Team Roles at Work

Written as a follow-up to his book, "Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail", R. Meredith Belbin develops his ideas further, using feedback gained through the users of this work. The ways in which personalities are moulded by the roles played and the benefits of managing the two dimensional are explained. Members of a management team need to combine a team role with a functional role. Belbin has refined and identified ways by which, for example, ineligible people turn out to be suitable - a surprise fit - so that organizations can recruit a range of personnel to match their requirements. Initially, an overview of the development of team roles is given, ranging from formal job titles arranged in strict hierarchies to an interdependence and co-operation between members of the team. Various operational strategies are laid out which provide ideas and techniques that can be learned to advantage. The political aspects of team role management are also discussed in the light of newly acquired understanding and experience.