. They are typically conservative, disciplined individuals who work methodically and efficiently and are extremely well organized.
• Complete-Finisher: Completer-Finishers are those who ensure that projects are completed completely. They check for errors and omissions, and they pay attention to the smallest of details.
• Coordinator: Coordinators, also known as "chairpersons," are the people who take on the traditional team-leader role. They direct the team toward what they perceive to be the goals.
• Team Worker: Team Workers are individuals who provide support and ensure that members of their team work effectively together. These team members act as negotiators and are adaptable, diplomatic, and perceptive.
• Resource Investigator: Resource Investigators are creative and inquisitive. They investigate available options, make contacts, and negotiate for team resources.
• Plant: The Plant is the creative innovator who comes up with new ideas and approaches. They thrive on praise, but criticism is especially hard for them to deal with
• Monitor-Evaluator: Monitor-Evaluators excel at analyzing and evaluating ideas generated by others (often Plants). These individuals are astute and objective, carefully weighing the pros and cons of all options before making a decision.
• Specialist: Specialists are people who have specialized knowledge that is required to complete a task. They are proud of their skills and abilities, and they work hard to keep their professional status.

Belbin's Team Roles: How Accurate Are They?

While Belbin suggests that people tend to adopt a specific team role, keep in mind that your behaviour within a team can vary depending on the situation and your relationships with others. In different teams or projects, you and your colleagues may act and interact quite differently. When structuring your team, remember not to rely too heavily on the team roles theory as a manager. This is just one of many factors that go into getting a team to perform at its best.

And if you need more information to adopt this model, you can have a look on our Belbin Methodology training course regarding this method