belbin team roles productive teams workshop. 2 © 2013 3circle partners llc productive teams...

Belbin Team RolesProductive Teams Workshop

2© 2013 3Circle Partners LLC

Productive Teams Workshop Objectives

Understand your preferred, manageable and least preferred team roles

Gain an appreciation of your self-perception and the perceptions of others of your team role profile

Understand Belbin Team Role Theory and methods in order to be able to effectively apply this research based approach to obtain enhanced business results

Learn to use the Belbin methods in a team setting using a powerful team mapping exercise that highlights the strengths and weaknesses of a team and provides methods to improve business results


Workshop Agenda

Agenda Review

Introduction to Belbin Team Roles

Belbin Review: Productive Teams & Team Roles

Individual Report Interpretation

Team Mapping

Questions, Wrap Up and Bs & Cs


Belbin Team Roles

Dr. Meredith Belbin from Cambridge University devoted over 10 years of research into team effectiveness:

He demonstrated that with a careful balance of technical skills and the optimal behavior patterns, we can select and develop teams with a predictably higher degree of success.

The skill or individual excellence of the team members was not a predictor of a team’s results.

The way that the individual members behaved contributed to or detracted from the team’s effectiveness.

He identified nine predictable behavior patterns or “team roles.”


Belbin Team Roles

Henley Management College (now known as The Henley Business School at the University of Reading – an English triple accredited business school and 3rd largest provider of MBAs in the world)

Almost 10 Years – Intense Observational Research

9 Distinct “Clusters of Behavior” or “Areas of Contribution” emerged


Predicting Team Performance

Predicted Order of

Finish

Actual Order of Finish

1 1

2 3

3 2

4 4

5 5

A typical example of

Belbin’s ability to predict the order of finish of teams in the

Henley Management Simulations.

Predicted

Actual

5

5

4

4

3

3

2 1

2

1

X

X

X

X

X

The red X's on the graph represent the different teams participating in the simulation.

Red X’s on the diagonal line represent where Belbin's predictions and the team's performance matched exactly.


What is a Team Role?

Belbin’s research found that when all 9 “areas

of contribution” – or team roles were

covered (and balanced), that team had a

higher predictability for success and high-

performance.

(versus a “Functional Role,” which refers to the job

demands that a person has to meet by supplying

the requisite technical skills and operational

knowledge)

A tendency to behave, contribute, and

interrelate with others in a particular way --

when working in a team


Team Roles

Nine Roles Identified

The team roles fall into three categories for each person:

Natural or

Preferred

roles

As individuals differ greatly in personality & behavior, so too will their team role compositions vary.

Manageable

roles they

can assume

Least

Preferred

roles


Action-oriented Roles

Shaper

Implementer

Completer Finisher

People-oriented Roles

ThinkingRoles

Team Role Categories

Co-ordinator

Teamworker

Resource Investigator

Plant

Specialist

Monitor Evaluator


The Nine Team RolesA

ctio

n

SHShaper

IMPImplementer

CFCompleter Finisher

Challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure. Has drive to overcome obstacles.

Practical, reliable, efficient. Turns ideas into actions and organizes tasks.

Painstaking, conscientious, anxious.Finds errors. Polishes and perfects.

Peo

ple

TWTeam Worker

RIResource Investigator

COCoordinator

Co-operative, perceptive and diplomatic.Listens and averts friction.

Outgoing, enthusiastic, communicative. Explores opportunities, develops contacts

Mature, confident, identifies talent.Clarifies goals. Delegates effectively.

Allowable Weakness

Ignores incidentals. Too pre-occupied to fully communicate.

Lacks drive and ability to inspire others. Can be overly critical.

Contributes only on a narrow front. Dwells on technicalities.

Prone to provocation.Offends people's feelings.

Somewhat inflexible. Slowto respond to new possibilities.

Inclined to worry unduly.Reluctant to delegate.

Indecisive in crunch situationsAvoids confrontation.

Over-optimistic. Loses interest once initial enthusiasm expires.

Can be seen as manipulative. Offloads own share of the work.

Team Role Contribution

Th

inki

ng

PLPlant

MEMonitor Evaluator

SPSpecialist

Creative, imaginative, free-thinking. Generates ideas & solves hard problems.

Sober, strategic and discerning. Seesall options and judges accurately.

Single-minded, self-starting, dedicated. Provides rare knowledge and skills.


PLANT (PL)

Individual Characteristics

Contribution to the Team

Creative

Imaginative

Unorthodox

Problem solving

Lateral thinking

Innovation

Generates new ideas


PLANT (PL)WEAKNESSES

Allowable Non-Allowable

Out of touch with reality

Ignores incidentals

Strong ownership of ideas when cooperation would yield better results

Discounts other peoplesideas


MONITOR EVALUATOR (ME)



Discerning, objective

Questioning

Sees all options

Defuses over-enthusiasm

Applies reason

Identifies problems


MONITOR EVALUATOR (ME)WEAKNESSES


Uninspiring

Sceptical

Cynical without logic

Overly pessimistic


SPECIALIST (SP)



Has rare skills or knowledge

Dedicated and professional

Single-minded

Ignores factors outside own areas of competence

Keeps up to date

Accurate information

Aware of new developments


SPECIALIST (SP)WEAKNESSES


Contributes on only a limited front

Dwells on specializedpersonal interests

Ignores factors outside own areas of competence

Doesn’t acknowledge wider company objectives


SHAPER (SH)



Challenging

Driving and dynamic

Thrives on pressure

Effective delegator

Leads in difficult situations

Takes hard decisions

Overcomes obstacles


SHAPER (SH)WEAKNESSES


Provocative

Aggressive

Too task-focused

Inability to recover situation through humor or apology

Always think they’re right!


IMPLEMENTER (IMP)



Disciplined

Efficient and organised

Reliable

Practical solutions from ideas

Follows procedures

Turns concept into reality


IMPLEMENTER (IMP)WEAKNESSES


Slow to see possibilities

Somewhat inflexible

Obstructs change for no good reason

A barrier to progress


COMPLETER FINISHER (CF)



Conscientious

Attention to detail

Delivers results

Perfects existing systems

Eradicates errors

Crosses the t’s, dots the i’s


COMPLETER FINISHER (CF)WEAKNESSES


Anxious

Reluctant to delegate

Unreasonably obsessivebehavior

Produces a Rolls-Royce instead of a Mini


COORDINATOR (CO)



Strong sense of objectives

Promotes decision-making

Delegates readily

Good chairman

Leads through empowerment

Chairs meetings

Promotes team contribution


COORDINATOR (CO)WEAKNESSES


Manipulates within reason

Delegates personal workload

Takes credit for the efforts of others

Over-reliance on team work


TEAMWORKER (TW)



Cooperative and supportive

Diplomatic

Averts friction

Good listener

Promotes team spirit

Builds peer relationships

Facilitates communications


TEAMWORKER (TW)WEAKNESSES


Indecisive

Discourages conflict

Avoids pressure situations

No focus on task


RESOURCE INVESTIGATOR (RI)



Excellent communicator

Recognises opportunities

Extroverted

Enthusiastic

Develops contacts

Explores opportunities

Negotiates

Makes external links


RESOURCE INVESTIGATOR (RI)WEAKNESSES


Can be over-optimistic

Loses interest after initialstages

Lets clients down by notfollowing through

Too externally focused


Factors Determining Individual Behavior in a Team

BEHAVIOR

Role learning

External influences

Experience

Values and motivations

Personality

Mental abilities


The Complexity of Team Interaction

1 2 3 4 5 61 2 3 4 5 61 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 61 2 3 4 5 61 2 3 4 5 6

1 2 3 4 5 6

?

?

?

???

??


Team Roles Key Concepts – Individual

Be aware of and manage your Allowable Weaknesses

This is the price to be paid for being good in your preferred roles, e.g., a strong Shaper is going to hurt some peoples feelings as they forge ahead

Ensure that Allowable Weakness does not become “Disallowable”:

Lose a Plant’s attention during a meeting because they are dreaming up a creative solution = OK

Plant forgets to come to meeting because they are thinking about something else = NOT OK!


Team Roles Key Concepts – Individual

Focus on what you do best

Understand and excel in your natural, preferred roles and manage, rather than struggle, to be good at your least-preferred roles


Team Roles Key Concepts – Team

Diversity is essential –

All 9 roles will be needed at some point

Belbin demonstrated that diversity is a key predictor of actual results, it provides a framework for constructive conflict

Doesn’t mean a team needs 9 people (5-6 is typically the ideal)

Each role should be represented within the team

Some roles will be more or less important at a given time or for certain tasks facing the team. Who plays each role may also evolve & change over time.



Beware of having too many of same role on team

!$!***#%!#$!/

Too many Plants – all brainstorming, no action

Too many Monitor Evaluators – analysis paralysis

Too many Shapers – CONFLICT & !!***#%!!/



BEWARE OF LABELLING PEOPLE!!

Everyone has 3 to 6 roles that are preferred or manageable - they may need to switch among these different roles based on the circumstances.

PlantShaper

INDIVIDUAL BELBIN REPORTS

REPORTS


Reading Your Report

Is my report coherent ?

Are my strongest roles consistent across observers and myself ?

Are the weaknesses seen by the observers ‘allowable’ ?

Are my top roles much more evident to the observers than my weaker roles ?

Key Questions to answer


Analysis of your Team Role Composition

The overall rank order on the bottom line is the weighted addition of the Self-Perception and the total of the Observers’ input. The weighting is 57-67% observers, depending on how many observers participated.

What are my Top Roles ?

Ex

am

ple

Re

po

rt


Team Role Overview

Generally, you want to play to your preferred roles whenever possible. Pick the one best suited to the setting, set of tasks or other people you are with.

Sometimes a role outside your top 3 is the one best suited to the situation; think of this as “flexing or stretching”, especially if the role has a lower score.

Try to let others fill your weakest roles.

75 – 100 Clearly Projected

Top RoleRI CO

50 – 74 Strong Roles

TW PL

SP

0 – 49 Delegate to Others?SH ME

IMP CFEx

am

ple

Re

po

rt


Comparing Self and Observer Perceptions

Coherence is the alignment of self-perception and observers’ perceptions of what you do and are good at.

It is important because it is correlated with being self-aware and effectively working with others (playing to your true strengths). Perfect alignment is impossible, but check for large gaps. Most people have some “disconnects” between the two.Differences of 40 or

more

Ex

am

ple

Re

po

rt

This report is based on your Self-Perception plus 5 Observer Assessment


Your Team Role Preferences

In this example, the person feels they excel at three roles (RI, CO, TW), and have little aptitude for four roles (SH, ME, IMP, CF).

The system also checks for consistency in the self-perception data and “drops points” when inconsistencies are found. This person had none, but scores of 5-15 are common.

Ex

am

ple

Re

po

rt


Observed Team Role Strengths and Weaknesses

Some weaknesses are to be expected, especially on the strongest roles. They may occur when you play the role to its proper extent. They are allowable as long as they do not become too extreme.

Having no weakness on a role, especially the stronger ones, may indicate a “hidden strength” (a role that could safely be played more if you choose to).

Are these weaknesses allowable

?

?


List of Observer Responses

This is the complete list of words your observers could choose from to describe your behavior.

All words line up to a specific role as either a strength or associated weakness (italicized).

Maximum score = 2 x number

of observers

Ex

am

ple

Re

po

rt


Team Role FeedbackE

xa

mp

le R

ep

or

t The data on this page is based on common themes for people like yourself.

There are over 250 reports like this in the system. The report in your package was chosen based on what your top roles were and what your weakest role was.

TEAM ROLE MAPPING


Individual, Team, OrganizationIn

div

idu

al T

ea

m

Ro

le R

ep

ort

s

PL

ME

SP

SH

CF

IMP

CO

TW

RI

Mik

e

Susa

n

Tim

John

Beth

Raj Den

ise

PL

ME

SP

SH

CF

IMP

CO

TW

RI

Mik

e

Susa

n

Tim

John

Beth

Raj Den

ise

PL

ME

SP

SH

CF

IMP

CO

TW

RI

Mik

e

Susa

n

Tim

John

Beth

Raj Den

ise

1

3

2

8

9

7

7

8

9

1

2

3

7

8

9

1

2

3

7

8

9

1

2

3

7

8

9

1

2

3

7

8

9

1

2

3

7

8

9

1

2

3

7

8

9

1

2

3

7

8

9

1

2

3

7

8

9

1

2

3

7

8

9

1

2

3

7

8

9

1

2

3

7

8

9

1

2

3

Culture Analysis

Team Maps & Pairs Analysis

Self-Mastery

Self-Management

Self-Awareness

1Organization Awareness &

Change

Team Awareness & Effectiveness

Awareness of Others 2

3


Team Role Mapping Exercise

PL

ME

SP

SH

CF

IMP

CO

TW

RI

Mik

e

Susa

n Ti

m

Jo

hn

B

eth

R

aj

D

enis

e

For each Team Role:• Surplus ?• Void ?• Tendencies?• What

adjustments will be required ?

Use the OVERALL ranking(see page 3 of your report)

Thinking

Action

People

x

x

x

x

x

x

x x x x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x

x x

x

x

These materials, procedures and systems herein contained or depicted are the sole and exclusive property of 3Circle Partners, L.L.C. (“3Circle Partners”).

The contents hereof contain proprietary trade secrets that are the private and confidential property of 3Circle Partners. Unauthorized use, disclosure, or reproduction of any kind of any material contained in this presentation is expressly prohibited. The contents hereof are to be returned immediately upon termination of any relationship or agreement giving user authorization to possess or use such information or materials.

The following terms are registered trademarks of 3Circle Partners: Team Accelerator; Improving Teams; Team Acceleration.

Any unauthorized or illegal use shall subject the user to all remedies, both legal and equitable, available to 3Circle Partners. This material may be altered, amended or supplemented by 3Circle Partners from time to time. In the event of any inconsistency or conflict between a provision in this material and any federal, provincial, state or local statute, regulation, order or other law, such law will supersede the conflicting or inconsistent provision(s) of this material in all properties subject to that law.

®®


Team Role Opposites

MONITOR EVALUATOR

Judges impartially

CO-ORDINATOR

GeneralisesPLANT

Theorizes

RESOURCE

INVESTIGATOR

Recognises

opportunities

SPECIALIST

SpecifiesIMPLEMENTER

Applies

TEAMWORKER

Supports

COMPLETER

FINISHER

Perfects establishedsystems

SHAPER

Drives


Spock Martha Stewart

Warren Buffet

GeneralPatton

MotherTheresa

RobinWilliams

Famous characters and their possible Belbin team-roles


How can Belbin Team Roles helpyou and your team?


Identify natural talents and attributes

Develop these talents rather than dwell on shortcomings

Wherever possible, realign the job demands with the natural talents.

Unleashing the potential of each employee


How Effective Managers Behave

No single combination makes a good manager

Be a good example of who you are

Understand why some people may annoy you and it’s OK


Tips for managers

Be self aware

Take an interest in others

Adapt to the specific demands of your situation

Make the most of the available resources


Chinese

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German

Greek

Italian

Japanese

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Polish

Portuguese

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Russian

Slovak

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Reports currently available in:


Background

DeeDee Smartt Lynch

DeeDee is a Senior Consultant with 3 Circle Partners and contributes her deep expertise in Belbin Teams Roles, a scientifically proven system for designing, developing and improving teams. She currently provides sole source Belbin Accreditation for North America through 3Circle Partners. • While living in the United Kingdom DeeDee launched a new

regional market presence in Manchester, for a successful Scottish OD consulting firm.

• Prior to being a consultant DeeDee was Director of Economic Development in Andrews County, Texas, where she helped establish a regional energy initiative, attracting interest and investment from the nuclear, wind, geo-thermal and coal industries.

• She organized cross state collaborations with local and state entities (including Texas Governor Rick Perry’s Office of Economic Development) to establish and promote a regional nuclear zone.

• DeeDee owned a successful event management company in Austin, Texas specializing in corporate events and reunions, producing over 250 turn-key events. Prior to which DeeDee worked at the Texas State Legislature for three state representatives.

• DeeDee graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a Bachelor of Science in Organizational Communications.

DeeDee Smartt LynchWashington, D.C. Metro Area

[email protected]

240-478-0651


The Crisis Team

Instructions1. Make up a crisis

2. Compose a Crisis Team• Not on the basis of Functional Roles• On the basis of the “Pure” Team Roles

a) What Team Role IN, why?b) What Team Role OUT, why?c) What numbers?d) What tasks?e) Optional: names of well-known people that match the

descriptions

3. Full consensus, everyone has a veto4. Prepare a presentation


The Crisis Team

Report Out

&

De-brief

belbin team roles productive teams workshop. 2 © 2013 3circle partners llc productive teams...

Documents

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preferred team roles

team members

team effectiveness

circle partners llc

team role profile

team role compositions

preferred roles