Motivation in the team: employee roles & types

Executives need to understand in principle that there is a newly compiled Team There is no predefined role distribution. The comparison of roles and motives results in a valuable model for permanently motivated teams.

Do you want to be a leader, a pioneer or a specialist?

In the case of newly established teams, each member initially approaches their role with their own self-image. Different Measures, such as an introductory workshop can define project roles and clear to distribute.

A fundamental distinction is made between the technical roles, as provided for in a project agreement, and what Meredith Belbin (www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles/) describes as “complementary informal team roles”. The author differentiates between nine types, which she in turn classifies according to three categories: action-oriented, communication-oriented and knowledge-oriented.

Man and his motifs

Like McClelland's motifs (see also blog part 1), Belbin's model also requires individual strengths and weaknesses-Profiles. By combining both models, we see that they correlate surprisingly precisely.

The following overview shows the individual strengths and weakness profiles of the three motifs according to McClelland and determines suitable informal team roles, which the members of the motif types assume with some probability:

Team runners are made of motifs

Motive Performance:

• Strengths / contribution - Thinks analytically, wants to achieve the best possible result and gain knowledge, seeks the technical challenge, is responsible and conscientious
• Weaknesses - Target fixation leads to understanding other than abstract factors, relationship design and communication can be difficult, conflict signals are often overlooked, delegation is difficult
• Possible role according to Belbin - knowledge-oriented roles: innovator, observer, specialist or action-oriented role: perfectionist

Motif Friendship:

• Strengths / contribution - High emotional and social intelligence, ensures a pleasant working atmosphere, strong communication, high levels of empathy and team orientation, ability to balance and diplomacy
• Weaknesses: Conflict can be pronounced and clear words and prescriptions, overloading by means of helpfulness and problems to delegate are possible, can be postponing and vulnerable
• Possible role according to Belbin - communication-oriented roles: team worker, pioneer, possibly also chairman

Motif Power:

• Strengths / Contribution - Strong in decision-making and assertiveness, can motivate and inspire others, develops and implements ideas, can initiate and move things, works with dedication and tirelessly
• Weaknesses - critical faculties can be low, concerns are swept aside in exuberance, can have a “missionary” effect and / or be ruthless, dominant and calculating
• Possible role after Belbin - action-oriented roles: creator, implementer, also restricted perfectionist or possibly communication-oriented role: Chairman

With motive and team role to more success

Personnel responsible should coordinate the motive, informal team role and actual project roles as far as possible.

In doing so, they minimize the risk of demotivation, over- or under-exertion, loss of friction, lack of competence or conflict, and at the same time maximize the success of the company as a whole.