Anyone who manages a team needs to learn these theories

Anyone who manages a team needs to learn these theories

Can’t get your team on song? These teamwork theories may help you understand why

By Ernest Richardson

It is hard to think of a workplace in which teamwork doesn’t form at least a part of the dynamic among employees. Even solitary activities such as academic research or writing require cooperation with other people at some time or another.

...codifying some of the personality types involved in teams and making a virtue of them can actually be the path to team-working success.  

Trouble is, teamwork isn’t always straightforward. Indeed, as Peter Foy, director of Just Recruitment Group Ltd, explains, it can be a recipe for disaster.

“Everyone knows the old clichés about working in teams,” he says. “There’s always someone who doesn’t pull their weight. Then there’s the overbearing wannabe leader of the pack, who always has to be in charge. And then you have the shy retiring types whose brilliance is hidden by their inability to speak out.”

As it happens, Mr Foy says codifying some of the personality types involved in teams and making a virtue of them can actually be the path to team-working success.

“If every participant in a team understands the preferences and personalities of the people they’re working with, it enhances feelings of mutuality and reciprocity. Somehow, knowing who you’re working with makes it easier to put up with their foibles.”

Belbin’s Team Roles At Work

Such an insight lies behind one of the most influential management theories of the twentieth century: Dr Meredith Belbin’s “Team Roles At Work”.

Anyone who manages a team needs to learn these theoriesBelbin originally studied Classics at the University of Cambridge, but swapped to Psychology when he tired of reading ancient texts. He went on to become a leading figure in the study of human behaviour at work, and this expertise led him to formulate his groundbreaking theory concerning the roles different people play in a working environment.

In Team Roles at Work, Belbin outlines nine roles that participants in teams typically occupy. They reflect preferences such as a love of collaboration, a desire to organise, attention to detail, or a commitment to seeing tasks right through to completion.

By studying your team at an individual and collective level, it’s possible to identify the mix of “roles” at play. As Mr Foy explains, “That’s a helpful starting point to encourage collaboration, and also enables managers to identify the specific contribution each team member is likely to make.”

Tuckman’s Stages of Group Development

Of course, understanding the makeup of your team is one thing, but getting it to function effectively is quite another. “It’s so often the case that frustration creeps in when a team doesn’t seem to be on song,” says Mr Foy. “But, actually, it’s all a part of the natural order of things, as another team-working theory explains.”

This theory is associated with Bruce Tuckman, an American psychologist who published his “Stages of Group Development” in 1965. Tuckman identified four stages that a team moves through when it is first pulled together. They are:

  • Forming: the initial stage, during which team members tend to be fairly gentle with each other. Everyone is getting to know everyone else, working out their place in the group. It’s not a hugely productive period, but lays the foundations for subsequent stages.
  • Storming: At this stage, the gloves are off. People’s idiosyncrasies are starting to grate, and the differences between team members lead to conflict and disagreement. Belbin’s typology can help now, by giving every member of the group a deeper insight into the others’ personalities and preferences. The advice at this stage is to hang in there. Things will get better.
  • Norming: By enhancing mutual understanding in the team, you facilitate a process of shared becoming, during which group members learn to work with the grain of each other’s personalities, establish friendships and build trust.
  • Performing: With the team dynamic shifted from positive to negative, the group enters its final phase: delivering on its promise. A team that is performing is a joy to behold: productive, creative and highly efficient.

“By using Belbin and Tuckman, teams and their leaders can find ways of dealing with conflict,” says Mr Foy. “These theories, which are grounded in observation of the realities of team working, also help teams to persevere through hard times. They’re invaluable in helping groups deliver, whatever the context.

“As ever,” he concludes, “greater understanding yields positive outcomes for everyone. It shows the value of theory in driving business success.”

 

If you enjoyed this article, you may also like:
Where’s the value in your values?
What are catalytic mechanisms?

 

Published: 12 September 2024
© Copyright Just Recruitment Group Ltd 2024

Jobs currently available

New job
Accounts Administrator
Sector: Accountancy, Banking and Finance
Salary: £30,000 per annum
Location: Colchester
Role: Full Time
Contract: Permanent
Job ref: 913707
About the role

Just Recruitment is working with a well-regarded and long-standing family business based on the outskirts of Colchester, looking to add an Accounts Administrator to their team.

Please note that due to the location, you will need access to your own transport.

Working hours:

Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm. 1 hour lunch break. The company can be flexible and offer a 4 day week.

Free parking is available on-site.

You must have a minimum of 3 years’ experience working with Sage 50 accounts and Sage payroll, with the ability to work on your own initiative.

This role is focused within the remit of bookkeeping up to trial balance using Sage software.

Duties will include:

  • Ensure timely and accurate recording of financial transactions.
  • Daily financial operations, including posting of supplier invoices, reconciliation of supplier accounts, accounts payable management, creation of customer invoices, accounts receivable management, etc.
  • Perform bank/credit-card reconciliations, including a factoring banking account and Petty cash accounts.
  • Quarterly VAT returns and analysis. (including RTI submission to HMRC).
  • Prepare weekly aged creditors reports and process weekly supplier payments, run accordingly.
  • Prepare monthly aged debtors reports and provide credit control where required.
  • Maintain cashflow forecast for the Finance Director to review.
  • Process monthly payroll, payments, journal entries and year-end procedures (including RTI submission to HMRC).
  • Manage auto-enrolment pension contributions, submissions and legal returns to the pensions regulator.

Skills required include:

  • Significant experience in finance or accounting.
  • Proficiency with accounting software, Sage 50, and payroll.
  • Advanced knowledge of spreadsheet software such as Excel.
  • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
  • Experience in data entry.
  • Effective decision-making and problem-solving techniques within a finance environment.

 

Just Recruitment acts as an employment agency for permanent roles.
The salary advertised is the bracket available for this position.
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitable candidates.

 

Read more
New job
Factory Operative (Nights)
Sector: Production and Stock Control
Salary: £15.27 per annum
Location: Hadleigh, Suffolk
Role: Full Time
Contract: Temporary
Job ref: JT-HAD-FO-0625
About the role

Just Temps seeks reliable and hardworking Factory Operatives for a hands-on role in a fast-paced environment, within a well-established food manufacturing company, based in Hadleigh, Suffolk.

Hours: Monday to Friday, 11pm to 7am.

Key responsibilities include:

  • Heavy lifting – regularly handling up to 50kg
  • Ripping and tipping of raw materials
  • Maintaining a clean and safe working environment
  • Working in a dusty environment with appropriate PPE
  • Supporting general production and manufacturing tasks

Role requirements include:

  • Comfortable with heavy lifting on a continuous basis
  • Previous experience in a factory setting is desirable
  • Good attention to detail and strong work ethic
  • Reliable and punctual

What’s on offer:

  • Competitive hourly rate
  • Consistent Monday to Friday hours
  • Long-term opportunity with a reputable local employer

If you're ready to roll up your sleeves and get stuck into a vital role in the food production industry, we want to hear from you.

 

Just Temps acts as an Employment Business for the supply of Temporary Staff.~
The salary advertised is the bracket available for this position. 
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitable candidates.

 

Read more
Quality & Compliance Manager
Sector: Business, Consulting and Management
Salary: £45,000 - £50,000 per annum
Location: Colchester
Role: Full Time
Contract: Permanent
Job ref: 913704
About the role

Just Recruitment is partnering with a company based on the outskirts of Colchester to recruit a Quality & Compliance Manager.

You will be responsible for managing and overseeing the company’s compliance and quality assurance activities, ensuring the effective implementation and maintenance of ISO standards and internal controls across the business.

Duties will include:

  • Expand the ISO 9001 system to cover all areas of the business, ensuring comprehensive documentation of workflows that accurately reflect business processes and activities.
  • Assist in the implementation and maintenance of ISO 14001 (Environmental Management) and ISO 27001 (Information Security Management), ensuring ongoing compliance with the standards.
  • Collaborate with the Finance Director to implement robust controls and internal audits related to all aspects of financial management, including budgeting, accounting, and financial reporting.
  • Ensure ongoing compliance with FCA regulations, including record-keeping, reporting, and adherence to guidelines.
  • Monitor regulatory updates and ensure that all processes are updated in line with FCA requirements.
  • Assist in preparing reports for submission to regulatory bodies and ensure proper documentation of all compliance efforts.

Role requirements include:

  • Proven experience in a compliance or quality assurance role, preferably within a regulated industry.
  • Excellent analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex regulations and data effectively.
  • Exceptional attention to detail with strong organisational skills.
  • Ability to communicate effectively at all levels of the organisation, both verbally and in writing.
  • Proficient in using compliance management software and tools.
  • A relevant degree or professional qualification in a related field is advantageous.
  • Six Sigma certifications.
  • Certified Internal Auditor (CIA).
  • PRINCE2 or PMI.

Additional pay:

  • Bonus scheme.
  • Performance bonus.

Benefits include:

  • Company events.
  • Company pension.
  • Free flu jabs.
  • Health and wellbeing programme.
  • On-site parking.
  • Profit sharing.

Hours:

Monday to Thursday, 8.30am to 5.30pm.
Friday, 8.30am to 4.30pm.

 

Just Recruitment acts as an employment agency for permanent roles.
The salary advertised is the bracket available for this position. The actual salary paid will be dependent on your level of experience, qualifications and skill set.
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitable candidates.

 

Read more
Plastic Moulding Technician
Sector: Engineering and Manufacturing
Salary: Competitive
Location: Sudbury
Role: Full Time
Contract: Permanent
Job ref: 913703
About the role

Just Recruitment is working with a long-standing manufacturing business based in Sudbury to recruit a 'Plastic Moulding Technician' to join their team.

The key purpose of this role is to set moulding machines under the direct supervision of the Supervisor/Manager and to ensure the smooth running of the production process and guarantee that all products are produced to the stated specifications.

Key duties include:

  • Setting the correct tool into the moulding machine as required, using clamps, bolts and hand tools as necessary.
  • Setting machine controls to regulate temperature, moulding pressure and cycle time according to the specification/procedures for each job card.
  • Ensuring the correct raw materials are added to the hopper and then commencing production.
  • Being responsible for ensuring that the machine operator is aware of the necessary work required of them for the correct quality of the finished product.
  • Carrying out all repairs and maintenance as required throughout the shift.
  • Liaising with the General Manager to ensure the smooth running of the shop floor and organisation of the work schedule.
  • Reporting any problems, breakdowns, staffing issues, etc., to the General Manager or Administrator in a timely fashion.
  • Ensuring that all machines are set and ready to run for the Operators to commence their shift.
  • Ensuring that each operator is completely aware of all aspects of the work that they are given to do and understands the importance of Quality Checking and hourly checking procedures.
  • Ensuring that all product is correctly labelled and identifiable, including anything in the regrind room.
  • Ensuring that good housekeeping is maintained at all times.

Key requirements for this role include:

  • Previous experience in a similar role.
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
  • Ability to plan and organise within strict deadlines.
  • Excellent team worker, with the ability and self-discipline to work alone effectively.
  • Positive approach to production support and customer service.
  • Highly driven and self-motivated.
  • Maintains a professional attitude, keeps calm and controlled.
  • Confident working in a demanding and pressurised environment.
  • Adaptable and flexible in approach to change.
  • Proactive decision-making and problem-solving skills.
  • Ability to use conceptual thinking and awareness to generate new ideas.

This is a Monday to Friday role, working on a split shift schedule.

Free parking is available on-site.

 

Just Recruitment acts as an employment agency for permanent roles.
The salary advertised is the bracket available for this position. The actual salary paid will be dependent on your level of experience, qualifications and skill set.
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitable candidates.

 

Read more
Area Sales Manager (Leeds)
Sector: Sales
Salary: Discussed on application
Location: Leeds, West Yorkshire
Role: Full Time
Contract: Permanent
Job ref: 913702
About the role

Just Recruitment is recruiting a Regional Sales Manager to establish new distribution networks and relationships for a company in the West Yorkshire area.

The role will involve:

  • Strategic Deployment: Propose development strategies aligned with SBU strategic axes, translate them into action plans, and ensure their implementation.
  • Develop the commercial policy, product offerings, and pricing conditions; prioritise and allocate resources; develop sales forecasts for PIC (S&OP); monitor margins on direct costs.
  • Facilitate decision-making and resource coordination, ensure efficiency in expenses and investments, monitor regulatory changes, evolve organisation and procedures, establish and update performance indicators, and monitor service effectiveness and efficiency.
  • Facilitate decision-making and resource coordination, ensure efficiency in expenses and investments, monitor regulatory changes, evolve organisation and procedures, establish and update performance indicators, and monitor service effectiveness and efficiency.

Preference will be given to applications with business-to-business direct sales experience in the electrical / tools / PPE sector.

 

Just Recruitment acts as an employment agency for permanent roles.
We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitable candidates.

 

Read more