Some teams look great on paper, then crash and burn under the pressure of real-world projects because they are not well-balanced teams.
The old cliché that ‘a champion team will beat a team of champions’ is something that we see play out in organisations. It is also shown in the decades of research from Meredith Belbin and his team.
Thinking power in teams needs to be balanced out with social and action-oriented behaviours for team balance, resilience and performance. This is especially the case where increasing complexity and risk are factors, and balanced teams are not a luxury, they become a necessity.
We use Belbin reports to measure and then analyse the blend of thinking, social and action-oriented behaviours manifesting in a team. This enables practical and actionable steps to be undertaken that enhance performance and manage biases that may exist in the team.
Google’s Project Aristotle that investigated why some of their top teams operated the way they did, came to similar conclusions about the behaviours needed and levels of psychological safety for best performance.
Far more than just simplistic team building at off-sites, Belbin reports offer practical and actionable ways for teams to achieve better balance and performance.
For over 30 years now we have used Belbin with corporate, government, defence, education and NGO clients.
To find out more about how we use Belbin to help real teams contact us:
T – 1300 731 381
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