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Development of roles in work teams

Anonim

In the current times of neoliberal globalization, where a market economy predominates, it is essential to ensure that our companies, in addition to being socialist companies, are able to emulate in effectiveness and efficiency with the best exponents of the world, in this context they register, in addition to business improvement other concepts and trends such as smart organizations, systemic thinking and closely related to this we find work teams, fundamental cells in our companies, made up of people, which in their interaction would be more effective if they knew the different roles of teams who play according to their needs.

In recent years, many professionals have worked around the principles and tools of Learning Organizations. The challenge faced is the adaptation and constant development of companies to achieve their maintenance and competitiveness in the environment, where knowledge is a fundamental part of evolution and development, due to profound changes and fast to which we are subjected.

What the Organization that learns from being more competitive proposes is one of the most important things in the process, learning at all levels. In this way, an integrating approach is proposed that influences all instances and where the idea of ​​systemic thinking is essential.

Learning is a constant and necessary process of the human being and this is precisely the main characteristic of Intelligent Organizations, an organization that continuously learns, expands its adaptability and ensures its permanence in the market and training programs are a way to it. This thinking includes the personal domain of individuals, the mental models that are held and make up a shared vision that allows to go according to business objectives, contributing to team learning that promotes flexibility and exchange, very important as the team is the fundamental cell of the organization.

In the exchange that occurs within teams we can see certain competencies that people have and that stand out in the roles or roles that each one plays within it. The tendency we have to act within it are the so-called team roles and the greater knowledge we have of them will allow us to obtain greater work efficiency.

The objectives of the study that supports this article were: to diagnose the roles that the members assume in a team based on the methodology proposed by Meredith Belbin. Once this has been achieved, design, implement and evaluate a training program using the test-retest methodology for the participants, in order to promote the learning of team roles according to their needs.

We start from the approach that the knowledge by the team members of the different existing roles allows a better understanding, integration and cohesion of teamwork, which is one of the fundamental indicators in our companies and contributing to greater efficiency and effectiveness. of them, thus achieving an increase in productivity.

PRELIMINARY ELEMENTS...

The concepts and conceptions of companies have been changing over time. The concept of organization has been changing, they are no longer conceived in a rigid, vertical way, without participation but on the contrary, the participation of workers is seen as a necessity in order to survive the changes in the environment, coming to speak of Organizations Smart or Learning Organizations.

When we speak of an organization that learns, we understand an organization that takes advantage of all the conditions offered by the means to maintain, develop and get ahead, that is, an organization that is constantly changing and learning in pursuit of its development. Organizations are made up of individuals and groups and they are spoken of with a greater commitment from both administrators and the organization, generating in the relationship a joint learning where all the previous experiences of both, their criteria and opinions.

In this type of organization, participation and responsibility of all members is generated, stimulating creativity, initiative, communication, working together in pursuit of its development and the achievement of its goals.

Organizations are made up of people who in turn make up groups, a smaller structure within the organization, where behaviors are related and expressed, and can determine by the way of behaving a certain and determined role that is influenced by the personality of the individual and learned behaviors. In organizations, team roles have been studied that are nothing more than the way we behave and relate to others, playing them out when we exchange in the team. Each having a tendency to express our behavior.

I believe that people, by having a greater knowledge of their role and especially by having the team have the necessary knowledge about the different roles expressed within their structure, can have greater union and acceptance of the members, contributing to greater job performance and union that will lead to better compliance with organizational goals, motivated both to improve themselves and the organization, making them have a higher commitment that leads to the formation and expression of systemic thinking, an element of intelligent organization.

One of the theories that exist on the subject of team roles has been developed by Meredith Belbin and forms the basis of this research, and we will present some elements of it below.

SOME CONSIDERATIONS ABOUT THE THEORY OF MEREDITH BELBIN.

People show a certain tendency to represent one or two preferred roles on a regular basis, so it should be said that the roles are spontaneous, intuitive and emotional.

I propose this because the behaviors that characterize the roles are influenced by personality factors, the learned behaviors, the technical capacities that we enjoy and the knowledge of the task, in addition to the skills that we demonstrate for the satisfactory execution of some activity. The values ​​that we have and the experience that we have accumulated throughout life also influence them, resulting in knowledge that also influences.

We express factors that influence the achievement of team roles, as we already know, we act according to our experiences, motivations and the environment, among other factors, these determine the behavior of individuals before the different tasks and moments of life. When playing a role we highlight these aspects since we are the result of their union, but when we pretend a role we are not highlighting our real form and for this reason false expectations may arise for us. We want these expectations in some moments that are created because we need a certain position or place,but in this way we make the mistake of perhaps not being able to adequately carry out the entrusted activity since it is not our way and we cannot carry out what is required effectively.

The value of the theory we analyze is considered to be the fact of allowing everyone, team and individuals, to benefit from everyone's knowledge and, of course, to allow for greater adaptation to the environment. Furthermore, it constitutes one of the most operational theories currently available for the analysis and effective integration of work teams.

Dr. Meredith Belbin (1993) defines the term as:

In this theory nine team roles are defined and the presence of which within it does not require that it is necessarily composed of nine people but requires that whatever the composition number, the nine roles are represented, this may be due to a person can represent more than one role.

Sharing team roles leads to greater understanding between people and that expectations are more real, which is why disappointments are less likely to occur. The main team roles of a person are the ones that are most appreciated by others because their development and performance is carried out with enthusiasm, which is because they are the functions and skills where we are most likely to succeed. In the same way that we know what our skills are and what role we prefer to play, we know the behaviors that we cannot do due to our inability to develop them properly, a limit occurs in the learning of the roles, which is called "Roles avoided". There is a change in people's behavior that is called "sacrificing a role."This results when for certain reasons we cannot perform our preferred role, either because someone else is playing it or because there is a lack of a good example of a certain role in the team.

It is argued that team roles develop, mature and can even be modified with experience and training. You can also see various team roles in response to the needs that a situation demands of the subject.

At certain moments we find, depending on the situation, something that we consider a strong aspect in a role, how it can become an obstacle or a weak aspect for the achievement of the activity.

ABOUT THE INVENTORY

The inventory helps us to have a greater expectation about the people who work with us, we know in this way what their possible performance in the workplace will be, making the expectation more reasonable.

Of course, the evaluations of these tests offer a point of view on the team roles of a certain person, but the validity of the test depends on the criticism that one has about himself. As we know many people respond in relation to how others see or expect us but not how we really are, thus hiding how they really behave.

ABOUT THE ROLES

Nine team roles are identified and characterized, grouped into three fundamental categories:

Mental Roles Brain
Monitor - Evaluator
Specialist
Action Roles Driving
Implementer
Finisher
Social roles Resource Investigator
Coordinator
Cohesive
  1. BRAIN (CE)

These people are the main source of ideas and innovation for the team. They provide important ideas for others to work, hence their main work is when a project starts or when it gets stuck as it is necessary to think and show smart inventive alternatives. Despite the fact that her ideas can sometimes be lacking in practice and somewhat extreme. Her main weapon is the imagination, showing a tendency to disregard practical design and execution details.

They prefer solo work while keeping their distance from the rest of the group, they are somewhat introverted, and may show difficulty in understanding with people who are not equal to them. They are probably very direct, so you can find trouble with others by criticizing their ideas. They react strongly to both criticism and flattery.

It is not recommended that many people with this type of preferred role work together as time is spent demonstrating the superiority of one idea over another.

  1. MONITOR - EVALUATOR (ME)

They are people with difficulties in the face of emotional responses since they are not very demonstrative in this area. They are usually slow when deciding because they think carefully about the pros and cons of it, standing out for their analytical skills, hence they can occupy managerial positions within the company.

They are reliable, with a high capacity for criticism, making well-reasoned judgments, objectivity and showing themselves as the intermediate point between the ideas of the brain and the force of the driver. They are unimaginative and spontaneous, with a lack of tact to express their analysis and conclusions. Due to their high criticism they can hurt the sensitivity of the team.

  1. SPECIALIST (S)

It is said of the people who analyze from all points of view the ideas and suggestions that are presented, both internal and external to the team, taking into account their viability and adequacy to the objectives that they present as a team. They get to make judgments in a prudent way using a high critical reasoning.

Their main job within the team is to provide precisely the display of all their skills in the field, becoming experts for their dedication to their activity. As bosses, by perfectly mastering their work area they make people feel more respect for them.

They are very dedicated to work, they claim to be experts and have enough theoretical knowledge, they are dedicated to showing themselves as good professionals always defending their area of ​​work. They are generally people who show little interest in others.

  1. IMPELLER (IS)

It is said of those who stimulate and drive towards action. They are highly motivated, with a tendency to compete and challenge, needing to acquire new achievements, generating action and doing their work in relation to the pressure they have on themselves. They always try to impose some criterion that determines in activities or group discussions. It is proposed that among all is the most competitive role.

There is a certain tendency to compete, challenge, make all the changes that you consider appropriate without caring about anything. They see themselves with great energy, liking the fact that they push others towards action, showing themselves intolerant of inertia, ineffectiveness, conformity and self-deception.

They are generally very energetic, with the possibility of looking for alternatives to overcome all obstacles. They are impatient and irritable, they generate conflicts and discussions among the other members of the group, but they overcome them quickly and without difficulty. They do not show difficulties when making decisions, somewhat unpopular, or to cope with the changes that occur.

The group that has more than one driver is a bit difficult due to its characteristics, so there is usually one within them. They are very effective when they must guarantee positive action, showing a tendency to eliminate any dissent.

  1. IMPLEMENTER (ID)

They are the main source of transformation of ideas into actions within the team. They show practical common sense, they are systematic, efficient, disciplined and conservative. They transform all things into concrete and achievable tasks so that team members can carry them out. Due to their high ability to practice they are sometimes a bit harsh judging people who do not possess the same ability.

They are motivated by hard and practical work, showing clarity about what is feasible. They provide the methods and techniques necessary to put theory into practice. They are very loyal at work and do whatever needs to be done. They require order and stability.

They show little flexibility and a longing to put plans into action, even before they have been fully drawn up. They shine their organizational skills and the ability to cope with different things.

  1. FINISHER (FI)

It excels at people who don't start an activity that they can't finish. Focused on the details and the continuous monitoring of each activity in all its stages until it has been fulfilled, always seeking perfection. They are very good when tasks require concentration and accuracy.

They are concerned about what may be wrong so they check all the details and look for mistakes. They print a sense of urgency within the team and are very strict when it comes to meeting deadlines.

They are disciplined, hard-working, introverted people, concerned with order and meeting deadlines. They usually resist delegating preferring to figure things out for themselves. They are somewhat intolerant of people who are very relaxed at work. When they steer they get good results and there is a lot of concern about precision and detail. They demonstrate a lack of understanding of the team's more informal and creative roles.

  1. RESOURCE RESEARCHER (IR)

This role is played by people who explore resources from abroad and establish contacts that can be useful to the team. They explore the information, the development, the ideas and opportunities that the outside offers, reaching the appropriate negotiation of any situation. They do not generate original ideas by themselves but carry out a process of capturing ideas from others to develop them later.

They are very outgoing and because of this many love them, thus maintaining good relationships, they are also enthusiastic, curious, communicative, with the possibility of making friends with great ease. Good communicators both inside and outside the team. Because of these qualities, solo work is ineffective and boring, but it also has the ability to respond spontaneously and easily obtain information from other people.

They are in charge of keeping the team in touch with the reality of their environment. They show a lot of vitality and optimism, always being ready for new projects, more when the charm of the new opportunity has passed, they show their loss of interest.

  1. COORDINATOR (CO)

They are people who have a great ability to organize, motivate and control team activities, making everyone work together in order to meet common goals of shared work. They coordinate efforts to achieve goals and objectives, not requiring the occupation of a formal director position.

They clarify all of the team's goals, set priorities, set task roles and work boundaries for the other team members. They tend to work more comfortably with people of the same level, not with subordinates.

They have the ability to discover individual talents and make use of them to achieve the group's goals, and they can also lead one made up of people with different abilities and characteristics, even working with difficult people without any difficulty. They display their characteristics of maturity, self-confidence, good communication and listening, in addition to knowing how to express themselves very well and be calm in front of others.

At times, a tendency to collide with drivers can be seen due to differences in management styles and if competition with them is strong, they may even abandon their role. Under pressure they harden, show rigidity and stubbornness, sometimes failing to recognize the contributions of other members of the group.

  1. COHESIONER (CH)

They are the ones that most promote unity and harmonious relationships among all members. They are sensitive, personable, sociable, concerned about others, flexible, diplomatic, with listening skills, understanding and fidelity both to individuals and to the team. They are very accepted and popular. At critical moments they may respond with some indecision as they may not give the necessary priority to the task or the demands it requires.

They try to avoid conflicts generated in some cases by evaluating drivers, brains, and monitors, thus fostering unity and harmonious relationships.

A table summarizing the distinctive characteristics of each role is presented here, prepared by Dr. Meredith Belbin (1993).

BELBIN team role Contribution Allowed weakness
Brain Creative, imaginative, unorthodox. Solve difficult problems. Ignore the incidents. Too absorbed in his thoughts to communicate effectively.
Coordinator Mature, sure of himself. Clarify the goals to be achieved. It promotes decision making. Delegate well. It can be perceived as manipulative. Personal work is unloaded.
Monitor Evaluator

Serious, insightful and strategist. See all the options. Judge accurately. Lacks initiative and ability to inspire others.
Implementer Disciplined, loyal, conservative and efficient. Transform ideas into actions. Uncompromising to a certain extent. Slow to respond to new possibilities.
Finisher

Careful, conscientious, anxious. Look for errors and omissions. Carry out the tasks within the established deadline. You tend to worry excessively. Reluctant to delegate.
Resource Investigator

Outgoing, enthusiastic, communicative. Look for new opportunities. Develop contacts. Too optimistic. It loses interest once the initial enthusiasm has subsided.
Driving

Challenging, dynamic, works well under pressure. He has initiative and courage to overcome obstacles. Prone to provoke. It can offend people's feelings.
Cohesive Cooperative, gentle, perceptive and diplomatic. Listen and prevent confrontations. Undecided in crucial situations.
Specialist

You are only interested in one thing at a time. It brings specific qualities and knowledge. Contribute only when it comes to a topic you know well. It expands on technicalities.

OF THE INVESTIGATION

In order to implement a Training Program that fostered individual and group learning related to the need to assume different roles in a way that favored the efficiency of the team, the Self-perception Inventory of Meredith Belbin was applied, a methodology that contributed to the diagnosis of the roles of the members before and after the program to observe if there were changes in them and, therefore, if a learning had been achieved.

This program was conceived to encourage participants to learn about the need to take on different roles to achieve efficient teams. Hence, it was thought about the diagnosis of the predominant team roles that are manifested as well as how to involve the participants in the knowledge of the importance of team roles for their successful operation. In its execution, participatory experiential techniques (animation and analysis) were used with the aim of generating a greater process of learning and visuals (written techniques). Mini-conferences, discussion methods, and closing techniques were offered in order to obtain greater feedback. In general, it was developed on the basis of discussion and reflection, allowing the individual knowledge to be collectivized,giving participants the opportunity to express their experiences and thus enrich the entire process.

ABOUT THE RESULTS...

Superior to individual learning is the one that takes place in a team, this allows dialogue and the exchange of knowledge, experiences, criteria by which a better result can be obtained. In a Learning Organization these points are fundamental because the same growth and learning of this depends on the work of its members and the learning that they have within the same caused by their own interactions. Proof of this is the training program because it produced changes and learning within the team. Quantitatively we can see this in the results produced by the Belbin Self-perception Inventory applied in the form of a test and retest, which assesses the roles assumed by each person in this interaction process.

ROLES TEST RETEST
Mental 8 6.7
Social 6.6 8.4
Of action 8.3 7.9

As observed in the table of the mean scores of the role groups and when analyzing the three dimensions of roles we can highlight the significant increase in Social Roles. This increase can cause greater homogeneity to exist by balancing the dimensions, greater harmony that contributes to better equipment efficiency. Also greater empathy, greater cohesion, better interpersonal relationships, more help and collaboration with colleagues, thus achieving that work activities are carried out more efficiently due to increased communication, better resolving conflicts and decision-making processes..

A decrease in the Mental Roles and Action Roles can be observed, although the latter is less significant since it was maintained with a high score, indicating the value that the participants give to this dimension, which is very important because it allows tasks to be carried out. The decrease in these roles may be due to the fact that a greater harmony between the dimensions was achieved, becoming homogeneous and balanced, thus allowing greater team efficiency.

We consider it pertinent to carry out a detailed analysis of each of the dimensions and for this it is necessary to highlight that the standards by which the levels of each role will be measured will be those proposed by Belbin in his sample of managers who held different positions in the Kingdom United. This table is also set out below.

ROLES LOW

0-33%

MEDIUM

33-66%

TALL

66-85%

VERY HIGH

85-100%

AVERAGE SCORE
Brain 0-4 5-8 9-12 13-29 7.3
Specialist 0-6 7-9 10-13 14-19 8.9
Monitor Evaluator 0-5 6-9 10-12 13-19 8.2
Coordinator 0-6 7-10 11-13 14-18 8.8
Resource Investigator 0-6 7-9 10-11 12-21 7.8
Cohesive 0-8 9-12 13-16 17-25 10.9
Implementer 0-6 7-11 12-16 17-23 10.0
Finisher 0-3 4-6 7-9 10-17 5.5
Driving 0-8 9-13 14-17 18-36 11.6

Belbin, 1993.

By analyzing each of the dimensions, we can evaluate the following results reflected in the average score table for each role.

Average score table for each role

DIMENSIONS ROLES TEST RETEST

Mental Roles

Brain 6.2 5.7
Specialist 11.9 8
Monitor Evaluator 5.9 6.4

Social roles

Coordinator 7.9 10.9
Resource Investigator 7.3 8.2
Cohesive 4.8 6.2

Action Roles

Implementer 9.9 7.1
Finisher 5.7 7.4
Driving 9.4 9.1

MENTAL ROLES

In this dimension there were important changes in the retest. The role of "Specialist" decreased, from a high score to an average score according to the scale offered by Belbin, the same happening with the role of "Brain" but this remained at the medium level. It may be because the participants learned to value the importance of other team roles and not only of the mental Roles, preferred from the beginning of the program as seen in the results produced by the test allowing greater harmony between each of the dimensions and a balance that leads to greater efficiency. They were also able to give more reliable answers by suggesting that it was an exercise to highlight their capabilities as a team.It can also be analyzed that after the training program the expositions of each one were more punctual while maintaining the objectivity and technical skills of their work area, there was more teamwork influencing the increase in Social Roles.

The role of "Monitor Evaluator" increased their levels in the retest, which may be due to the fact that they now value more the power to critically analyze the situation taking into account the pros and cons of it, both for each one and for the team as well was emphasized during the program.

SOCIAL ROLES

Here the role of "Coordinator" was the one that obtained the greatest increase, reaching a high score. This is one of the most important roles because it allows the coordination of people, efforts, ideas and resources to achieve a task. By increasing the effectiveness of the training program can be considered, at the end of it all contributed and contributed ideas for carrying out the activity, making each member assume a responsibility within the team when executing a task. Increasing this role fosters joint decision-making, security among members and the necessary clarification of the goals to be achieved, thus allowing for more precise work.

Another significant aspect is the role of "Cohesionador", according to Belbin, who is a key role in the team's functioning, he was shown here with a low score at the beginning and at the end there was a large increase. It may mean that listening, communication, understanding and helping others skills were developed depending on the task. Thus, it determines that the training program allowed these aspects to become better, although it would be necessary to develop them further. The country's culture can also influence these aspects, since we manifest problems for proper communication and listening to other people's criteria, giving greater importance to our ideas when a joint elaboration of the solution is necessary for the good of all.

ACTION ROLES

In this category, it is highlighted that the roles of "Implementer" and "Driver" remained at the same average level, although they had a decrease in the retest score, of which the first obtained a greater variation and may be because they valued more the importance of other roles such as social ones, also maintaining the importance they give to Action Roles, preferred from the start as Mental Roles.

The “Finisher” increased his score by having a high level at the end of training. I believe that this increase may be because during the program we worked indirectly with the achievement of the task to arrive at the best performance of it as a whole, working as a team, hence the union of all, seeking the absence of errors that could slow down the fulfillment of the group objective. This also evidences the increase in other roles that highlight the exchange, cooperation, cohesion and communication between the members.

We could see several changes collected by the retest and caused by the program, which promoted learning both individually and in groups. It is necessary to emphasize that for the best performance of a team it is essential to know the strengths and weaknesses of each of the members, which favors the learning of the different roles and the need to assume them depending on the solution and decisions to be made.

OF THE TRAINING PROGRAM

During the work sessions, exchange and reflection on different issues of team roles was promoted, thus contributing to the learning of the participants.

In relation to this, it was tried that the divisions and groupings required in the different tasks were as homogeneous as possible, trying to repeat the smallest number of people within the subgroups to promote the exchange. It turned out that only the same person was repeated in each of the subgroups, these were the ones that expressed mental roles from the first moment. By making the subgroups vary, the exchange and interrelation of the different members was observed, allowing these permanent people to change their way of acting depending on the needs of the subgroup, expressing another type of role. Example of this is a participant who expressed a role of "Brain" being very initiative and solving by himself all the proposed exercises,Then he was an "Implementer" putting into practice the theory of others and later a "Resource Investigator" promoting exchange and communication with agents outside the team.

Taking into account that learning depends on coding and communication processes through which knowledge is transmitted, it can be argued that in this training there was the learning of a role by people, evidencing it in their behavior and in the changes produced due to the same.

The training contributed to the formation of skills, with the awareness of roles, with projecting a better image. To this end, the carrying out of the joint task favored the development of behaviors favoring greater coordination for the task, being more cooperative, with positive changes in the communication system, showing an active way of solving existing problems and conflicts. maintained or resolved by some members, now they do it together.

As it stands out, it has favored the dynamics within the team, in its development, since an evolution of the roles of Social Roles was observed, thus allowing them to feel better as a team. In a general sense, it favored the psychological aspects and the need to assume different roles was known, as previously explained.

It should be noted that at the beginning of the sessions some participants showed a passive stance since they made little or few contributions within the team, resulting in expressing "Retracted" roles. Later these same people had more active contributions favoring them also the training program. In some moments these behaviors can be negative since they do not favor the achievement of the activity.

It is necessary to highlight the importance that knowledge of each person's skills currently has in order to obtain a better use of it, contributing to the best execution of the task, thus promoting better organizational results. For this reason, the contribution of each person is important, both in their workplace and in the interaction with the team, thus emphasizing the program where it was also observed that the roles assumed by people are depending on the work activity they carry out. and of the needs that are had at that time, as evidenced in the example given above.

CONCLUDING...

We can argue that the training program contributed to the training of skills, which allowed awareness of strengths and knowledge of the importance of taking on new roles, which affects the image that is projected and the efficiency of teamwork.. In this sense, we consider that it increased the dimension of Social Roles, positively influencing psychological aspects such as empathy, interactions and socio-psychological dynamics, allowing them to feel better.

In addition, the implementation of the training program contributed to the formation and development of roles, promoting learning that influenced the experience, personality and motivation of the participants; also internalizing the concordance that must exist between the role that is assumed and the one that is needed, as well as a harmony between the different roles. Also in all dimensions (Mental, Social and Action) the skills for the performance of new roles were acquired such as: the Monitor - evaluator (Mental Role), Coordinator (Social Role), Resource Investigator (Social Role), Cohesionator (Social Role) and Finisher (Action Role).

The retest results highlighted that the Action Roles remained at the same level, it is very important because they are in charge of executing the team's decisions.

Belbin's "Self-Perception Inventory" turned out to be very accurate and assessed the characteristics it was intended to measure. Six roles were highlighted, two from each dimension with results similar to those reflected by Belbin, also highlighting divergences in others, the Cuban culture being able to influence the roles of Cohesionator, Finalizer and Specialist, one of each dimension. He also highlighted the score of the first, being lower than the results of Belbin and it is important due to their characteristics and that they are people who work to coordinate and integrate, trying to achieve cooperation among all team members.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

  1. Belbin, M. (1993): "Management teams: The reason for their success or failure." Editorial associates, Spain. Cervantes, I. (2004): "Smart organizations: theoretical methodological approach". Master's Thesis, Faculty of Psychology, University of Havana.Senge, P. (1995): "The Fifth Discipline in Practice: Strategies and Tools to Build the Open Organization for Learning". Granica Edition, Barcelona, ​​Spain.
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Development of roles in work teams