Biography - Meredith Belbin

Given the importance of teams and teamwork in the workplace, we thought we would include among our biographical profiles one for Belbin who is well known in both business and academic circles. To begin your examination of Belbin's work we suggest the Belbin website which in 2007 is here: http://www.belbin.com/rte.asp?id=5. See especially the bottom of the page where links to the following topics are provided: History and Research; What are Belbin Team Roles?; Reliability and Validity; Games and Exercises and a FAQ section (apart from academic work, Belbin is a commercial consultant). For a brief sketch related to Belbin and his research see: "R. Meredith Belbin," in Movers and Shakers: The 100 Most Influential Figures in Modern Business, p.1 ( HC29.M684 2003).

For researchers we provide below books and articles by Belbin and a list of articles about Belbin and his work.

Books by Belbin

These books are presented from newest to oldest. The book from 1981 - Management Teams... is generally regarded as Belbin's seminal work and we have just ordered a newer edition of it (2nd, 2003).

Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail
HD66.B445 2004
"Management Teams, second edition, is required reading for managers concerned with achieving results by getting the best from their key personnel. The first edition is one of the most widely read, imaginative and influential books on this area of management research. The second edition includes eleven case studies plus a new chapter on how, during the years since the book was first published, the ideas on team-role theory have been put into practice."--BOOK JACKET.

Managing without Power :Gender Relationships in the Story of Human Evolution. DBWSTK HQ1075.B445 2001
"Meredith Belbin, best known for his work on teams, now considers the way in which continuing evolution has produced distinct patterns of behaviour for men and women. Examination of the key stages in the history of homo sapiens reveals * how very early human society was regulated not through power but by organic balance, so allowing women to play a vital role in the community * why women lost their hold over men as more populous and structured societies became dominated by aggressive warriors seeking territorial expansion * how natural selection within competing empires favoured the survival of able professionals and compliant slaves, so diversifying the behavioural roles to which humans were genetically disposed * how, in the present era, power has lost its biological utility as human evolution slowed, and technological evolution favoured the emancipation of women with its premium on communication skills *how in this changing scenario, as women have recovered their status and influence, social progress has brought in its wake a new set of cross-gender problems. Penetrating, original and provocative this book offers suggestions on how men and women can come to terms with their genetic heritage, so restoring much needed balance to business organizations and to the community at large." [the book is published by Butterworth Heinemann. This description was taken from the Elsevier web site 2007]

Beyond the Team. 2000. [Electronic Resource]
"Jobs need to be actively interpreted, and the balance between Team Roles and functional roles, constantly revised. Dr Belbin explains how the increasingly complex demands of work allocation can be aided by a colour-coding system, as tested in international trials. Dr Belbin introduces Work Roles, a system of communication based on colour, which allows space for sensitive feedback and has especial value where members of an organisation do not share a common language.The socially complex nature of communication in the workplace offers parallels with the intricacies of the social insect world. Information technology is extending human networking, with the potential for creating a form of organisation closer to what can be achieved in superorganisms. Beyond the Team shows how the mature team can eventually learn to distribute work between its own members, by giving a comprehensive understanding of how to manage both Team Roles and Work Roles." [the book is published by Butterworth Heinemann. This description was taken from the Belbin web site 2012]

Changing the Way We Work. HD31.B4164 1997.
"How many problems at work arise from the way in which jobs are set up? Either people don't have a clear understanding of their duties and responsibilities, spending time and energy disentangling them from those of their co-workers or they are hemmed in by job specifications that allow no room for movement and initiative. An alternative system is needed, where jobs can grow and develop: where communication about the work can flow up as easily as down. Dr Belbin describes a radical approach incorporating colour-coding and information technology derived from experiments now being undertaken in three countries. Workset is a new means of delivering greater efficiency in a dynamic process that equally involves managers and jobholders. Dr R. Meredith Belbin, regarded as the father of team-role theory for his widely-read Management Teams: Why they succeed or fail and its successor Team Roles at Work, obtained his first and higher degree at Cambridge University. Later, in a research, lecturing or consulting capacity, he has visited and worked in many countries. In 1988 he founded Belbin Associates which produces Interplace, a computer-based Human Resource Management System, now used world-wide." [the book is published by Butterworth Heinemann. This description was taken from the Elsevier web site 2007]

The Coming Shape of Organization. HD58.8.B46 1996
"This book from Meredith Belbin, the UK's leading expert on teams, takes the reader on a different and fascinating journey. His insightful analysis takes us from the faults of typical hierarchies to the new world of restructured, flatter organizations where new sets of problems are emerging. In the search for alternative systems, Belbin outlines ways in which continuous deployment and career development can result in more effective use of people's talents. He describes the world of the higher social insects where evolution has generated a common set of principles governing organizations at their most advanced. He then suggests that these integrated strengths could be combined effectively with the strategic abilities of humans. A model in the form of the helix, is foreseen in which individuals and teams move forward on the basis of excellence rather than function. Here information technology can assist in the evolution of human organizations to enable them to become both more complex and more viable in the future." [the book is published by Butterworth Heinemann. This description was taken from the Elsevier web site 2007]

The Job Promoters: A Journey to a New Profession. HD5717.B45 1990

Management Teams: Why they Succeed Or Fail. HD38.B368 1981

Discovery Method: An International Experiment in Retraining. ARCC ZZ1 EC303 69W06 1969

Training Methods for Older Workers. HD6279.B45 1965

Articles by Belbin

We provide here, articles by Belbin. The most recent we have located is: "Managing Through Empowerment: Getting the Most Out of Teamwork Day 11", The Daily Telegraph, Aug. 20, 2007. He sometimes writes a column for the Training Journal and they are listed separately.

Belbin, Meredith. "Summer Round-Up." Management Today (2001): 46.

Belbin, Meredith, Barrie Watson, and Cindy West. "True Colours." People Management 3.5 (1997): 36.

Belbin, Meredith."Conventional Wisdom." People Management 3.23 (1997): 36.

Belbin, Meredith. "Research with a View to Implementation." Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology 70 (1997): 206.

Belbin, Meredith. "The Concept of Superemployability." Industrial and Commercial Training 13.5 (1981): 171.

Belbin, R. M. "The Discovery Method." Training in Business and Industry 10.11 Nov.(1973): 38.

Belbin, Meredith. "Meredith Belbin." Training Journal Jan. (2007): 18.
Belbin, Meredith. "Meredith Belbin." Training Journal Dec.(2006): 19.
Belbin, Meredith. "Meredith Belbin." Training Journal Nov. (2006): 16.
Belbin, Meredith. "Meredith Belbin." Training Journal Oct.(2006): 19.
Belbin, Meredith. "Meredith Belbin." Training Journal Sept.(2006): 16.
Belbin, Meredith. "Meredith Belbin." Training Journal Aug. (2006): 11.
Belbin, Meredith. "Meredith Belbin." Training Journal July (2006): 44.
Belbin, Meredith. "The Five Golden Rules." Training Journal March,(2006): 30.
Belbin, Meredith. "Teams in the 21st Century: How do we Define their Role?" Training Journal (2002): 18.
Belbin, Meredith."Helping Women to Progress in Management." Training Journal Oct. (2001): 16.
Belbin, Meredith."Improving the Job." Training Journal Nov. (1999): 32.

Articles about Belbin

An article about Belbin has just been published and it is a good place to begin your research. See: "Belbin's Team Role Model: Development, Validity and Applications for Team Building," by Aritor Aritzeta, Stephen Swales and Barbara Senior in the Journal of Management Studies, Vol.44, No.1, January 2007, p.96

Anderson, N. and Sleap, S. (2004). ‘An evaluation of gender differences on the Belbin Team Role Self-Perception Inventory’. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 77, 429–37.

Aritzeta, A., Ayestaran, S. and Swailes, S. (2005a). ‘Team role preference and conflict management styles’ International Journal of Conflict Management, 16, 157–82.

Aritzeta, A., Senior, B. and Swailes, S. (2005b). ‘Team role preference and cognitive styles: a convergent validity study’. Small Group Research, 36, 404–36.

Balderson, S. J. and Broderick, A. J. (1996). ‘Behaviour in teams: exploring occupational and gender differences’. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 11, 33–42.

Broucek, W. G. and Randell, G. (1996). ‘An assessment of the construct validity of the Belbin Self-Perception Inventory and Observer’s Assessment from the perspective of the five-factor model’. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 69, 389–405.

Dulewicz, V. (1995). ‘A validation of Belbin’s team roles from 16PF and OPQ using bosses’ ratings of competence’. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 68, 81–99.

Dulewicz, V. and Higgs, M. (1999). ‘Can emotional intelligence be measured and developed?’. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 20, 242–52.

Fisher, S. G. and Macrosson, W. D. K. (1995). ‘Early influences on management team roles’. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 10, 8–15.

Fisher, S. G., Macrosson, W. D. and Sharp, G. (1996). ‘Further evidence concerning the Belbin Team Role Self-perception Inventory’. Personnel Review, 25, 61–7.

Fisher, S. G., Hunter, T. A. and Macrosson, W. D. K. (1998a). ‘The structure of Belbin’s team roles’. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 71, 283–8.

Fisher, S. G.,Macrosson, W. D. K. and Wong, J. (1998b). ‘Cognitive style and team role preference’. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 13, 544–57.

Fisher, S. G., Hunter, T. A. and Macrosson, W. D. K. (2001a). ‘A validation study of Belbin’s team roles’. European Journal of Work and Organizational Psychology, 10, 121–44.

Fisher, S. G., Macrosson, W. D. and Semple, J. H. (2001b). ‘Control and Belbin’s team roles’. Personnel Review, 30, 578–88.

Fisher, S. G., Hunter, T. A. and Macrosson, W. D. (2002). ‘Belbin’s team role theory: for non-managers also?’. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 14–20.

Furnham, A., Steele, H. and Pendleton, D. (1993a). ‘A psychometric assessment of the Belbin Team-Role Self-Perception Inventory’. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 66, 245–57.

Furnham, A., Steele, H. and Pendleton, D. (1993b). ‘A response to Dr Belbin’s reply’. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 66, 261.

Jackson, C. (2002). ‘Predicting team performance from a learning process model’. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 6–13.

Jarzabkowski, P. and Wilson, D. C. (2002). ‘Top teams and strategy in a UK university’. Journal of Management Studies, 39, 355–81.

Lessem, R. and Baruch, Y. (2000). ‘Testing the SMT and Belbin inventories in top management teams’. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 21, 75–83.

Macrosson, W. D. and Hemphill, D. J. (2001). ‘Machiavellianism in Belbin team roles’. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 16, 355–63.

Partington, D. and Harris, H. (1999). ‘Team role balance and team performance: an empirical study’. Journal of Management Development, 18, 694–701.

Prichard, J. S. and Stanton, N. A. (1999). ‘Testing Belbin’s team role theory of effective groups’. Journal of Management Development, 18, 652–65.

Rushmer, R. (1996). ‘Is Belbin’s Shaper really TMS’s thruster-organizer? An empirical investigation into the correspondence between the Belbin and TMS team role models’. Leadership and Organization Development Journal, 17, 20–6.

Senior, B. (1997). ‘Team roles and team performance: is there “really” a link?’. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 70, 241–58.

Senior, B. (1998). ‘An empirically-based assessment of Belbin’s team roles’. Human Resource Management Journal, 8, 54–60.

Senior, B. and Swailes, S. (1998). ‘A comparison of the Belbin Self Perception Inventory and Observer’s Assessment Sheet as measures of an individual’s team roles’. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 6, 1–8.

Senior, B. and Swailes, S. (2004). ‘The dimensions of management team performance: a repertory grid study’. The International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 53, 317–33.

Shi, Y. and Tang, H. K. (1997). ‘Team roles behaviour and task environment: an exploratory study of five organizations and their managers’. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 12, 88–94.

Sommerville, J. and Dalziel, S. (1998). ‘Project teambuilding – the applicability of Belbin’s team-role self-perception inventory’. International Journal of Project Management, 16, 165–71.

Swailes, S. and McIntyre-Bhatty, T. (2002). ‘The “Belbin” team role inventory: reinterpreting reliability estimates’. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 17, 529–36.

Swailes, S. and McIntyre-Bhatty, T. (2003). ‘Scale structure of the Team Role Self Perception Inventory’. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 76, 525–9.