Belbin identified nine distinct clusters of behavior that individuals exhibited and called them `Team Roles`. These are detailed in the grid below. Each team role defines a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way. In the words of Dr Meredith Belbin, Team Roles serve "as a common meaningful language to bridge the gap between ourselves and our colleagues".

Typically, most people have two or three Team Roles that they are most comfortable with and prefer; a few others that they can manage to cover if they need to; and finally the rest that they prefer not to adopt at all.

The nine Team Roles are detailed below. Remember that the only accurate way to identify your Team Role preferences is by generating your personalised Belbin Report. Ask for your Belbin Report here.

The 9 Team Roles

TEAM ROLE	STRENGTHS	ALLOWABLE WEAKNESSES
Shaper	Challenging, dynamic, goal oriented, has drive and courage	Prone to provocation Often offends people’s feelings
Implementer	Disciplined, organised, efficient, turns ideas Into actions	Somewhat inflexible, low to respond to new possibilities
Completer Finisher	Accurate, conscientious meticulously prevents errors	Inclined to worry unduly, reluctant to delegate
Resource Investigator	Extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative explores opportunities, develops contacts	Over-optimistic, loses interest once initial enthusiasm has passed
Co-ordinator	Calm, confident, clarifies goals, promotes participative decision making	Can be seen as manipulative, off-loads personal work
Team Worker	Cooperative, caring, diplomatic, sensitive, a good listener, averts friction	Indecisive when faced with tough decisions
Plant	Creative, imaginative, unorthodox, solves difficult problems	Ignores incidentals, too pre-occupied to communicate effectively
Monitor Evaluator	Logical, analytical discerning, judges accurately	Lacks drive and ability to inspire others
Specialist	Single minded, motivated by the pursuit of knowledge	Contributes on a narrow front, dwells on technicalities

Nobody is perfect but a team can be. Belbin is the language, the gold standard method to discovering your behavioral contributions at work, and to leverage the power of teams in transforming performance of your Organization.

Read on or contact us to have a Belbin Accredited CERT Lanka Consultant call you back on how we can partner with you in transforming the performance of individuals and teams in your workplace, in ways that are sustainable and enduring.