Effective teams with Belbin
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== Introducing Belbin’s team roles == | == Introducing Belbin’s team roles == | ||
In 1981 the first edition of “Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail” by Belbin was published. It peaked in sales nine years after the first publication and has been popular ever since. Meredith Belbin made the Team Role model concerning management teams. Nine team roles were introduced, and the roles were defined as a pattern of behavior characteristics [6]. People were keen to learn more about their Team Role profiles and discover how to get the advantage of their potential. The Belbin methodology has had great success and is today used in more than 20 countries around the world for both private and public sectors [4]. | In 1981 the first edition of “Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail” by Belbin was published. It peaked in sales nine years after the first publication and has been popular ever since. Meredith Belbin made the Team Role model concerning management teams. Nine team roles were introduced, and the roles were defined as a pattern of behavior characteristics [6]. People were keen to learn more about their Team Role profiles and discover how to get the advantage of their potential. The Belbin methodology has had great success and is today used in more than 20 countries around the world for both private and public sectors [4]. | ||
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| + | == Dr. Meredith Belbin == | ||
| + | Meredith Belbin is educated at the University of Cambridge, where he completed a two-year course in psychology. Afterward, Meredith got a Ph.D. with a focus on the psychology of aging in the industry. Years after his doctorate he began a research project to study management teams in action. Some organizations were selected; games were conducted, and data was collected. This research formed the basis of the Team Role theory. Belbin continued his research, studying intellectual abilities and teamwork, and in 1981 his book on Team Role theory was published. | ||
== Application and use == | == Application and use == | ||
| + | The model is based on nine years of different team composition experiments, personality tests, research, and observations on human behavior [3]. | ||
| + | Belbin stated that individuals tend to have distinctive natural roles in teams. These roles are defined as nine roles with different characteristics. The model suggests that successful and effective teams need to have individuals who can perform eight key roles, later in 1993 the model got refined and a ninth role was added [6]. Team roles are defined as a pattern of behavior characteristic of, how a team member interacts with the rest of a team to help the progress of the team's work. If a team fills out all roles, the individuals will complement each other's strengths and limit their weaknesses [3]. | ||
| + | Belbin’s Team Roles is a method of measuring and advising individuals about their behavioral tendencies [4], while it is also a tool to help individuals, teams, and organizations to work more effectively. Belbin has developed a guide that can help find strengths and weaknesses within a group and to define and develop high-performance teams. Project managers can use the model to create teams with a complementary combination of individuals with different skills and personalities. A team with all skills represented has the potential to achieve success, however, the team will still need to be managed properly to obtain their goals [3]. | ||
| + | To create a high-performance team, it is therefore important to complete a Team Role inventory of colleagues and examine what the team is possessing and what it is missing. Belbin Interplace [9] is a website, which can be used for recruitment and providing individual profiles. The website has been used for recruitment to ensure that team members fit the team and can contribute to more efficient work and better management. Additionally, the website can be used for career development and mentoring. This is done by providing feedback on team strengths and career directions. Belbin can provide information for managers and their teams, to understand, engage and develop different team members [3]. | ||
== The Belbin structure and team roles == | == The Belbin structure and team roles == | ||
Revision as of 12:08, 18 February 2022
The English psychologist Meredith Belbin has developed a team role concept called the Belbin Team Role Inventory, which is made to optimize and balance teamwork. In a well-balanced team using the Team Role Inventory concept, it is possible to weigh out the group's weaknesses and exploit the group's full potential. Belbin's team roles are composed and developed to create high-performing teams. Through years of human behavior studies, Belbin has developed a model that explains how people cooperate and used it to find nine team roles who should be present in teams to ensure efficiency and quality. During the years after Belbin’s team role analysis was revealed, multiple studies have been made for validity and reliability. Stephen Swailes has examined the team roles in different studies attempting to validate Belbin’s theory. Swailes found that the model is relatively valid despite indications of weak discriminant validity among some of the team roles [5].
Contents |
Introducing Belbin’s team roles
In 1981 the first edition of “Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail” by Belbin was published. It peaked in sales nine years after the first publication and has been popular ever since. Meredith Belbin made the Team Role model concerning management teams. Nine team roles were introduced, and the roles were defined as a pattern of behavior characteristics [6]. People were keen to learn more about their Team Role profiles and discover how to get the advantage of their potential. The Belbin methodology has had great success and is today used in more than 20 countries around the world for both private and public sectors [4].
Dr. Meredith Belbin
Meredith Belbin is educated at the University of Cambridge, where he completed a two-year course in psychology. Afterward, Meredith got a Ph.D. with a focus on the psychology of aging in the industry. Years after his doctorate he began a research project to study management teams in action. Some organizations were selected; games were conducted, and data was collected. This research formed the basis of the Team Role theory. Belbin continued his research, studying intellectual abilities and teamwork, and in 1981 his book on Team Role theory was published.
Application and use
The model is based on nine years of different team composition experiments, personality tests, research, and observations on human behavior [3]. Belbin stated that individuals tend to have distinctive natural roles in teams. These roles are defined as nine roles with different characteristics. The model suggests that successful and effective teams need to have individuals who can perform eight key roles, later in 1993 the model got refined and a ninth role was added [6]. Team roles are defined as a pattern of behavior characteristic of, how a team member interacts with the rest of a team to help the progress of the team's work. If a team fills out all roles, the individuals will complement each other's strengths and limit their weaknesses [3]. Belbin’s Team Roles is a method of measuring and advising individuals about their behavioral tendencies [4], while it is also a tool to help individuals, teams, and organizations to work more effectively. Belbin has developed a guide that can help find strengths and weaknesses within a group and to define and develop high-performance teams. Project managers can use the model to create teams with a complementary combination of individuals with different skills and personalities. A team with all skills represented has the potential to achieve success, however, the team will still need to be managed properly to obtain their goals [3]. To create a high-performance team, it is therefore important to complete a Team Role inventory of colleagues and examine what the team is possessing and what it is missing. Belbin Interplace [9] is a website, which can be used for recruitment and providing individual profiles. The website has been used for recruitment to ensure that team members fit the team and can contribute to more efficient work and better management. Additionally, the website can be used for career development and mentoring. This is done by providing feedback on team strengths and career directions. Belbin can provide information for managers and their teams, to understand, engage and develop different team members [3].
