Belbin Team Role

In this post I will reflect upon the outcomes of a questionnaire based on the BELBIN Team Role. This is one of the tools that helped me identify and evaluate myself as an individual inside a group. Before the reflection, I would like to add that in the last couple of days I have been restless on observing myself during interactions with my team on the MBA, as well as reminding myself as a Leader back in Procter&Gamble in Brazil. It has been quite an intense learning experience.

Although the original Belbin Test is a little expensive, myself and the group took a similar test based on the same criteria as Belbin. I will provide the connections (team roles) beside the roles of this free test as the following example: Explorer - Belbin: Resource Investigator

Being able to look inside yourself and analyze your deepest aspects is an amazing exercise. Sometimes the revealed truth can hurt so much that some individuals tend to hide it from themselves or even disengage from the exercise. I recognize that as an observational kind of person, I tend to place more focus on others than on my own, but as an ESFJ, my feelings makes me somehow aware of my own behavior. 

My Belbin test outcome was quite interesting, with aspects that I started to pay attention to and others that I was well aware that I was missing, or did not play that role.  So please find bellow the analysis including facts related to my own professional experience as well as some other from my MBA group. 

Explorer 17% - Belbin: Resource Investigator           Being an explorer is somehow complimentary with my Extroverted personality. I am always interested in new things and approaches, as well as different points of view over the same situations. Being an explorer is the channel that enhances some of my team player characteristic which is the communication or communicating new ideas to the team. My background as a Salesman and  Sales Manager helped me investigate numerous aspects and create persuasive selling to meet either individual or group objectives based on my own findings.  As a criticism over this resource, I might loose enthusiasm quite quickly if something does not fit my needs, and, sometimes I get over optimistic over my own point of view. 

Team player 17% - Belbin: Team Worker

As I found out on my DISC personality test previously commented, being a Team Player is one of my main fortress. I feel great on a team environment, specially because I am well aware that my presence provides steadiness and balance as I foster for harmony with a diplomatic approach on a team environment. On the other hand, being over caring and promoting balance sometimes makes me avoid conflict even when it is necessary. Therefore this must be weighted and observed as I develop myself as a follower or Leader. A very fresh and practical example of this characteristic is that I was chosen by the Team to be our Class Representative, as well as call meetings with Course Leaders to deal with our difficulty in some occasions. I am also looking forward to change to the Sports Industry due to my identification with Teams, specially when it comes down to sports, a unique activity that generates a great sense of achievement either on individual or group sports.

Innovator 14% - Belbin: Pant

I have a very imaginative and free mind. I am always making free associations from inputs I get from everything I capture, specially from observing random people, and they are likely to be very original. I enjoy creating new solutions with a creative perspective. For instance, we had a globalization project that was supposed to be presented on a A1 paper. Since our group wanted to add more content than it would fit in the page, I had the idea to make sliding cards from the back of the sheet, providing an innovative way to present more detailed information in case the examinator wanted more information on a specific topic. This characteristic sometimes play against the my team player role, as the more imaginative I get, I tend to isolate myself to give proper shape to my ideas.

Chairman 14% - Belbin: Coordinator

On the first group task we had on the Residential Weekend we had to decide in three minutes who would be appointed Chief Finance Officer and the CEO. It did not mind being that figure, but I do recognize that somehow it would bring me more confidence do develop a team identity with my colleagues. Indeed all three of them pointed me as the CEO and Martin as CFO. This was also reinforced a trace of leadership as I was already the class representative. A chairman possesses strong coordination role and places a lot of effort and emphasis to keep the team together. I also recognize that sometimes this behavior can be misunderstood, as a chairman often tries to implement procedures and rules over tasks. This indeed happened with our team after our first group assignment (as previously mentioned on the topic MLK loading), where it was clear we needed a direction to execute our group assignments. I called a meeting where the outcome was a election of Project Managers for each subject. This procedure was suggested by myself and helped the group deliver a merit grade on the following assignment.

On the same analysis I also want to talk about my lowest scores and better understand my opportunities as a Team player.

Analyst 6% - Belbin: Monitor-Evaluator

As per my Personality type ESFJ - I am rather a FEELING type of person than a THINKING, so my decisions are most likely to be taken based on my gut feelings rather than evaluating pros and cons over the same situation. I usually tend to act first and than think about the outcomes, whereas in a group environment a more prudent and democratic approach, taking in consideration inputs from others is more appropriated. Also Analysts tend to be perceived as unemotional or rational, and this also does not talk about me. I have a great opportunity to transfer the balance I provide to the group to my decision taking process, analyzing more sources and coming up with outcomes agreeable with all group members.

Executive 6% - Belbin: Implementer

The implementer is also an organizer. I have high engaging and envisioning skills but I do understand I have a clear opportunity to better organize myself. Although I tend to plan every step, it takes even greater discipline to sustain your focus to achieve all the proposed objectives. Implementers are great disciplined and pragmatist.

Bibliography

IMAGES:

Belbin. (2012). Belbin Team Roles. (B. Associates, Producer) Retrieved from BELBIN: http://www.belbin.com/rte.asp?id=8

123test. (2012). 

QUESTIONNAIRE:

123test Team Roles. Retrieved from 123test Free Pshychological Tests, Serious answers: http://www.123test.com/team-roles-test/