A strong influence can benefit the team – or cause real problems. When it becomes disruptive, that’s often when consultants are needed.
Here’s a real example from Barrie Watson, one of our Belbin experts.
A group of directors at an American electronics firm got in touch for help. They identified a single individual – the Operations Director – as the main problem.
His behaviour was so disruptive that meetings regularly turned into arguments, blame-shifting and unproductive conflict. The rest of the leadership team felt their time was being wasted.
Each director completed a Belbin Self-Perception Inventory (SPI) and received Observer Assessments (OA) from their colleagues. Then the group came together for a team development session based on the results.
The session focused on:
Understanding the Belbin reports – each person explored their own Team Role strengths and weaknesses.
Team Role chemistry – we explained why we tend to get on best with people whose styles are similar to our own, but often work more effectively with those whose strengths are complementary.
A business simulation – the directors took part in a practical exercise, then shared which interactions they enjoyed most and least (avoiding personal or speculative comments).
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Two weeks later, each director had a one-to-one session to explore their Belbin reports in more depth and develop a personal strategy for working more effectively with others.
They came away with a clearer understanding of the difference between:
Difficult chemistry – when people have contrasting Team Role profiles.
Problem behaviour – when someone shows too many weaknesses without enough strengths to balance them out.
This distinction helped improve relationships throughout the team. Formal meetings became more productive – and even enjoyable. As the Finance Director put it:
“We sometimes end up laughing now about something that previously we would have fought over.”
And what about the ‘bad apple’? The Operations Director made real progress.
He became more aware of how his behaviour was affecting others, and began making changes. Three months later, the directors completed a fresh round of Observer Assessments. The results showed a clear shift: fewer high-scoring negative (List B) behaviours, and more positive (List A) ones.
In short, the team had started to see and value his contributions – rather than his weaknesses overshadowing his strengths.
Whatever the problem, you need practical, measurable solutions that really work.
A Belbin Individual report offers personalised advice and guidance, designed to help individuals identify and promote their behavioural strengths, gain an understanding of how others see and value their behaviour and much more.
Become the team expert - have the knowledge and practical understanding of Belbin in your toolbox. Accreditation is available either online, or face to face.
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