WHAT IS A BELBIN TEAM ROLE?
A TEAM ROLE is the way we behave, contribute and inter-relate when working in any team. The concept originated in the research work of Dr Meredith Belbin at Cambridge. During a period of over nine years, a team of researchers based at Henley Management College UK, studied the behaviour of managers from all over the world, while they were engaged in a complex management exercise. Their different core personality traits, intellectual styles and behaviours were assessed during the exercise. A key element of the research was the ability to predict why some teams succeeded or others failed. Results from this research showed that there are a finite number of behaviours or TEAM ROLES which comprise certain patterns of behaviour which can be adopted naturally by the various personality types found among people at work. The accurate delineation of these TEAM ROLES is critical in understanding the dynamics of any management or work team.
