What Belbin means to me
On returning from my first maternity leave all those years
ago, I found myself wondering who I was, what I wanted, where I was going - and all those other confusing feelings
experienced by new mothers returning to work! Shortly after this return, the
library merged with various departments within the university and a series of
training courses was set up, with a view to networking members of the new
Division of Learning Development and providing essential staff development
sessions, and it was at one of these courses that I first encountered Belbin.
I’ve always been interested in personality type quizzes and
was game for having a go at the Belbin quiz. Interested yes, but mostly they
didn’t tell me anything I didn’t already know about my personality! Belbin was
different though, being less about personality and more about working styles.
For years I despaired of myself in working situations – why would I sometimes
have loads to say, other times nothing, why was I sometimes positive, other
times negative, why did I sometimes take charge, other times hide in the
corner? I’ve no idea how other people viewed me, but I certainly saw myself as
a moody cow! Till the day I did the
Belbin quiz! It was so enlightening I remember rushing into the office after
the course exclaiming that I’d finally found out the meaning of life, the
universe and everything! Let me explain!
There are 8 [in 2012 there are now 9] basic Belbin types; if
you get a high score for a type this represents your predominant style, while a
low score indicates a type that you rarely use. So, like most people I was
expecting to get a high score, a low score and lots in the middle, so that I
could honestly say that I was one particular type. However, things just didn’t
turn out like that! While other people doing the quiz revealed their scores to
the group – highs, lows and lots in the middle – and usually found they agreed
with the results, I was sitting re-calculating my scores, hoping they’d come
out a different way, because I couldn’t quite work out why they’d gone wrong –
except they hadn’t! My scores range from a massive 12 to a very low 4! (Just as
a comparison, some of my team have done this quiz more recently and one
member’s scores range from 0 up to 32!)
My score of 2 x 12s, 2 x 11s, 1 x 8, 2 x 6s and 1 x 4 had me
perplexed. What was my dominant style? Interestingly, I don’t seem to have one
– I could almost equally be any of the Belbin types (except perhaps for the
type that scored 4). Great – so I’m a Jack of All Trades, and master of none!
Wow – I’m a wishy-washy, fickle type who flits from one type to another! On the
flip side – I’m versatile, I suppose. This explains how I can be so different
in various situations – instinctively I will fill in the gap and be the missing
type in a meeting, or, I will choose to be a particular type for that situation
– not moody at all, just responding to the other types around me.
Of course, the dilemma is how do I improve my score of 4? As
I see it the only way to increase that score is at the expense of some of the
other scores, which, given that they are all so low, makes it a difficult
decision – have I ever had the urge to be more extroverted, enthusiastic,
curious or communicative – nah. Probably not worth it then!
As for the three clusters of types, my average scores
suggest that I fall into the ACTION-oriented roles firstly (average score
11.5), followed by the CEREBRAL-oriented roles (average score 8.5) and finally
the PEOPLE-oriented roles (average score 6). The typical features of my 2 x 11s
is quite contradictory – highly strung, dynamic and outgoing, compared to
sober, unemotional and prudent – as are some of my other close scores. Goodness
me, no wonder I get confused sometimes!! And no wonder, also, that you never
know quite what you’re going to get when you enter into a discussion with me!
At our recent team away day, we again looked at Belbin, and
initially I was surprised to find that my scores had changed a bit! The range
is greater: I now go from a 4 up to a 15. Nevertheless, the scoring is very
similar to previously and again, they are all very close (4, 5, 7, 9, 3x10, 15)
meaning I am still a jack-of-all-trades! Interestingly, now I think about it I
think I can see that my 15 has increased because the person I work most closely
with at work scored a 0; our styles are complementary, and as long as we both
recognise this then we can work together harmoniously, with only the odd moment
of despair!
Again, interestingly, I still fall firstly into the
ACTION-oriented roles, although the average score dropped from 11.5 to 10.5.
However, PEOPLE-oriented roles has moved from last to second place, its average
score going from 6 to 8, and, therefore, CEREBRAL-oriented roles have moved to
last place, the average having gone down from 8.5 to 7.5 These are not huge
changes, but they are enough to make me reflect that these really are based on
working styles and some of these I have adopted because of the way my role at
work has developed and changed over the years.
For more info on Belbin team roles you could look at this website, for more on the categorisation of the roles, this summary is good, and for an update, the Belbin website is great, as is their comprehensive review, showing the latest thinking, and the actual questionnaire is also available from them (for a charge).
I'd be very interested to hear from you if you've know your team role preferences - especially if you're a cataloguer!
