Team WorkWhat sort of team worker are

you?

There are many different ‘types’ of team workers...

Can you see yourself in any of these characters?

Team

A good team consists of all different types of characters.

Dr Meredith Belbin came up with a way to identify team roles.

He says that each Team Role has its particular strengths and allowable

weaknesses, and each has an important contribution to make to a team.

Very few people display characteristics of just one Team Role. Most people have 3 or 4

preferred roles, which can be adopted or eschewed as the situation requires.

Belbin Team roles

Belbin Team roles

• Plant• Resource Investigator• Co-ordinator• Shaper• Monitor/ Evaluator• Team worker• Implementer• Completer / Finisher• Specialist

Overall Belbin roles Description

Doing / acting

Implementer Well-organized and predictable. Takes basic ideas and makes them work in practice. Can be slow.

Shaper Lots of energy and action, challenging others to move forwards. Can be insensitive.

Completer/FinisherReliably sees things through to the end, ironing out the wrinkles and ensuring everything works well. Can worry too much and not trust others.

Thinking / problem- solving

Plant Solves difficult problems with original and creative ideas. Can be poor communicator and may ignore the details.

Monitor/Evaluator Sees the big picture. Thinks carefully and accurately about things. May lack energy or ability to inspire others.

Specialist Has expert knowledge/skills in key areas and will solve many problems here. Can be disinterested in all other areas.

People / feelings

Coordinator Respected leader who helps everyone focus on their task. Can be seen as excessively controlling.

Team worker Cares for individuals and the team. Good listener and works to resolve social problems. Can have problems making difficult decisions.

Resource/investigator Explores new ideas and possibilities with energy and with others. Good networker. Can be too optimistic and lose energy after the initial flush.

In team work what type of roles do you display?

Look at the sheet. Read it all carefully. Using a high lighter, high light the descriptions that best

describe you.

Reflection

Look at the high lighted sheet...

In teamwork what sort of characteristics do you display?

What are your strengths?

What weaknesses do you need to manage?

Now that you have looked at yourself as an individual within a team..

You need to look at what type of group gives successful team work..

Individual Group

What are the properties of groups?Definable membershipa collection of three or more people identifiable by name or

typeGroup consciousnessthe members think of themselves as a groupSense of shared purposethe members share some common task or goals or interestsInterdependencethe members need the help of one another to accomplish the

purpose for which they joined the groupInteractionthe members communicate with one another, influence one

another, react to one anotherAbility to work as a cohesive unitan ability to act together, as one

Individual Group

Task

Team Work

Balanced teamsTeams work best when there is a balance of primary roles and when team members know their roles, work to their strengths and actively manage weaknesses.

To achieve the best balance, there should be: One Co-ordinator or Shaper (not both) for leader A Plant to stimulate ideas A Monitor/evaluator to maintain honesty and clarity One or more Implementer, Team worker, Resource investigator or Completer/finisher to make things happen

Task: Pick your team

Think about all the things that you have just seen/ heard about.

You need to talk to the people around you and find out what they are like as a team player.

From this you must create a team of 4-5 to work with on the next task (the task will be give to you next lesson.)