UNDERSTANDING TEAM ROLES

One of the most important functions of a manager is to build a team which will perform effectively and contribute to the success of a business.

The art of team-building has been studied by many people, but possibly the most interesting work on the subject has been done by Dr Meredith Belbin. He studied team-work for many years and observed that people in teams tend to assume different "team roles." He defined a team role as "a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way" and named nine team roles that he argued underlie team success.

His original insight has been to identify the individual roles which are crucial to a successful team. He argues that while individuals in a management group have their formal job titles - accountant, designer, marketing director, production manager, etc. - they also perform a variety of 'personality team roles': the idea man, the organiser, the unorthodox genius, the stickler for detail, the diplomat, and so on. However, a successful team need not be made up of nine members since some people may be more than one personality type. Thus a team of three could work together very successfully if, among them, the members combined the nine personality types.

Team leaders and team development practitioners often use the Belbin model to help create more balanced teams. Teams can become unbalanced if all team members have similar styles of behavior or team roles. If team members have similar weakness, the team as a whole may tend to have that weakness. If team members have similar team-work strengths, they may tend to compete (rather than co-operate) for the team tasks and responsibilities that best suit their natural styles.

Knowing this, you can use the model with your team to help ensure that necessary team roles are covered, and that potential behavioral tensions or weaknesses among the team member are addressed. Also, by understanding your role within a particular team, you can develop your strengths and manage your weaknesses as a team member, and so improve how you contribute to the team.

Belbin identified nine team roles and he categorized those roles into three groups: Action Oriented, People Oriented, and Thought Oriented.

TEXT 4

Read the text and name the main characteristics of each type. Suggest your variants of translation of the team roles into Russian. To which type do you belong?

Each team role is associated with typical behavioral and interpersonal strengths.

Shaper (SH). Shapers are people who challenge the team to improve. They are dynamic and usually extroverted people who enjoy stimulating others, questioning norms, and finding the best approaches for solving problems. The Shaper is the one who shakes things up to make sure that all possibilities are considered and that the team does not become complacent. Shapers often see obstacles as exciting challenges and they tend to have the courage to push on when others feel like quitting. Their potential weaknesses may be that they're argumentative, and that they may offend people's feelings.

Implementer (IMP). Implementers are the people who get things done. They turn the team's ideas and concepts into practical actions and plans. They are typically conservative, disciplined people who work systematically and efficiently and are very well organized. These are the people who you can count on to get the job done. On the downside, Implementers may be inflexible and can be somewhat resistant to change.

Completer-Finisher (CF). Completer-Finishers are the people who see that projects are completed thoroughly. They ensure there have been no errors or omissions and they pay attention to the smallest of details. They are very concerned with deadlines and will push the team to make sure the job is completed on time. They are described as perfectionists who are orderly, conscientious, and anxious. However, a Completer-Finisher may worry unnecessarily, and may find it hard to delegate.

Coordinator (CO). Coordinators are the ones who take on the traditional team-leader role and have also been referred to as the chairmen. They guide the team to what they perceive are the objectives. They are often excellent listeners and they are naturally able to recognize the value that each team members brings to the table. They are calm and good-natured and delegate tasks very effectively. Their potential weaknesses are that they may delegate away too much personal responsibility, and may tend to be manipulative.

Team Worker (TW). Team Workers are the people who provide support and make sure that people within the team are working together effectively. These people fill the role of negotiators within the team and they are flexible, diplomatic, and perceptive. These tend to be popular people who are very capable in their own right, but who prioritize team cohesion and helping people getting along. Their weaknesses may be a tendency to be indecisive, and to maintain uncommitted positions during discussions and decision-making.

Resource Investigator (RI). Resource Investigators are innovative and curious. They explore available options, develop contacts, and negotiate for resources on behalf of the team. They are enthusiastic team members, who identify and work with external stakeholders to help the team accomplish its objective. They are outgoing and are often extroverted, meaning that others are often receptive to them and their ideas. On the downside, they may lose enthusiasm quickly, and are often overly optimistic.

Plant (PL). 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. Plants are often introverted and prefer to work apart from the team. Because their ideas are so novel, they can be impractical at times. They may also be poor communicators and can tend to ignore given parameters and constraints.

Monitor-Evaluator (ME). Monitor-Evaluators are best at analyzing and evaluating ideas that other people (often Plants) come up with. These people are shrewd and objective and they carefully weigh the pros and cons of all the options before coming to a decision. Monitor-Evaluators are critical thinkers and very strategic in their approach. They are often perceived as detached or unemotional. Sometimes they are poor motivators who react to events rather than instigating them.

Specialist (SP). Specialists are people who have specialized knowledge that is needed to get the job done. They pride themselves on their skills and abilities, and they work to maintain their professional status. Their job within the team is to be an expert in the area, and they commit themselves fully to their field of expertise. This may limit their contribution, and lead to a preoccupation with technicalities at the expense of the bigger picture.

The Belbin Team Roles Model can be used in several ways - you can use it to think about team balance before a project starts, you can use it to highlight and so manage interpersonal differences within an existing team, and you can use it to develop yourself as a team player.

Task I. Belbin defined typical feature, positive qualities and characteristic weaknesses that tend to accompany each team role. He called the characteristic weaknesses of team roles the "allowable" weaknesses; as for any behavioral weakness, these are areas to be aware of and potentially improved. Study the characteristics given below the table. Work in pairs and complete the table using the information from the text and the data given below.

I. Typical features:

1. socially oriented; 2. rather mild; 3. sober; 4. self-starting; 5. extroverted; 6. calm; 7. conservative; 8. individualistic; 8. controlled; 9.anxious; 10. unemotional; 11. curious; 12. single-minded; 13. orderly; 14. self-confident; 15. dutiful; 16. prudent; 17. outgoing; 18. predictable; 19. enthusiastic; 20. sensitive; 21. conscientious; 22. serious-minded; 23. dynamic; 24. unorthodox; 25. highly-strung; 26. painstaking; 27. introverted; 28. persistent; 29. energetic; 30. meticulous; 31. innovative

II. Positive qualities:

1. firing knowledge or skills in rare supply; 2. organizing ability; 3. strong sense of objectives; 4. perfectionism; 5. ability to respond to challenge; 6. imagination; 7. drive and readiness to challenge inertia; 8. judgment; 9. practical common sense; 10. hard-working; 11. discretion; 12. self-discipline; 13. hard-headedness; 14. capacity to follow through; 15. ability to respond to situations and people; 16. intellect; 17, ability to promote team spirit; 18. knowledge; 19. genius; 20. capacity for contacting people; 21. absence of prejudices; 22. capacity for exploring anything new; 23. capacity for treating and welcoming all potential contributors on their merits.

III. Allowable weaknesses:

1. contributes only on narrow front; 2. tendency to worry about small things; 3. lack of flexibility; 4. lack of inspiration; 5. unresponsiveness to unproven ideas; 6. Irritation; 7. liable to lose interest once the initial fascination has passed; 8. lack of ability to motivate others; 9. indecisiveness at moments of crisis; 10. inclined to disregard practical details or protocol; 11. lip in the clouds; 12. proneness to provocation; 13. Impatience; 14. no more than ordinary in terms of intellect; 15. reluctance to let go; 16. lack of creative ability.

Task II. Work in pairs or in small groups and ‘draw the portrait’ of a Belarusian team worker. Present the results of your discussion to the rest of the class. Remember to use the conversational formulas from File “Useful Language”.

TEXT 5

Read the following text about a successful team and comment on the ideas discussed in it.

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