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What kind of people do you need to make a good
team?
Task and Maintenance Roles in Groups
University of Bath - Module on Management of Innovations - SESP Project,
Lesotho 1995
Task Roles
|
These roles help to get the job done. They often appear to need tough and
single minded people in them. They relate to the rationale (life of the group) |
Maintenance Roles
|
These roles provide the ‘oil’ for the machinery. They look after
the emotional life of the group, help make it work, consider the needs of
individuals. They open up the channels of communication. |
You need both roles present in a group
1. Types of people in Task Roles
Initiator
|
Start things off; or helps change direction. Initially often the
leader. |
Clarifier
|
Takes individual contributions and clarifies them - encourages people
to be specific "are you saying that ...", "it seems to me what you are
saying is ..." |
Information giver
|
Gives or volunteers to find out certain information. It may relate to
the exact structure of the task. |
The questioner
|
Asks fundamental questions about the task of the group. Main factor is
the ability to step back from what is going on and challenge assumptions. |
The summariser
|
Does not add anything (or much) but provides the facility of checking
what has been achieved. Provides breathing space. Can be a formal role in a group. |
2. Types of people in Maintenance Roles
The supporter
|
Provides warmth to individuals "yes, I think that’s a good
point", "that was really helpful" etc. Non-verbal support - a mistake to
see these as non-contributors. |
The joker
|
Allows the group to let off steam. |
Sharing experience
|
"That happened to me" - helps breakthrough to the personal
level. |
Process observer
|
Often shows himself when the group gets stuck. Helps unblock group
dynamics. |
Teams - the essential features
Source: Honey P (1994) Teams and Leaders - video notes. Melrose
Film Productions
 | A Team needs to have clear, challenging objectives which everyone understands and wants
to achieve |
| A Team needs to have members who are committed by being involved and by talking
differences through to a consensus |
| A Team needs to have members with a variety of different styles that complement one
another |
There are three key types of Team members:
DOERS
|
who are intent on the job that’s to be done and give the team its
drive and momentum |
THINKERS
|
who have good ideas and reject bad ones |
CARERS
|
who keep the team together, ease tensions, promote harmony and are
sensitive about relationships within the team. |
A Team needs leadership. This involves someone who wins consent when the Team is faced
with a new challenge. Sometimes this might mean telling the Team what to do and sometimes
it will involve getting ideas from Team members and orchestrating discussion and
agreement. Different people may exercise the leadership role at different times.
Common Roles in a Work Group
Gross B M (1968) Organisations and their managing; Free Press,
New York
Wilson D C & Rosenfeld R H (1990) Managing Organisations;
McGraw Hill, UK
The following list of roles which people tend to act out in groups is based on that of
Gross (1968) as quoted in Wilson and Rosenfeld (1990). It is interesting to compare it
with such lists stemming from other observers/theorists.
Task-oriented individuals
|
Those who predominantly try to get the job done and get
some output from the group. |
People-oriented individuals
|
Those who are concerned with interpersonal relationships
in the group and who work hard to maintain a good social climate. |
No-sayers
|
Those who consistently oppose most proposals; have thick
skins; find fault with virtually everything. |
Yes-sayers
|
Those who try to get round opposition, are enthusiastic
and counter the no-sayers. |
Regulars
|
Those who are obviously accepted by the group. These are
the ‘in people’ who accept and project the group’s norms & values. |
Deviants
|
Individuals who depart from group values. |
Isolates
|
‘Lone Wolves’ who often depart even further from
expected values and behaviours than the deviants. |
Newcomers
|
New entrants to the group who need to be guided by others;
are expected to be seen but not heard. |
Old Timers
|
Those who have been in the group for a long time and know
the ropes. |
Climbers
|
Individuals who are commonly expected to get ahead often
on the basis of assumed potential rather than any concrete demonstration of ability. |
Cosmopolitans
|
Group members who view themselves as part of a wider
professional or cultural community and who often consider the group and its members
inferior to this wider community. |
Locals
|
Those who are firmly rooted in the group and in the
organizational community. |
Team Types - know them by their slogans
Belbin M (1993) Team roles at work; Butterworth/ Heinemann;
ISBN 0 7506 0925 7
Belbin is famous for his categorization of types of people in teams. His 9 types are
listed below and described in terms of the phrases and slogans which they might use.
Plant
| When a problem is baffling, think laterally |
| Where there’s a problem, there’s a solution |
| The greater the problem, the greater the challenge |
| Do not disturb, genius at work |
| Good ideas always seem strange at first |
| Ideas start with dreaming |
| Without continuous innovation, there is no survival |
|
Teamworker
| Courtesy costs nothing |
| I was very interested in your point of view |
| If it’s all right with you, it’s all right with me |
| Everybody has a good side worth appealing to |
| If people listened to themselves more, they would talk less |
| You can always sense a good atmosphere at work |
| I try to be versatile |
|
Resource Investigator
| We could make a fortune out of that |
| Ideas should be stolen with pride |
| Never reinvent the wheel |
| Opportunities arise from other people’s mistakes |
| Surely we can exploit that? |
| You can always telephone to find out |
| Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted |
|
Implementer
| If it can be done, we will do it |
| An ounce of action is worth a pound of theory |
| Hard work never killed anybody |
| If it’s difficult, we do it immediately. If it’s impossible it takes a little
longer |
| To err is human, to forgive is not company policy |
| Let’s get down to the task in hand |
| The company has my full support |
|
Co-ordinator
| Let’s keep the main objective in sight |
| Has anyone else got anything to add to this? |
| We like to reach a consensus before we move forward |
| Never assume that silence means approval |
| I think that we should give someone else a chance |
| Good delegation is an art |
| Management is the art of getting other people to do all the work |
|
Completer finisher
| This is something that demands our undivided attention |
| The small print is always worth reading |
| ‘If anything can go wrong it will’, and as O’Toole said on Murphy’s
Law, ‘Murphy was an optimist’. |
| There is no excuse for not being perfect |
| Perfection is only just good enough |
| A stitch in time saves nine |
| Has it been checked? |
|
Shaper
| Just do it! |
| Say ‘no’, then negotiate. |
| If you say ‘yes I will do it’, I expect it to be done |
| I’m not satisfied we are achieving all we can |
| I may be blunt, but at least I am to the point |
| I’ll get things moving |
| When the going gets tough, the tough get going |
|
Specialist
| In this job you never stop learning |
| Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day of your life |
| True professionalism is its own reward |
| My subject is fascinating to me |
| The more you know, the more you find to discover |
| It is better to know a lot about something, than a little about everything |
| A committee is 12 people doing the work on one |
|
Monitor evaluator
| I’ll think it over and give you a firm decision tomorrow |
| Have we exhausted all the options? |
| If it does not stand up to logic, it’s not worth doing! |
| Better to make the right decision slowly than the wrong one quickly |
| This looks like the best option on balance |
| Let’s weigh up the alternatives |
| Decisions should not be based purely on enthusiasm |
|
For Fellowship to be
right, there must be organisation within diversity: clarity in purpose within the strength
of diversity. Then does fellowship lead to order. (I Ching) |
Belbin’s Team Role Theory
Source: West M (1994) Effective Teamwork; The British Psychology
Society
Based on research with over 200 teams conducting management business games at the
Administrative Staff College, Henley, in the UK, Belbin identified nine team types. Almost
always people have a mix of roles and will have dominant and sub-dominant roles.
Co-ordinator
| The co-ordinator is a person-oriented leader. This person is
trusting, accepting, dominant and is committed to team goals and objectives. The
co-ordinator is a positive thinker who approves of goal attainment, struggle and effort in
others. The co-ordinator is someone tolerant enough always to listen to others, but strong
enough to reject their advice. |
The co-ordinator may not stand out in a team and usually does
not have a sharp intellect. |
Shaper
| The shaper is a task-focused leader who abounds in nervous
energy, who has a high motivation to achieve and for whom winning is the name of the game.
The shaper is committed to achieving ends and will ‘shape’ others into achieving
the aims of the team. |
He or she will challenge, argue or disagree and will display
aggression in the pursuit of goal achievement. Two or three shapers in a group, according
to Belbin, can lead to conflict, aggravation and in-fighting. |
Plant
| The plant is a specialist idea maker characterised by high IQ
and introversion while also being dominant and original. The plant tends to take radical
approaches to team functioning and problems. Plants are more concerned with major issues
than with details. |
Weaknesses are a tendency to disregard practical details and
argumentativeness. |
Resource Investigator
| The resource investigator is the executive who is never in
his room, and if he is, he is on the telephone. The resource investigator is someone who
explores opportunities and develops contacts. Resource investigators are good negotiators
who probe others for information and support and pick up other’s ideas and develop
them. They are characterised by sociability and enthusiasm and are good at liaison work
and exploring resources outside the group. |
Weaknesses are a tendency to lose interest after initial
fascination with an idea, and they are not usually the source of original ideas. |
Company worker/ implementer
| Implementers are aware of external obligations and are
disciplined, conscientious and have a good self-image. They tend to be tough-minded and
practical, trusting and tolerant, respecting established traditions. They are
characterised by low anxiety and tend to work for the team in a practical, realistic way.
Implementers figure prominently in positions of responsibility in larger organisations.
They tend to do the jobs that others do not want to do and do them well: for example,
disciplining employees. |
Implementers are conservative, inflexible and slow to respond
to new possibilities. |
Monitor evaluator
| According to the model, this is a judicious, prudent,
intelligent person with a low need to achieve. Monitor evaluators contribute particularly
at times of crucial decision making because they are capable of evaluating competing
proposals. The monitor evaluator is not deflected by emotional arguments, is serious
minded, tends to be slow in coming to a decision because of a need to think things over
and takes pride in never being wrong. |
Weaknesses are that they may appear dry and boring or even
over-critical. They are not good at inspiring others. Those in high level appointments are
often monitor evaluators. |
Team worker
| Team workers make helpful interventions to avert potential
friction and enable difficult characters within the team to use their skills to positive
ends. They tend to keep team spirit up and allow other members to contribute effectively.
Their diplomatic skills together with their sense of humour are assets to a team. They
tend to have skills in listening, coping with awkward people and to be sociable. sensitive
and people oriented. |
They tend to be indecisive in moments of crisis and reluctant
to do things that might hurt others. |
Completer finishers
| The completer finisher dots the i’s and crosses the
t’s. He or she gives attention to detail, aims to complete and to do so thoroughly.
They make steady effort and are consistent in their work. They are not so interested in
the glamour of spectacular success. |
Weaknesses, according to Belbin, are that they tend to be
over anxious and have difficulty letting go and delegating work. |
Specialist
| The specialist provides knowledge and technical skills which
are in rare supply within the team. They are often highly introverted and anxious and tend
to be self-starting, dedicated and committed. |
Their weaknesses are single-mindedness and a lack of interest
in other peoples’ subjects |
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