The culture conundrum

Workplace culture can be hard to define and even harder to get right. It’s not just about perks or policies — it's the undercurrent of values, behaviours, and norms that influence how work gets done.

Culture shapes who thrives, what behaviours are rewarded, and ultimately, whether people feel they belong.

As Dr Meredith Belbin himself said:

“It is very difficult to see a culture when you go into an organisation, but you can feel it.”

Get it right, and you create an environment where people collaborate, innovate and perform.

Get it wrong, and you risk a toxic workplace — one where certain behaviours dominate, others are marginalised, and vital contributions are missed entirely.

When success turns into cloning

Often, organisations begin by hiring individuals who fit a certain mould — people who resemble those who have already “succeeded” in the system.

Certain characteristics become celebrated, and hiring or promotion decisions begin to favour those who display them.

This can feel like a recipe for success at first, but over time it leads to what we call a “cloned culture.”

When one Belbin Team Role dominates, the organisation becomes unbalanced. Valuable perspectives are lost, and weaknesses inherent in the prevailing style begin to show. Team Roles aren’t personality types — they’re behavioural contributions. And healthy teams require all nine to function effectively.

Let’s explore what happens when one Team Role dominates the culture — and how you can bring things back into balance.

Cultural imbalances by Team Role

Teamworker RGB SOLID Outline

Teamworker Culture

"We’re all friends here, but nothing changes."

Teamworkers are caring and co-operative. They prioritise harmony and help resolve conflict. But in a culture dominated by Teamworkers, performance can plateau. Difficult conversations are avoided, and underperformance goes unchallenged.

Redress the balance with:

  • Shapers to provide direction and energy.
  • Co-ordinators to manage team dynamics constructively.
  • Implementers to restore focus and discipline.

Shaper Culture

"Lots of drive, lots of clashes."

Shapers thrive on pressure and love a challenge. They're dynamic, competitive, and unafraid of confrontation. But a Shaper-heavy culture can mean an abundance of conflict, stress, and shouting matches instead of solutions. Meetings become battlegrounds and collaboration suffers.

Redress the balance with:

  • Co-ordinators to manage competing voices and provide strategic direction.
  • Monitor Evaluators to inject objectivity and slow things down when needed.
  • Teamworkers if diplomacy is required — but beware: they may be shouted down in Shaper-heavy environments.
Shaper RGB SOLID Outline
Co Ordinator RGB SOLID Outline

Co-ordinator Culture

"We talk a lot, but not enough gets done."

Co-ordinators are confident and focused on team objectives. They’re good at identifying talent and delegating accordingly. But if too many are recruited, they are likely to end up vying for the lead. Productivity will be low, and discussions, political. Details are likely to fall by the wayside, with specialist knowledge rejected in favour of generalisations.

Redress the balance with:

  • Shapers to drive progress and cut through politics.
  • Implementers to get the job done.
  • Teamworkers to smooth relationships and maintain morale.
  • Specialists to provide depth in areas where generalists fall short.

Monitor Evaluator Culture

"We make good decisions... eventually."

Monitor Evaluators are logical and impartial. They weigh pros and cons before committing. In isolation, this role brings balance — but in excess, it leads to analysis paralysis. Caution becomes cynicism, and innovation stalls. Creative voices, like Plants, may feel stifled or dismissed.


Redress the balance with:

  • Shapers to push for action. 
  • Co-ordinators to manage people dynamics.
  • Implementers to move from decisions to delivery.
Monitorevaluator RGB SOLID Outline

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Resourceinvestigator RGB SOLID Outline

Resource Investigator Culture

"There's energy and buzz, but we're dropping the ball."

Resource Investigators bring enthusiasm, external connections, and a knack for spotting new opportunities. But when they dominate, follow-through suffers. Projects start strong but lose momentum. Promises are made but not always delivered.


Redress the balance with:

  • Completer Finishers to ensure quality and close the loop.
  • Implementers to put structure in place.
  • Co-ordinators to ensure that efforts are brought to fruition.

Plant Culture

"There are lots of ideas flying around, but nothing really lands."

Plants are prized for their creativity and original thinking. A culture dominated by Plants can feel exciting and full of potential. But with too many Plants and not enough structure, ideas compete for attention, and little gets off the ground. Teams can end up siloed, with poor communication and duplicated effort.


Redress the balance with:

  • Monitor Evaluators to assess ideas critically and decide which are viable.
  • Co-ordinators to bring ideas and people together.
  • Implementers to translate plans into practical action.
Plant RGB SOLID Outline
Implementer RGB SOLID Outline

Implementer Culture

"Everything works... Until it doesn't."

Implementers bring discipline, reliability, and a strong work ethic. But too many can lead to rigidity and an over-structured and inflexible culture. Innovation is viewed as disruption. Change is resisted, and procedures become sacred, even when they no longer serve the business.


Redress the balance with:

  • Plants to shake things up and offer creative alternatives.
  • Shapers to challenge the status quo and energise change.
  • Resource Investigators to bring in fresh perspectives from the outside.

Completer Finisher Culture

"The work is flawless, but we're exhausted."

Completer Finishers are perfectionists. They ensure details are checked, deadlines met, and errors minimised. But when this becomes the cultural norm, anxiety creeps in. People are afraid to delegate or let go, and end up splitting hairs on trivial matters. The pursuit of perfection delays delivery.

Redress the balance with:

  • Co-ordinators to delegate and prioritise effectively.
  • Shapers to shift focus from perfection to deadlines.
  • Teamworkers to help manage stress and morale.
Completerfinisher RGB SOLID Outline
Specialist RGB SOLID Outline

Specialist Culture

"We're experts. But we're blinkered."

Specialists offer deep expertise and technical excellence. But in Specialist cultures, teams can become insular and miss the bigger picture. They may be slow to respond to changing demands or unaware of how their work fits into broader organisational goals.

Redress the balance with:

  • Co-ordinators to ensure integration across disciplines.
  • Resource Investigators to bring in market intelligence and broader awareness.
  • Shapers to challenge narrow thinking and drive strategic alignment.

Restoring balance with Belbin

Addressing and promoting behavioural diversity within an organisation is key to success. When every Team Role has a voice, organisations don’t just work better — they become places where people thrive.


Recognising the dominant behaviours in your culture is the first step.

From there, you can begin to ask:

  • Which Team Role behaviours are overrepresented?
  • Which are missing or marginalised?
  • How might this imbalance be affecting performance, communication or wellbeing?

The Belbin methodology provides a structured, evidence-based approach to diagnosing and addressing these issues.

Where to start:

Belbin Individual reports – Help people understand how they contribute, and where they may be over- or under-extended.

Belbin Team reports – Aggregate data to identify trends, spot gaps, and surface hidden tensions.

Workshops and Team Sessions – Open up the conversation about behavioural culture, and map out how to move forward.

Looking for more guidance? Contact us using the form to find out how Belbin can help.

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