In this section we would like to take our conception of team roles one step further and see how we can apply it to gain a better understanding of ourselves and our behaviour in teams.

 
Task: Strengths and allowable weaknesses in your team roles

Look at the two corresponding roles from the 'team roles test' in section 4.3 where you scored highest. Also, look at the two roles where you scored lowest. Read the additional descriptions and write down in your learning journal which roles can be ascribed to you according to Belbin's table of roles. From these 4 descriptions, write down 3 strengths you believe you have in a team, and 2 allowable weaknesses. You are of course also free to read through the other descriptions and take some strengths and weaknesses from there that you believe might describe you better.

Here is one example to clarify the task. Let us say you scored highest as team player and co-ordinator, and lowest in completer-finisher and resource-investigator. Some of the strengths and weaknesses you take from the roles could be:

3 strengths:

  1. I am a good listener and can bring people together
  2. I am good at judging people´s strengths
  3. I usually stay calm and self-controlled in stressful situations

2 possible weaknesses:

  1. I sometimes tend to be indecisive 
  2. I am not the most creative person

Please note: Do not feel boxed-in or categorized after the assessments from the tasks “Team roles test” and “3 areas of team roles”. The goal is not that you now identify yourself solely as a “Coordinator” or “Specialist”. What is important to keep in mind is that we all have traits and behaviours that come naturally to us. All of those can be strengths in some situations, and challenges in others. One of the main purposes of discussing team roles is to give you a basis for self-reflection, i.e. what are your traits and natural behaviours, and therefore which strengths or risks can we deduce from these in a team context?

 
Task: Your own experiences with strengths and weaknesses in teamwork

Reflect on the teams you have worked in so far. These could be project teams at school, university, during internships, or at your workplace. Sports teams are only suitable when you believe the roles discussed in this module are relevant.
Please note down your answers to the questions below in your learning journal.

1. Look at your list of strengths and weaknesses that you noted down in the previous task "Strengths and allowable weaknesses in your team roles". If you connect them to the teams you have part of so far, which examples can you find where these strengths and weaknesses might have been apparent? Try to come up with at least two examples of a strength, and one example of a weakness. Describe the situations, considering: Who was involved? How did you act or behave? What were the consequences when you were able to display a strength of yours? What were the consequences when you encountered a possible personal weakness in a team role?

2. What can you do to ensure that you increasingly act in a way that maximises your strengths? How can you deal with situations when your traits become a challenge?

Zuletzt geändert: Donnerstag, 16. Mai 2024, 16:25