This case study originated from a conversation recorded during Belbin Day 2026, marking what would have been Dr Meredith Belbin's 100th birthday.
The focus of the event was simple: to showcase the real impact of Belbin in organisations today.
Through stories from customers around the world, we explored how a shared Team Role language helps teams collaborate more effectively, develop stronger leaders and deliver better outcomes.
With employees collaborating across countries, cultures, functions and time zones every day, effective teamwork is critical to Jotun's success.
For an organisation operating across 49 countries and employing more than 11,000 people representing 94 nationalities, working effectively together is both essential and complex.
Teams regularly collaborate across departments, functions, countries and cultures, making strong teamwork a vital part of achieving business goals.
Today, Ahmed Aref manages global learning and development initiatives with a particular focus on leadership development and team effectiveness.
Through learning programmes, workshops and an extensive internal trainer network, he helps embed Belbin across the organisation, ensuring employees can apply Team Role insights in their everyday work.
"Understanding Team Roles and speaking that language makes it easier for us to communicate."
(Photo: Jotun headquarters, Sandefjord, Norway)
At the heart of Jotun's use of Belbin is a commitment to helping employees better understand themselves and those around them.
For Ahmed, one of the key strengths of Belbin is its combination of self-perception and observer feedback, giving employees a broader perspective on how they contribute within a team.
"It's not necessarily what you think you are that is absolutely true. You also need perception from others, and that's where I think it adds a lot of value."
This increased self-awareness helps employees recognise both their strengths and their allowable weaknesses, creating a stronger foundation for productive collaboration and mutual understanding.
Read more about Self-Awareness: Why are so few people truly self-aware at work?
Taken from our recently published research report: The Future of Teamwork 2027: from Research to Impact
Rather than treating Belbin as a one-off intervention, Jotun integrates Team Role insights throughout its learning and development programmes.
Employees encounter Belbin at different stages of their careers, enabling them to revisit their profiles, reflect on their development and continually build their understanding of how they work with others.
This ongoing exposure helps ensure Belbin becomes part of the organisation's everyday language and approach to teamwork.
"As an employee in Jotun, whether you have direct reports or not, at different levels of training you are always getting a [Belbin] report. You can then track and see how it changes over time."
Alongside formal development programmes, managers can request dedicated Belbin workshops for their own teams.
These sessions bring colleagues together to explore both individual and team reports, discuss ways of working and identify practical actions that will improve collaboration. The workshops are often used when teams are experiencing change, welcoming new members or looking to strengthen team effectiveness.
Importantly, every workshop results in agreed actions for both individuals and the team.
"What are the top three actions they should take as a team in order to work effectively together?"
For Jotun, one of Belbin's greatest strengths is its ability to provide a shared framework for discussing behaviour and contribution.
When colleagues are working across functions, countries and cultures, differences in approach can easily create misunderstandings. Team Role language provides a neutral and constructive way to explore those differences.
"When we recognise different behaviours during meetings and projects and simply call them by their name, then it becomes fun. It doesn't become judgemental. It doesn't become offensive. We can have a discussion around it and move forward."
This common understanding helps teams appreciate different perspectives, build stronger working relationships and remain focused on achieving results together.
A key part of Jotun's success has been its investment in internal capability.
Today, the organisation has 48 certified Belbin trainers who can deliver workshops across its global operations.
For Ahmed, this approach is about far more than efficiency or scale.
Learning can often be more powerful when it comes from colleagues who understand the business, share similar experiences and can relate development directly to everyday challenges.
(Photo:The Head Office L&D team at Jotun)
Find out more about our Belbin Accreditation course here. Our courses are held online, in-person, or in-house.
After more than two decades, Belbin continues to play an important role in how Jotun develops people and teams.
According to Ahmed, the benefits are clear:
For a global organisation where collaboration happens across borders every day,
To listen to Ahmed's contribution to Belbin Day, watch the YouTube recording here.
Get in touch using the form below if you are inspired to use Belbin with in your organisation.