Which team role best suits you?

by Graduan.com.my

Go where the best money is” - this is probably what most graduates think when it comes to getting a job. But be warned: you might end up in a job you will eventually hate.

The secret to a successful - and satisfying - career is to exploit what comes naturally so that you are constantly motivated and happy. For this to happen, learn what your natural behavioural tendencies are and which team role(s) best fit you in the workplace.

It is important to have a good understanding of team roles, and their strengths and weaknesses. By recognising these different roles you will be able to understand why different people work differently.

Working in a team

As an employee, you will probably work in a team, be it large or small. In some companies, a team consists of people from the same department. In others, a team is made up of specialists from different departments working together.

Each team member plays a different role. Team roles are different from job tasks as they are geared towards natural tendencies and differ from one person to another.

Team roles

A team role can be defined as “Our tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way” (Dr Meredith Belbin). You play different roles all the time - at university, in a sport club or with friends. Because each of these scenarios is unrelated, your role is different in each group. These are called 'natural tendencies'.Team roles represent tasks and functions relating to the functioning of the team's activities.

At work

To explain team roles at work, look at the model below developed by Dr Belbin in which she describes nine clusters of behaviour (or team-roles):

Action-oriented roles:

Shaper, Implementer, and Completer/Finisher

People-oriented roles:

Coordinator, Team Worker and Resource Investigator

Cerebral roles:

Plant,Monitor Evaluator and Specialist As mentioned earlier, very few people display characteristics of just one team role. More often, a person has three or four natural roles which he or she uses, depending on the situation. There are no 'good' or 'bad' roles because all roles play an important part in successful teams. Also, behaviour patterns are

not fixed because many factors, like the working environment, influence how we behave.

Balance

To ensure a well-balanced team, employers rarely look for a single personality type, but prefer a mixed bag different roles. For example, if every person is a 'plant', nothing much will be achieved.On the other hand, if all members are pushy 'shapers,' there will be lots of tension and not much team building.

Some team roles are compatible and can be easily done by the same person.Others are less compatible and are best done by people with different behavioural clusters.This means that it is not necessary for a team to have nine people, each fulfilling one of the roles. In fact, a team can sometimes consist of only three of four people carrying out all nine roles.

Belbin's nine team roles

To have an idea what team role(s) fits you best, look at the table below.

Source: www.belbin.com

Below are detailed descriptions of each team role. Remember that it is possible you have more than one role.

1. Plant

Plants tend to be highly creative. They are innovators and inventors, and are most useful during the initial stages of a project or when it stalls. Plants generate new ideas and solve complex problems. Because of their original way of thinking, they are often founders of companies and creators of new products. Sometimes, their ideas may not be practical. Plants prefer to operate on their own, tend to be introverted and react strongly to criticism and praise.

2. Monitor / Evaluator

These people are best at analysing problems and evaluating ideas and suggestions because they are critical thinkers.They are also good at weighing the pros and cons of options.They may be perceived as blunt and insensitive, but because of their rigorous analysis of all possible outcomes, they protect the team from taking decisions and action based on false assumptions or untested data. However, they tend to be slow decision-makers because they scrutinise things in detail.

3. Completer / Finisher

They have good attention for detail, spot flaws easily and know exactly where the team is in relation to its schedule.They have an analytical and accurate approach, and will ensure the quality and timeliness of the team's output. However, they are not keen to delegate, preferring to tackle all tasks themselves.They are also unlikely to start anything they cannot finish.

4. Company Worker / Implementer

These people are great practical thinkers.They turn decisions and strategies into defined and manageable tasks, identifying objectives and pursuing them logically. Because they are efficient and know what is feasible and relevant, they succeed.They also have good self-control and discipline. They sometimes lack spontaneity and can be rigid.

5. Resource Investigator

These people are good at communicating with others, both inside and outside the company. They set up external contacts and carry out negotiations. Because they are highly driven to make and develop contacts, they are a useful source for information. They sometimes appear to be flighty and inconsistent and not a great source of original ideas. If not stimulated by others, their enthusiasm rapidly fades.

6.Team Worker

Team Workers are concerned about interpersonal relationships and want to ensure that members work well together. They adapt easily to different situations and people, and are perceptive and diplomatic. They are popular, but may be indecisive in crunch situations. Because they don't like friction, they will go to great lengths to avoid it.

7. Chairman / Coordinator

Their responsibility is to ensure that all members contribute to discussions and decisions.They have the ability to motivate others to work towards shared goals and are concerned about fairness and equality among members. Their specialty is to clarify objectives, establish priorities, spot problems and sum up. They are decisive, but do not dominate discussions. A chairman is not necessarily the cleverest member of the team and often cannot make decisions very quickly.

8. Specialist

Specialists are driven by the pursuit of knowledge and information. They love the process of learning.Their priorities centre on maintaining professional standards and on furthering and defending their own field.They can be single-minded and often show a lack of interest in others.

9. Shaper

As the name implies, Shapers impose some shape or pattern to group discussions and activities.They are motivated, make decisions quickly and achieve deadlines.They have strong drive and are assertive, which means they like to challenge others and are determined to win.They may be insensitive and show strong emotional response to disappointment and frustration. Shapers don't shy away from making unpopular decisions.