Groups and Teams: The influence of team roles on performance

In the blog last week, we examined the challenge of developing matrix team leaders. This week we shall explore the importance of team role behaviour based on the Belbin theory that is widely implemented in numerous organisations in diverse cross-cultural contexts.

Understanding the Belbin team model

Belbin developed his team role theory based on research at Henley Management Centre in the UK. He identified that successful teams are composed of people with a diverse mix of behavioural attributes that contribute to team dynamics and effectiveness.

This theory is widely used in organisational settings to improve performance. He argues that by identifying and understanding different roles, leaders can establish balanced teams that capitalise on diverse strengths. Then, a self-evaluation questionnaire is available online that can be used to identify team roles.

The four Belbin team role attributes

Identifying team role behavioural characteristics

Even without colleagues completing the self-evaluation questionnaire, it is usually possible to identify the roles played by team members just by observing their style of behaviour and contributions. The key role characteristics are illustrated below.

Coordinator

They attempt to summarise, clarify, and synthesise contributions to achieve agreements. They can be manipulative and careless with time management issues.

Shaper

They are usually the easiest role to identify as they speak early and often, while frequently engaging in assertive argumentation. They can dominate the conversation, speak for the sake of speaking without thinking deeply about the consequences, and then can become sulky or aggressive if challenged.

Resource investigator

They make frequent positive contributions offering practical solutions to problems based on their access to a network of contacts and materials. They can be over optimistic regarding what can be achieved, make promises without considering the consequences, and then lose interest in actual task completion.

Team worker

They show sensitivity to the feelings to others and act as the peacemaker seeking compromises. They can be too people-centred and fail to focus on task achievement.

Monitor / Evaluator

They operate as the critical thinker of the team, challenging weak ideas, inaccuracies in proposed actions and spotting errors in the evidence. They can be aggressive, insensitive to the feelings of other colleagues, and reckless in terms of the politics of the situation.

Plant

They speak infrequently, but occasional offer highly creative and invaluable solutions to problems. They are often withdrawn for long periods of time and can show frustration at even having to attend the meeting. Also, they can lack emotional intelligence and have limited social skills.

Implementer

They speak infrequently but offer practical and efficient ways to manage situations. They are methodical and highly reliable when given a task. They can lack critical and creative thinking ability and often need to be told what to do in some detail before they can act.

Completer / Finisher

They focus painstakingly on the detail of task completion rather than the big picture. They become stressed when colleagues fail to consider the importance of practical issues. They frequently make comments such as, ‘I’m sorry, but I’m lost’, ‘Do you mean X?’, ‘Who will do Y?’ or ‘What will happen if …?’ They can become so concerned with the detail that time management becomes a problem.

To conclude, in the blog next week we shall explore some of the key soft skills that can be developed in a team context.

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Question 1

Why would the shaper role be unusual in some cultural contexts?

Question 2

Which Belbin team role personalities are liable to frequently clash during meetings?

Question 3

What is the range of key soft skills that teamworking can help develop?

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We shall explore Question 3 in the next blog.

Reference

Belbin, R. M. (1996). Team roles and a self-perception inventory. In J. Billsberry (Ed.), The effective manager: Perspectives and illustrations (pp. 182–189). Open University Press