The Belbin Team Roles® tool is one of the most reliable questionnaires that can give us a clear picture of our behaviour within the team. In addition, it enables us to better understand colleagues and their reactions in stressful situations. Due to its comprehensiveness and practical application, Belbin's methodology of team roles has significant potential in higher education as well. Although often presented as a great tool in the work environment, Belbin's approach also has great value for students! It can help them discover what situations they are better at and what tasks suit them best.
Different characteristics of team members contribute to success together
Namely, students often cooperate with colleagues in team tasks, ultimately affecting their final grades. To be successful within this cooperation, it is important that they understand each other and share responsibilities in a meaningful way. Dr Meredith Belbin himself, the creator of the Belbin methodology, began his research on team roles in an academic environment, confirming that diversity in a team is the key to success! The point is not that we should all be good at everything (unfortunately often taught to us) or that we should all do everything, but that we should distribute the work according to our preferences and strengths to be as efficient as possible.
In addition, many students at a certain stage of their studies must decide on a specific field in which they will improve. This can be extremely demanding if they do not have any form of support in recognizing their strengths and room for improvement. Belbin's methodology perfectly meets this need, enabling students to learn what is crucial for their further career development and establishing cooperation with others!
Continuous personal growth since student days
The improvement of professional knowledge and skills is very often set as an imperative of academic education, but it is equally important that during this period of life, students work on their personal development, emotional intelligence and competencies such as cooperation, understanding and acceptance of diversity, personal responsibility, flexibility, etc. This is what will ultimately make the difference in their success at college and their employability level in the labour market. The Belbin methodology is based on a very clear and understandable vocabulary that helps students work on themselves and better understand others, with the goal of realizing their full potential!
To sum up, Belbin team roles questionnaire helps with:
- facilitating the personal development and emotional intelligence of students
- raising awareness of strengths and making informed career decisions
- supporting effective teamwork and understanding diversity
- improving academic engagement and increasing employability.
How can students find out their preferred team roles?
To discover their preferred team roles, students complete the self-assessment and it is ideal to ask several colleagues to complete the assessment for them to ensure maximum possible benefits of the results.
The questionnaire is completed online, whenever it suits the students, and the report they receive is informative and highly interpretable.
SELECTIO consultants hold workshops for students to understand better the basis of the Belbin methodology and how they can use the Belbin results.
Furthermore, the results of the Belbin questionnaire can be used for:
- career counselling
- grouping students into project teams on courses
- work on personal development
- education/workshops to develop the social competencies of students.
To find out more details about the application and benefits of the Belbin methodology, feel free to contact us!
