Teaching teamwork and improving employability prospects at the University of Liverpool

In a professional setting, teamwork improves workplace flexibility, reduces supervision costs and offers potential for greater innovation.

Many universities want to teach invaluable teamwork skills, promote academic performance and improve employability prospects among students.

Researchers at the University of Liverpool (UOL) wanted to do just that, by helping students understand their strengths, and those of their peers.

A voluntary sample of 13 students from the Management School at UOL completed the Belbin Self-Perception Inventory and obtained Observer Assessments, resulting in a personalised Belbin Individual report.

They also attended a Belbin workshop delivered by Belbin UK. This workshop introduced Team Role theory, Team Role groups and opposites. Belbin reports were shared with participants before the workshop.

Participants completed a set of reflective questions before and after the Belbin workshop to analyse self-awareness and assess teamwork and employability skills, resulting in 13 rich, contextualised reflective student accounts of their teamwork behaviours (and those of others).

A mixed-methods approach was used to discover trends within the qualitative and quantitative datasets.

Self-awareness

Prior to the Belbin workshop, students rated their self-awareness as high, owing to personal life experiences and opportunities for self-reflection during the course.

Following the course, participants appeared to learn even more about themselves, reinforcing their ideas of their unique strengths and weaknesses.

One student wrote: “It has reinforced what I already thought and therefore strengthened my belief that I understand myself.” 

Teamwork

When it came to attitudes towards teamwork, students gave mixed responses prior to the Belbin intervention.

Some students were positive, indicating that group work allowed them to come up with creative ideas that they might not have generated if working alone, and noting increased productivity when working in a group, owing to valuable feedback. 

However, others reported more negatively that group work removed individual accountability and expressed frustration at social loafing. They focused on a lack of control, with some students feeling that they put in more work than others without adequate reward.

Following the Belbin workshop, participants reported that they understood how to perform more effectively when engaged in teamwork.

“In a team environment, I would now be more capable of recognising others’ skills and how this will benefit the team overall by learning the characteristics associated with each.”

“It has explained to me the tangible benefits that differences within a team can facilitate.”

Employability

Prior to learning their Belbin Team Role strengths, some students felt they were inexperienced and under-confident in promoting themselves at interview. Others indicated that they were more confident with articulating their weaknesses rather than their strengths.

After completing the Belbin workshop and receiving their Belbin report, participants felt more confident in articulating their strengths, enhancing their employability skills.

“Knowing in detail what my skills are will effectively help me communicate it to employers in interviews.”

“The workshop and report have allowed me to see my strengths and ways in which to articulate them. This would increase my confidence in the future.”

“I have previously struggled with standing out at interviews and so learning how both my strengths and weaknesses can highlight the contribution I can make is very useful.”

“I feel I have an answer for what are my strengths, and I know how to phrase weaknesses in a more positive light.”

Application of learning

The analysis indicated ongoing benefits for the students, for their personal and professional development, as they progress to teamwork in business.

The students described Belbin as a ‘beautiful’ and ‘unforgettable’ experience.

One student indicated a greater awareness of their strengths and weaknesses, knowledge which would enable them to contribute more effectively when working in a team. Another suggested that their learning would enable them to allocate work more effectively and develop latent behaviours which might also be of use to the team.

Conclusion

In summary, researchers concluded that the Belbin process helped students to recognise one another’s strengths and perform more effectively in teams.

Even for students who already considered themselves to have high self-awareness, prior to Belbin, this confidence did not necessarily extend to presenting well at interview.

Belbin addressed this need – and boosted employability – by enabling students to articulate and promote their strengths to a future employer. It gave them the tools to formulate responses to potential questions on their strengths and weaknesses when applying for jobs. 

In addition to enhancing self-understanding, Belbin illustrated the tangible benefits of a team, leading to an increased sense of control when working in a team and giving students a more positive view of teamwork which can be taken into the workplace.

The researchers remarked on the success of the project as a whole and hope to repeat it with future cohorts.