The table below describes the strengths, allowable weaknesses and possible function of every role. In the leftmost column you can find the role that best corresponds with the one suggested to you by the team role test that you took in the previous section.
Click on the image to enlarge the table or click here to download the table as a pdf document.
Table developed by Thu Phong Vuong for this course
Task: Three areas of team roles
The nine roles that we have seen can be categorised into three areas:
The first category of roles focuses on action: These roles are about making sure the team stays motivated and that things get done.
The next group of roles has a people-orientation: These roles make sure that people inside and outside of the team feel connected and are in the right place.
The third group has a thought-orientation: These members of the team make sure that there are enough ideas and knowledge in the team in order to come up with good solutions and to avoid mistakes.
Which team role would you place in which area? You should come up with three roles for each. Please move the groups of team roles into the correct area.
Figure developed by Thu Phong Vuong for this course
Task: Case "Creative ideas – not appreciated"
Erastus works as a Human Resource manager of a small start-up company. He loves coming up with new ideas and working with his HR team to set them in motion. However, he feels differently at board meetings when he is with his fellow managers. Often when he suggests new ideas for a process, his colleagues roll their eyes or change the topic. Sometimes he feels like his natural creativity here is not valued. A further source of frustration for him is that the team often loses itself in technicalities, rather than asking themselves the big questions, and embarking on new paths.
At a team-building workshop, his team undergoes the Belbin assessment tests, and he learns that he scores high on the "Plant" scale. He finds this interesting but is not sure how this helps him in finding a better way to deal with this team.
Please help Erastus here and answer the following questions in your learning journal:
- Why does Erastus feel frustrated at the board meetings as a "plant"?
- What should his team understand about him? What are the dangers for the whole team when Erastus cannot live out his team role?
- What could the team leader do to ensure that she / he implements Erastus’ strengths in the team, and deal with the weaknesses he might have?
Having completed this task, click on the following link to view a possible answer.
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1. Why does Erastus feel frustrated at the board meetings as a plant?
Team members who identify as "Plants" according to the Belbin team roles, often enjoy coming up with new and creative ideas. They do not necessarily want to see all of the ideas implemented but feel validated if their ideas are appreciated and at least discussed. Erastus might feel taxed because his team seems to be rather irritated by his constant influx of ideas.
2. What should his team understand about him? What are the dangers for the whole team when Erastus cannot live out his role in it?
His team would need to understand that Erastus does not need to see all ideas fulfilled, but still needs a space to develop. We could see that while Erastus is a creative mind who loves to come up with new ideas, his team might feel taxed when they feel they don’t get anything done, with Erastus constantly pitching in new suggestions instead of following up on current thoughts. Erastus' weakness then is that he might lose interest quickly in a day-to-day business discussion and that he feels offended when people do not appreciate his creativity.
Often, the team mates we have the largest conflicts with are the people that are most different to us in terms of competencies and interests. In this case, Erastus does not understand how his colleagues could not be excited to try out new ways, but instead cling to the old processes. He is frustrated as he does not see the use that can sometimes come from not constantly "reinventing the wheel". His colleagues, on the other hand, might feel taxed by Erastus because they feel he takes up too much time and energy in trying to change proven tracks. They do not see the value in coming up with more innovative ways. The fact is: we often feel most frustrated by the people that would also complement our weakness the most. If the team should lose someone like Erastus, as they do not appreciate his innovative drive enough, they might miss his ideas when the markets change or the pressure for innovation becomes stronger. Conflicts amongst very different roles within a team will most likely rise when the team is pressured to perform, or in the storming period, when the team is being formed as discussed in session 3.
3. What could the team leader do to ensure she / he implements Erastus' strengths in the team and to deal with the weaknesses he has?
One possibility of dealing with this is to give Erastus some place to develop his ideas where it does not disturb the working flow of the team. She / He could mention in a team meeting: "Thank you Erastus for your suggestions here. I am sorry that we do not have the time today to discuss these new ideas, as our task today is more focussed on the consolidation of the process so far. It would be great if you could send me a list of suggestions these next days. We could then go over them together, and make some suggestions together at the next board meeting."
最后修改: 2025年06月22日 星期日 23:50