Personality & Behavioral Assesments
The value of Belbin Team Role theory lies in enabling an individual or team to benefit from self- knowledge and adjust according to the demands being made by the external situation.
Belbin helps highlighting the potential strengths and weaknesses of the team, and to have as a team a clearer insight into both individual and collective contributions leading to more productive work.
What is Belbin team roles used for?
With teams
Teams offer diversity, promote learning opportunities, address more complex problems, offer flexibility, deliver faster results and can mirror organizational values.
Belbin can help:
- Select people to form high-performing teams
- Develop and coach existing teams
- Maximize the use of virtual teams
- Bring together multi-functional teams
- Optimize project teams
In recruitment and career development
Given that two candidates look similar on paper, why is one successful in a role and another, not? The language and understanding of Belbin Team Roles can help when:
- Making decisions about which individuals to recruit or promote
- Providing individuals with the information they need to take the nest step on their career path
- Putting together graduate recruitment strategies or assessment centers
- Trying to identify the gaps in teams which need filling
For Leadership development
“Leaders who can be trusted are self-aware and know what differentiates them from their colleagues. They are not afraid to reveal their weaknesses and know how to adapt their style to different situations”. Rob Goffee, Professor of Organizational Behavior at London Business School.
Introspection can be difficult, but it’s essential for leaders to gauge how effectively they’re connecting with staff, and how to lead from the front in encouraging behavioral diversity. Belbin is an accessible, rich, people-positive tool which promotes authentic leadership, helping leaders towards an honest assessment of their strengths and shortcomings.
Armed with an understanding of their own behaviors, leaders can learn how best to adapt their leadership style to the working environment within their organization to endure a positive impact on those they lead.
In management training
Belbin is integral to effective management at all levels, from junior managers looking for insights into their teams, to Executive and Senior Management Teams. Understanding and utilizing the natural talents and motivations of staff is key to great management, and that’s where Belbin can help.
Belbin individual reports provide managers with rich insights into the key behavioral strengths and preferences of their people, allowing them to get the best from each person in their team. Belbin can:
- Help managers make the transformation from being effective process managers to becoming outstanding people managers.
- Give managers a language to describe how they interact with others. With the self-insight and understanding of their own strengths and weaknesses, a manager is well-equipped to help others maximize their own potential.
- Enable managers to put together their own great teams.
For Conflict management
Conflict usually arises from misunderstanding or lack of communication, and can manifest itself in several ways including lowered morale, reduced productivity and increased absenteeism. Belbin Team Roles can help depersonalize the problems focusing on behaviors to avoid personal attacks which can often exacerbate conflict.
Belbin and interpersonal conflict – an individual’s Belbin report (with other team members invited to offer structured feedback) offers individuals an opportunity to explore their colleagues’ experience of their behavioral contributions. Team and Working Relationship reports highlight areas of potential conflict and misunderstanding in teams and pairs respectively.
For employee engagement
Everyone has strengths: talents, knowledge and skills which can be used to advantage at work. Research shows that those who use their strengths are six times more likely to be engaged on the job. Using Belbin as part of an employee engagement program can:
- Help individuals discover their strengths
- Ensure that job roles and strengths are aligned
- Recognize and use others’ strengths to best advantage
- Help teams to understand and consider strengths when assigning team projects
- Incorporate strengths into performance reviews and goals
- Foster a culture which promotes strengths
For personal development and coaching
Often professionals are promoted on the basis of performance in their current role, only to suffer from stress once they are in the new job. Whilst the new role might come with a desired title and level of responsibility, it often requires particular behavior that doesn’t fit with the individual’s preferred Belbin Team Roles. As part of Belbin process:
- The tailored advice and guidance from Belbin reports can structure discussions as to whether the desired career path is bot viable and wise
- Alternatives can be discussed and training dap analysis taken, if required
- Individuals can benefit from increased self-awareness and greater personal effectiveness
In change management
Belbin team Roles helps teams to adapt to changing goals by highlighting collective strengths and minimizing weaknesses. This enables the team to be more cohesive (yet adaptable) in a changing environment.
Responses to change can vary with individuals. Whilst some will embrace and promote changes, others may struggle and wish to preserve the status quo. Belbin team Role preferences can give leads on these behaviors and the underlying concerns, allowing organizations to bring in the right people at the right time when contemplating organizational change.
Would you like to learn more about our Personality & Behavioral Assesments?
Please don’t hesitate to request details, and we’ll be delighted to assist you.