Belbin’s Team Roles (Unit 9 P3)
Unit 9: Teambuilding in Business. Resources for BTEC Business Studies
Dr Meredith Belbin studied a variety of teams and found that in the most effective teams, there were nine behaviors displayed across the people within the team; shaper, implementer, completer finisher, co-ordinator, team worker, resource investigator, plant, monitor evaluator and specialist.
When recruiting members for a team, leaders should assess the characteristics of their existing teams to assess whether there are team roles that are lacking. This does not mean there are nine people in every team as multiple behaviours can be displayed by the same person.
Go to https://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles/ for more details on Belbin’s team Role Theory.
The 9 Belbin Team Roles
Action Oriented Roles
Shaper
Implementer
Completer finisher
People-Oriented Roles
Co-ordinator
Teamworker
Resource investigator
Thought-Oriented Roles
Plant
Monitor evaluator
Specialist
Action Oriented Roles
Shaper
Shapers are people who enjoy a challenge and thrive in high pressure situations. They often take the lead when problems arise and push the team to act quickly in devising and implementing solutions.
Monitor Evaluator
Monitor evaluators are critical thinkers who bring a logical approach to decision making. They are measured in their response to problems and objectively weigh up the pros and cons of any decision.
Teamworker
Teamworkers are members of the team who are cooperative and aim to identify work to complete for the benefit of the team. They want the team to get along with each other so will often be neutral in decision-making to avoid conflict.
People Oriented Roles
Implementer
Implementers are people who can turn ideas into actionable steps. They can organise and monitor the workload of others to ensure tasks are completed on time and project ideas are actualised.
Completer Finisher
Completer finishers are people who place importance on completing tasks to a high standard. They are good at noticing details that others may miss and will actively review the work of the team to check for errors.
Specialist
Specialists are people who have in-depth knowledge and expertise in a specific area lacking by the rest of the team. They may be relied on for advice or to take the lead in situations related to their area of expertise.
Thinking Oriented Roles
Plant
Plants and imaginative and creative members of the team who are good at offering creative ideas and solutions to problems. They may offer ideas that others may not have considered.
Resource Investigator
Resource investigators are people who are highly skilled in identifying and locating resources the team needs for a project. This involves having a good awareness of the outside world and being able to make useful connections.
Coordinator
Coordinators are people who have the ability to guide a team towards their common goals. This may be done through clarifying objectives, identifying talents, delegating responsibility and maintaining focus and direction.
Applying Belbin Team Role Theory
Sample work for Unit 9 Teambuilding in Business. BTEC Level 3 Business Studies
| Belbin Team Roles at John Lewis | |
|---|---|
| Shaper | In the job description for ‘Technical Support Partner’ at John Lewis, one of the specified roles is, ‘troubleshooting technical issues as a first point of resolution where possible’. According to Belbin, shapers are the team members that take the lead when problems arise and act quickly to devise solutions. By specifying the importance of troubleshooting in the job description, they are actively trying to attract people who demonstrate the attributes of a shaper. |
| Implementer | In the job description for Principal Engineer (Waitrose Supply Chain) at John Lewis, a key role specified is, ‘influencing how work is managed—whether agile, waterfall, or hybrid—ensuring that engineering practices align with the broader Partnership engineering strategy, and influencing team structure and resource models to deliver optimal engineering capabilities.’ This demonstrates that they are looking for a person who is going to turn the ideas in the Partnership engineering strategy into actionable steps and manage the workforce in achieving them which is the role of an implementer in a team. |
| Completer finisher | In the John Lewis recruitment pages, it states, ‘In our Partners, we look for those who take great pride in their work and strive for the highest standards. As a co-owner, we want you to treat where you work as your own and take great care in the service we provide to our customers.’ As key attributes of completer finishers are to complete all tasks to a high standard, John Lewis are encouraging applications from people who hold the attributes of completer finishers by encouraging partners to strive for high standards. |
| Co-ordinator | In the job description for Manager (Food Services),it states, ‘proven ability to lead and motivate teams’. According to Belbin, coordinators are people who have the ability to guide a team towards common goals. By asking for applications from people who have proof of leadership and motivation in other roles, John Lewis are taking steps to ensure their managers can effectively fulfil the role of coordinators. |
| Teamworker | In the job descriptions for a range of roles including Supermarket Assistant and Night Replenishment Supermarket Assistant, it states, ‘working with the wider shop team to support when needed including; checkout support, managing Click & Collect orders, fulfilling on-demand customer orders and more.’ According to Belbin, teamworkers are people who are cooperative and aim to find work to complete to support the goals of the whole team. The decision of John Lewis to include responsibilities such as supporting the wider team demonstrates their aim to recruit staff who fulfil the role of teamworkers. |
| Resource investigator | In the person specification for Senior Social Executive, it states, ‘Multiple stakeholder management - strong levels of communication required for presenting to, reporting to and influencing multiple stakeholders.’ According to Belbin, one of the key roles of a resource investigator is to have a good awareness of the outside world and to make connections. By identifying stakeholder management as an essential skill for the role, John Lewis is aiming to attract people who have skills of resource investigators as communicating with and influencing stakeholders. This skill would support the team in accessing resources from a range of stakeholders such as negotiating deals with suppliers that they need to achieve their goals. |
| Plant | In the job descriptions for a range of roles including Skilled Operational Partner, it states ‘looking for opportunities to reduce wastage and therefore protect our profits.’ According to Belbin, plants are people who offer creative ideas and solutions to problems that may not have been considered by others. By stating this in the job description with the job advert, John Lewis are communicating the importance of having plants in their teams to generate ideas. |
| Monitor evaluator | In the job description for, ‘Estimator, Furnishing Fabrics’, one of the key responsibilities is stated as, ‘providing accurate and reliable estimates for our customers' home improvement projects.’ According to Belbin, monitor evaluators bring a logical approach to decision making and can objectively weigh up pros and cons of any decision. The focus on accuracy and reliability in making estimates to customers in the job description highlight the importance of monitor evaluator traits in team members responsible for evaluating the cost of individualised projects for customers. |
| Specialist | According to Belbin, specialists have in-depth knowledge and expertise that may be lacking in the rest of the team. In many of the job descriptions at John Lewis specific skills or qualifications are asked for depending on the role. This include a ‘category B manual UK driving licence’ for the role of Skilled Operational Partner, ‘Chartered Surveyor or MSc level qualification in relevant discipline or suitable experience of managing construction within a retail/supermarket environment’ for the role of Construction Project Manager and ‘Food Hygiene Certificate Level 2’ for the role of Chef De Partie. By ensuring that members of the team have specific specialisms, John Lewis are ensuring there is somebody who can provide advice and take the lead in situations where their expertise is most relevant. |
