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- Creative, unorthodox, free-thinking, generates many ideas and is likely to be able to solve difficult problems: Plant
- Enthusiastic communicator, explores opportunities, develops and builds contacts external to team: Investigator
- Conscientious, attention to detail, provides quality assurance for team output, meets deadlines: Finisher
- Disciplined, reliable, turns ideas into practical actions and works well across different tasks and settings: Implementer
- Clarifies team goals, understands the strengths of each team member, leads by good task delegation: Coordinator
- Discerning, evaluates team processes against project goals, weighs up all options: Evaluator
- Leads by focusing on task, dynamic, works well under pressure: Shaper
- Cooperative, perceptive and diplomatic, listens to others, avoids conflict: Teamworker
Interpreting team role preferences
There are some important points to remember when characterising yourself and others using Belbin team roles:
- You are using self-perception and you may not be at a stage where you are fully aware of how you work in teams.
- You may undertake more than one of these roles at the same time.
- There may be roles that you would like to avoid but this does not mean that you can't do them.
- Your role preferences will depend on the type of project that your team is working on.
- Your preferences will depend on the composition of your team. For example, if you prefer to be in the leadership role (either a Shaper or Coordinator) and your team has a member senior to you, you will probably take on another role.
- As you progress in your career, your preferences will change.
The take home message is that no-one should ever be typecast!