Introduction

Every successful organization is built on the foundation of a strong, cohesive team. But what makes a team truly effective? The answer lies in understanding the unique strengths and weaknesses of each member. Team evaluations are not just about identifying gaps, they're about leveraging individual talents to create a balanced, high-performing group. In this blog, we'll dive into actionable strategies, including Dr. Meredith Belbin's team roles, to help HR professionals and team leaders assess and enhance team dynamics for long-term success.

"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." – Phil Jackson, NBA Hall of Fame Coach

Identify Strengths and Weaknesses

A leader should assess both personal and team weaknesses through honest evaluations, then create a plan based on these insights. This helps balance the team, ensuring the right talent, training, and resources are in place. Dr. Meredith Belbin's team roles approach is a helpful tool for identifying strengths and weaknesses.

Belbin’s research shows that successful teams have a mix of diverse behaviors. He identifies nine team roles that contribute to high performance, with each role being equally important. Team members may take on multiple roles, especially in smaller teams. Understanding these roles improves communication, accountability, and overall team effectiveness.

Belbin's 9 team roles (source: https://www.belbin.com/)

Resource Investigator

Uses their inquisitive nature to find ideas to bring back to the team.

Strengths: Outgoing, enthusiastic. Explore opportunities and develop contacts.

Allowable weaknesses: Might be over-optimistic and can lose interest once the initial enthusiasm has passed.

Don't be surprised to find that: They might forget to follow up on a lead.

Teamwork

It helps the team gel, using their versatility to identify the work required and complete it on behalf of the team.

Strengths: Co-operative, perceptive, and diplomatic. Listens and averts friction.

Allowable weaknesses: Can be indecisive in crunch situations and tend to avoid confrontation.

Don't be surprised to find that: They might be hesitant to make unpopular decisions.

Coordinator

Needed to focus on the team's objectives, draw out the team's purpose, and delegate work appropriately.

Strengths: Mature, confident, identifies talent. Clarifies goals.

Allowable weaknesses: Can be seen as manipulative and might offload their share of the work.

Don't be surprised to find that: They might over-delegate, leaving themselves little work to do.

Plant

Tends to be highly creative and good at solving problems in unconventional ways.

Strengths: Creative, imaginative, free-thinking, generates ideas, and solves difficult problems.

Allowable weaknesses: Might ignore incidentals and may be too preoccupied to communicate effectively.

Don't be surprised to find that: They could be absent-minded or forgetful.

Monitor Evaluator

Provides a logical eye, making impartial judgments where required, and weighs up the team's options in a dispassionate way.

Strengths: Sober, strategic, and discerning. Sees all options and judges accurately.

Allowable weaknesses: Sometimes they lacks the drive and ability to inspire others and can be overly critical.

Don't be surprised to find that They could be slow to come to decisions.

Specialist

Brings in-depth knowledge of a key area to the team.

Strengths: Single-minded, self-starting, and dedicated. They provide specialist knowledge and skills.

Allowable weaknesses: Tends to contribute on a narrow front and can dwell on the technicalities.

Don't be surprised to find that: They overload you with information.

Shaper

Provides the necessary drive to ensure that the team keeps moving and does not lose focus or momentum.

Strengths: Challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure. Has the drive and courage to overcome obstacles.

Allowable weaknesses: Can be prone to provocation and may sometimes offend people's feelings.

Don't be surprised to find that: They could risk becoming aggressive and badly humored in their attempts to get things done.

Implementer

Needed to plan a workable strategy and carry it out as efficiently as possible.

Strengths: Practical, reliable, efficient. Turns ideas into actions and organizes work that needs to be done.

Allowable weaknesses: Can be a bit inflexible and slow to respond to new possibilities.

Don't be surprised to find that: They might be slow to relinquish their plans in favor of positive changes.

Complete Finisher

Most effectively used at the end of tasks to polish and scrutinize the work for errors, subjecting it to the highest quality control standards.

Strengths: Painstaking, conscientious, anxious. Search out errors. Polishes and perfects.

Allowable weaknesses: Can be inclined to worry unduly and reluctant to delegate.

Don't be surprised to find that They could be accused of taking their perfectionism to extremes.

Belbin's team roles can be a good indicator of mapping out team performance metrics, their strengths, weaknesses, and team morale. Allowing the team leader to assess the team productivity in achieving the goals set for them. The behavior roles help define a clear path for the team members that they need to follow based on their responsibility and highlight any team member's weakness. Furthermore, the team leader can identify weaknesses accurately and give fair and constructive feedback that can lead to actual improvement among the team.

Team Assessments

To guarantee long-term success, it is important for the leader to closely monitor the team’s reviews, identify any weaknesses among the team members, and help overcome those weaknesses. Identifying this weakness on an individual level and addressing these issues can build a strong, cohesive team. Here are a few steps leaders can follow to address weaknesses among team members and to perform productive team assessments:

Step 1:

The first step is to understand the role of the team member within a team, and Belbin's team roles are a good way to understand where the team member stands in the group and what he or she might have to offer. More importantly, an effective team assessment indicates the weaknesses they might possess. Once there is some understanding of employee performance weaknesses, a good way to address this is to start training. When the employees are new to the organization, the ability to shape their minds to meet that of the team is easier before they settle down. One more thing to keep in mind is to modify training as the employee adapts and picks up new roles and responsibilities.

Step 2:

Identifying weaknesses in seasoned employees is something a leader considers a top priority and is a complex task. Even the best practices of teams show signs of weakness. These weaknesses need to be quickly picked up by the leader and addressed efficiently. One bad link is enough to bring down an entire team. Sometimes, these weaknesses are hard to spot and can rear up while performing everyday tasks. Vigilant and regular team assessments by the leader can help mitigate these weaknesses before they become an issue affecting the whole team.

Step 3:

Once weaknesses are identified, the focus shifts to addressing them. A key skill for leaders is giving constructive criticism, helping team members recognize their weaknesses. Often, team members may not realize they're causing issues. Guiding their development and tracking progress can help improve their weak traits. Alternatively, focusing on their strengths can also be effective—if a team member leverages their strengths, they can still contribute significantly to the team's success.

Step 4:

The final step in a proper team assessment is observation. Once all the steps have been implemented, your next step should be to observe the outcome. A leader should always understand that change is a slow process, and patience is key to success and failure. In this stage, frequent follow-ups and continuous feedback can ensure positive reinforcement that will motivate them to work on it day in and day out. It is also important to ensure the change is measurable; it will always be more beneficial if the change has a certain value, such as increased revenue, sales, or customer satisfaction.

Commitment

"Individual commitment to a group effort - that is what makes teamwork, a company work, a society work, a civilization work" –Vince Lombardi

Success in a team depends on the effort of everyone. While teamwork principles apply to group work, individual contributions are equally important, especially in managing time efficiently. Leaders often overlook how individual work impacts the team.

To contribute to a successful team, an individual must understand and align with the team's shared goal. People have different work styles—some pace themselves, while others prefer to finish tasks at once or work at night. Clear goals help ensure the desired outcome, regardless of how tasks are completed.

Trust is also crucial. Team members must trust each other, especially since much of the work is done independently. If someone gets stuck, they should seek support to stay on track and contribute to the collective goal.

"Leadership grows like tall trees. It needs both toughness and flexibility - toughness for accountability - flexibility to adapt changes with a compassionate & caring heart for self and others."

― Amit Ray, Mindfulness Meditation for Corporate Leadership and Management

Conclusion

Effective team evaluations are key to building high-performing teams. By using tools like Belbin's team roles, leaders can identify strengths and address weaknesses, creating a collaborative, productive environment. Strong team performance evaluations help optimize teams and achieve organizational goals. A successful team starts with strong leadership and a commitment to improvement. Ready to elevate your team? Partner with us to streamline your HR needs and build high-performing teams.

Unlock your team's full potential. Contact us to schedule a professional HR assessment today and to drive your business toward success!