Differences in Teams Workshops

'Let me ask you a question - Do you have someone in your team who constantly irritates you or a colleague whom you have nothing in common with? I’m sure that you are not surprised when I say that you are not alone. It has recently been estimated that approximately 25% of a manager’s day is spent dealing with unnecessary misunderstanding or conflict. This is where team building can help.

We are all different and we all have different values and work in different ways. Those differences are the critical turning point of being a successful team benefiting from the synergy of differences. Belbin Team Roles gives participants an understanding of their individual differences and how they can be appreciated and integrated to create effective team working.'

 

Team Building theory analysis

We will use part of Dr Meredith Belbin’s concept of Belbin Team Role Theory to make a shared frame of reference when talking and estimating individual contributions to team performance.

We introduce the concept of Belbin’s Team Roles to the participants, starting with an introduction to the theory and a description of the team roles. The participant will then start the discovery of their own contributions in team work by taking part in a number of different team building activity tasks. After each team task, they have time to reflect on their contributions and how this can be related to the three main categories in Belbin’s theory:

People-Orientated Roles

Co-ordinator, Teamworker and Resource Investigator

Action-Orientated Roles

Shaper, Implementer, and Completer Finisher

Cerebral-Orientated Roles

Plant, Monitor Evaluator and Specialist

Belbin Team Roles

So what is a team role? A team role is defined by Dr Meredith Belbin as:

"A tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate with others in a particular way."

Belbin Team Roles describe a pattern of behaviour that characterises one person’s behaviour in relationship to another in facilitating the progress of a team.

The aim of team building is to provide attendees with a better understanding of the contribution each different role provides. This understanding then leads to a better insight into why the differences within a team should be seen as a positive influence as the confluence of behaviours makes for better, more considered and balanced decision-making.

We would recommend that all managers involved in the day-to-day management of people partake in the Differences in Teams Workshop and that this is followed up with a teambuilding day for their teams to help reinforce the learning from the workshop.

We have a range of workshops that are designed to target molding teams better together for enhanced team work and efficiency.

Related links:

Teambuilding Workshops

Team Facilitation

Krypton Maze

Great Pyramid Build

Teambuilding Activities

Belbin Team Roles