Defining Team Roles: the Missing Link in Creating Winning Teams in Corporate Teamwork
In order for a team to be successful team roles need to be understood and redefined to fit today's corporations. Some define (Biddle, as cited in Fulmer, Ingrid, Hollenback, Murray & Stewart, 2005) roles as a set of behaviors that are interrelated with repetitive activities of others and characteristic of the person in a particular setting. From this definition it can be seen that roles are a combination of interactions between team members that result in teamwork. Team roles are also defined as being a single role for a single member. However, in today's changing workplace team roles should be flexible positions. In 2006, Vivien Martin reported that workplace objectives are accomplished today through "networks, partnerships and project groups with frequently changing memberships and with team members taking multiple roles" (Vivien, 2006, Team and roles section). The rule that team roles should be for one member is outdated; with the incorporation of clear team roles, anyone can take leadership. Once team roles are understood and redefined in the context of today's workplace, many benefits can be reaped by corporations implementing winning teamwork into their daily operations.
Overall research has concluded that corporate workplace teams can be benefited by including team members that fit well together. As noted by Katz and Kahn (cited by Fulmer et al., 2005) roles are seen as "the major means for linking the individual and organizational levels of research and theory..." There are many additional benefits for incorporating team roles in the workplace. Defining roles create winning team members, and winning team members create winning teams. Vivien (2006) noted that winning team members benefit teams and corporations in many ways. Winning team members harmonize team roles with organizational needs, they develop responsibility and trust. The most important characteristic of winning team members that Vivien (2006) noted was the ability for members to share their opinions and suggestions without the fear of being ridiculed or belittled. In order to create winning teams, corporations today should embrace the implementation of team roles; however certain strategies should be in place for that implementation to be successful.
Team leaders have researched many methods for incorporating team roles into their corporate environment. Through this research two major methods have stood out: Meredith Belbin's nine team roles and Glenn Parker's Team Player Survey. Meredith Belbin (1993), after a nine year study of managers around the globe, identified nine team roles with...
References: Kirnan, J.P. & Woodruff, D. (1994). Reliability and Validity Estimates of the Parker Team Player Survey. Educational and Psychological Measurement. Retrieved September 9, 2006 from http://epm.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/54/4/1030
Martin, V. (2006). Leading in teams: part 1. Nursing Management. Retrieved September 5, 2006, retrieved from the Apollo Library:
McCrimmon, M. (1995). Teams without roles: empowering team for greater creativity. Journal of Management & Development. Retrieved September 5, 2006, from the Apollo Library
Meredith, B. (2006). History and Research. Retrieved September 9, 2006 from http://www.belbin.com/history.htm
Prichard, J.S, & Stanton, N.A. (1999). Testing Belbin 's team role theory of effective groups. Journal of Management Development. Retrieved September 5, 2006, from the Apollo Library:
Stewart, G.L., Fulmer, I.S., Barrick, M.R., & Hollenbeck, J. (2005) Business Source Complete. Retrieved September 5, 2006, from the Apollo Library
Watkins, B., & Gibson-Sweet, M. (1997). Sailing with Belbin. Education & Training. Retrieved September 6, 2006, from the Apollo Library:
Please join StudyMode to read the full document