Belbin Team Roles in Project Management

Developed by Zahra Al-Mosawi (S193938)

Big Idea

Background

The Belbin Team Roles is a theory developed by Meredith Belbin in collaboration with the mathematician Bill Hartson, the anthropologist Jeanne Fisher, and the occupational psychologist Roger Mottram, following nine years of study [x]. The study was executed at the Administrative Staff College in Henley, which included yearly participation in three business games with eight teams per game, several meetings, observations, categorisations, records of different team members' contributions and psychometric tests. By analysing the study results, Meredith Belbin and his research team could find a connection between team members' various combinations of personalities and behaviours and the overall team performance. It became clear that it was the balance of behaviour rather than the intellect that enabled a team to be successful. The study also showed that companies with a mix of different people and different behaviours tended to be the most successful.

Eight distinct clusters of behaviour called "Belbin Team Roles" were identified during the study [x]. Later on, an additional Team Role based on specialist knowledge was identified. According to Meredith Belbin, a "Team Role" is defined as "a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way.". As a part of the research, it was observed that various people showed characteristics of different Team Roles to varying degrees and that the best performing teams are the ones that had included all Team Roles. With the gained insight from the study, Dr Belbin developed the Belbin Team Role Self-Perception Inventory (BTRSPI), a test that measures behaviour based on the nine Team Roles and defines an individual’s role in a team. Today the BTRSPI test and the Belbin Team Roles theory are widely used by several companies to identify behavioral strengths and weaknesses in different workplaces. A further description of the BTRSPI test and the nine Team Roles can be found later in this article.

The Theory in Relation to Project Management

Success in project performance is often linked to high performing teams [1]. Therefore, project managers need to develop high performing teams to achieve project success effectively and efficiently. The PMBOK® Guide confirms this statement by stating that developing a project team helps improve the people skill, technical competencies, the overall team environment, and project performance [2]. In this process, it is important to consider that different people have different characteristics and preferences regarding certain work and team roles. As the Belbin Team Roles theory is utilised as a tool to determine an individual's role in a team, it can be useful for project managers to assess these characteristics and preferences and build balanced teams where the right people are assigned to the right project roles and tasks. PRINCE2 states that for a project to be successful, it must have a clear team structure with specified roles and responsibilities for the involved people and an effective approach for communication [3]. Understanding various people's behaviours and personalities and knowing how they influence each other can help project managers put together teams with defined roles and responsibilities and a potential for a good environment and effective communication. As people are the central part when developing project teams and making progress in the project, it is crucial to get an insight into how they behave and what type of characteristics they have when working with others. Here is where the theory of Belbin Team Roles can be linked to project management practices and act as a helpful tool.

Application

Belbin's Nine Team Roles

Plant (PL)

Resource Investigator (RI)

Co-ordinator (CO)

Team Worker (TW)

Monitor Evaluator (ME)

Shaper (SH)

Implementer (IMP)

Completer Finisher (CF)

Specialist (SP)