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The challenge

Teach First is a UK-based social enterprise working to end educational inequality. Its Design Team plays a crucial role in shaping the organisation’s flagship Leadership Development Programme, delivered in schools across the country.

Following a period of organisational change, the Design Team faced a number of challenges:

  • Recent changes in team composition and leadership
  • A need to reconnect around a fresh, stretching set of objectives
  • Some uncertainty about roles and contributions

The team recognised they needed to rebuild confidence, improve communication, and develop a shared understanding of how to work together more effectively.

The solution

To help realign the team and build momentum, Teach First arranged a half-day off-site workshop, using the Belbin Team Roles framework.

The session focused on:

  • Helping individuals understand their behavioural contributions, using Belbin Individual reports
  • Mapping out team strengths and spotting gaps
  • Clarifying how each person could best contribute to the new goals
  • Encouraging open dialogue and purposeful collaboration

The workshop provided a structured, constructive space for the team to reconnect and plan the way forward.

The outcome

Immediately after the session, the team reported:

  • More informal and effective communication
  • Renewed energy and motivation
  • Clearer understanding of individual roles and team dynamics
  • Improved collaboration, based on mutual appreciation of working styles

The impact was tangible. The team completed key objectives in the three days following the session – describing themselves as “energised, enthusiastic and smiling.”

What the team said

"I think it is fair to say that the day was transformational for our team. We had been through a lot of change and turbulence over the past few months, and it helped us come back together, appreciate one another and refocus.

The change in the team has been remarkable, we now communicate more often and informally, we draw on each other’s preferred working styles to increase our efficiency and impact and work together more often and more meaningfully.

Each member of the team seems to have had a boost in confidence, is clearer on what they uniquely offer the team and are motivated to share it.

In the three days following the day you spent with us, the team far exceeded the objectives and outcomes we had set and did so with energy, enthusiasm and a smile. Some reflections I noted down were:

  • 'I really believe we can lead on something transformative; that has an impact on teachers and children’s lives.'
  • 'I’m excited about the diversity of our team, we can now get stuck in to collaborating purposefully with each other based on our strengths.'
  • 'You have really empowered us, I feel like I can offer something now.'
  • 'I see the power of what we are able to achieve.'
  • 'I have changed this week, I have re-discovered my confidence and I see how I can contribute again.'"

Rachel Haak – team member

Why Belbin made the difference

The Belbin framework provided the team with:

  • A shared language for understanding behaviour at work
  • A non-threatening way to address team dynamics
  • A practical tool for building trust, confidence and cohesion

In times of transition, Belbin helps teams move beyond roles on paper to real behavioural insight – unlocking collaboration and fast-tracking results.

 

Ready to realign your team?

If your team is navigating change, Belbin can help you reconnect, refocus and re-energise.

Contact us to find out more.

Contact us

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Contact us

Please fill out the form and we'll be in touch.

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