Dr. Meredith Belbin’s Team Roles

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Dr. Meredith Belbin’s Team Roles

Biography of Dr. Meredith Belbin

Dr. Meredith Belbin received his first degree in Classics and

Psychology at Clare College in Cambridge. He obtained another degree

for his doctoral dissertation on Old Workers in Industry. After

completing his training at the Institute of Engineering Production at

Birmingham and Research Fellowship at Cranfield, Dr. Belbin became a

management consultant of many industries.

When he came back to Cambridge, Dr. Belbin worked as a Chairman of the

Industrial Training Research Unit and Director of the Employment

Development Unit. Also, Dr. Belbin became the first lay member in

Cambridgeshire of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Panel on the

Appointment of Magistrates and Senior Associate of the Institute of

Management Studies, in Cambridge.

For three years he worked as a Visiting Professor in Leadership at

Exeter. It was here, where Dr. Belbin produced a short program for

entrepreneurs. Later on, he left his job to work at the University of

Bristol. He was an External Examiner in Entrepreneurship and

Engineering Management for MSc dissertations in that institution.

Dr. Belbin wrote a lot of books on Management Teams. This is a list of

books which he had written and when they were published:-

1. Why They Succeed Or Fall (1981)

2. The Job Promoters- A Journey To A New Profession (1990)

3. Team Roles At Work (1993)

4. The Coming Shape Of Organisation (1996)

5. Changing The Way We Work (1997)

6. Beyond The Team (2000)

7. Managing Without Power (2002)

8. The Origin and Future of Mind (2004)

As a consultant, Dr. Belbin had provided number of advises to the

OECD, the United States Department of Labour, the Commission of the

EEC, many other manufacturing industries and public service

businesses. When he was a lecturer and seminar leader, he had

frequently visited various countries.

Dr. Belbin became part of his family firm called, Belbin Associates.

This is commonly known as producers of INTERPLACE. It is a

computer-based Team-Role Advise System which offers advice on Human

Resources management issues and it is used throughout the world.

Team Roles

Dr, Meredith Belbin was the founder of the Team Roles. His definition

of a team role is, “a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate

with others in a particular way.”

In 1981, Dr. Be...

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...gning successful teams

* It facilitates internal placement

* It is effectively used for job evaluation

Each team needs a leader to reach team goals and achieve the

organisation’s objectives. Dr. Belbin identified two types of

leaders:-

1. Solo Leader

2. Team Leader

Solo Leader

1. Solo leader plays an unlimited role

2. The leader strives for conformity

3. Collects admirers and sycophants

4. Tells subordinate what to do

5. Plays everything and expect everyone to follow the plan

Team Leader

1. Team leader plays a limited role

2. Builds on diversity

3. Seeks talent in the team

4. Develops colleagues

5. Creates missions

Dr. Belbin reckons that there are two reasons for, why team leadership

is becoming very popular throughout the global:-

1. “We are living in a world of increasing uncertainty where things

are changing quite dramatically and often very quickly. One person

can no longer understand all of this and provide the direction

needed to cover every situation.”

2. “Team leadership is the only form of leadership that is

acceptable in a society where power is shared and so many people

are nearly equal.”

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