Assess the importance of team roles in successful business teams

Teams that have balanced roles are usually successful teams as each individual is well aware of his role within the team which raises the effectiveness of work and make the team able to reach the high working performance required for success.

Team role definition

It is important to define roles within a team as each individual has to know specifically the needed tasks and missions involved within his role and not to be asked to do others' jobs. Defining the team roles is realizing the responsibilities of each role and agreeing on the persons who can handle such responsibilities and this is the most important step in any team work as it has to be made at first before beginning any project in order to raise efficiency and ensure success.

Belbin's team roles

Roles have to be identified and known by all members of the team as the team composition is very important for its success and this can be well regarded in the team roles of Bellbin as follows:

Belbin’s Role Characteristics

Plant (PL)	Creative, imaginative, unorthodox. Solves difficult problems
Resource Investigator (RI)	Extrovert, enthusiastic, communicative. Explores opportunities. Develops contacts.
Co-ordinator (CO)	Mature, confident, a good chairperson. Clarifies goals, promotes decision-making, delegates well.
Shaper (SH)	Challenging, dynamic, thrives on pressure. The drive and courage to overcome obstacles.
Monitor Evaluator (ME)	Sober, strategic and discerning. Sees all options. Judges accurately.
Team Worker (TW)	Co-operative, mild, perceptive and diplomatic. Listens, builds, averts friction.
Implementer (IMP)	Disciplined, reliable, conservative and efficient. Turns ideas into practical actions.
Completer-Finisher (CF)	Painstaking, conscientious, anxious. Searches out errors and omissions. Delivers on time.
Specialist (SP)	Single-minded, self-starting, dedicated. Provides knowledge and skills in rare supply

Belbin's role theory depends on presenting a model for the strong example of roles within the team which makes it clear to recognize the needs of each role within a team and perform the jobs effectively.  This tells many things about the team leader and his responsibility in explaining roles to the members such as:

-the leader is the inspirer of the team members and he inspires others to achieve specific goals.

-the leader has to encourage the team members to discuss their roles in meetings.

-the team morale has to be raised by the leader.

-clear explanations about the different roles have to be delivered to the members by their leader.

-there should be a natural leader to replace the position of the assigned leader when he is absent.

-the team members need to receive training and support by their leader based on each role.

-if the leader needs to change roles of some members, there should be discussions about this. (Chong, 2005)

AC1.3 Analyse the value of using theoretical models when building successful business teams

Theoretical models are important for building a successful business team as they are important to set a base for the work of the team. The theoretical model refers to theories prepared for explaining certain behaviors or situations and provides a future prediction for this behavior. Theoretical models' value is in its start with realizing the goals of the team and how to achieve them as when the team has a theoretical model developed for it; this can help the team define the needed skills to be mastered by members of the team and by their leader. The model can also help the team set a measure for ensuring the jobs of the team members and that they are done properly according to the members' skills and abilities.

Popular theoretical models

• Belbin

Belbin depends on considering the team as a congregation of individuals and not only some peoples working together under specific job titles as roles are realized and understood by each member and others. 

• Abraham Maslow

Maslow gave much interest to needs of the team members such as their need to be listened to, having the freedom to express their problems and be well motivated as his theory depends on motivation. Needs of the team include their need for a good leader, having interesting work, be listened to and be respected.

• John Adair

His theory depends on following three circles that each of them represents a mission involved within the team work and these three circles are: achieving the task, building the team and maintaining it and developing the individuals who are supposed to be the members of the team and their leader.

• Myers Briggs – MBTI

This model was set by Isabel Briggs-Myers and Katherine Cook-Briggs who is her mother. The model objective is to make each member in the team full aware and understanding of himself and others within the team. The team development depends on making an action plan at the end of the project. The model has four main elements describing each end which are: Extrovert to Introvert, Sensation to Intuition, Thinking to Feeling and Judging to Perceiving.

• Strength Deployment Inventory

This model depends on a workshop for two days for participants to make them able to build a link between success in business and relationship skills, have workplace diversified styles, have effective communication and reduce stress and conflicts in the workplace. This can be applied on the team in order to build good teamwork relationships. 

• Theory X and Y

This model was prepared by Douglas McGregor who was a lecturer at Harvard University .The model focuses on the enterprise Human Side as it explains two different views of people at work. It suggests that managers can be able to follow either view of their workforce. Theory X is supposed to describe a traditional control view. Theory Y supports the self directed workforce that works according to the goals of the organization and at the same time integrates some of their own goals into the organization's goals.  

• The Social Identity Theory

The Social identity model is in contrast to other individualistic theories such as that of Belbin. It refers to how far individuals define themselves as being individuals or as being members related to a group or a team and this depends greatly on the organizational culture and policy. 
It also suggests that the behavior of both the teamwork and the individual cannot be solely predicted away from the idiosyncratic characteristics but it is also depending on the social context that defines the belief structures they follow.

• Tuckman, Forming - Storming - Norming – Performing

This model of Tuckman 1960 refers to completed tasks a team does and the stages required for developing teams and how to face the challenges teams face and the four stages refer to teams development.

• The Colour Works

The Color Works model is following a behavior psychological model that makes teams able to realize similarities and differences within the team for reaching more effectiveness at work. The Color Works model is set to measure the individual's personal levels of development, through a unique personal color profile. (teamworkdefinition, 2014)

AC 2.1 Explain the stages of team development

Many authors have suggested different stages for team development in the literature but Tuckman's model for team development stages got much popularity as he suggested a model for the stages of team development that can be used by many different groups and teams at all times; first he suggested his stages which are called: 1. Testing and dependence, 2. Conflict of the intragroup, 3. Group cohesion development, and 4. Functional role relatedness. Then he suggested task activity stages which were: 1. Orientation to task, 2. Emotional response for the task demands, 3. Relevant interpretations open exchange and 4. solutions emergence. Then Tuckman summarized all stages to four main stages which are forming, storming, norming and performing and the last stage is transforming. This can be explained as follows: 

• Forming:

A shared purpose is to be done and accomplished by the integrated work of a group of people who depend on being familiar to each other in order to succeed and this is in the work style, experience, clarity in missions, roles division and tasks achievement.

 Storming:

This is the second stage of development that may bear disagreement regarding visions, missions and the methods followed for dealing with problems or different missions as the views of the members may be contrast to each other which leads to a struggle during the process of recognizing different individuals in the team. Communication and interaction among the group members occur in this stage of development. Conflict and strained relationships within members can occur in this stage as the new relationships can be the main reasons for such conflicts.

• Norming:

Relationships have been formed in this stage either consciously or unconsciously and these relationships can make the team progress in achieving its objectives as members abide the group norms and tend to work more functionally in order to achieve the goals assigned to the team effectively.

• Performing: 

This stage contains the team processes, effective relationships, effectiveness of achieving the work according to the objectives and real work is produced by the team through functioning of all team members.

• Transforming: 

This is the last stage of the team development and it comes when the team members reach success in achieving the tasks assigned to them for achieving the objectives of the work and when they have enough experiences gained from their teamwork and it contains finished missions, done tasks and completed jobs.

Not all included activities within the team work must pass all the previously mentioned stages as there could be some simple activities such as adding a new member to the team as this can make the team start from the first stage and incorporate the new member into the team. There should be a time frame for each stage and time has to be scheduled according to the needs of each team and the time scheme they work according to. (Tuckman and Jensen, 2010)

AC 2.2 Plan how to motivate team members to achieve given objectives

In Oman Arab Bank; the loan department; there are a number of basic objectives for the team working in that department and these objectives are SMART objectives as they are specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and timed which are:

1. To grant loans to clients requiring them on a collectible and sound basis.
2. To invest the funds of the bank profitably for raising the benefit of the bank's shareholders and protecting deposits of the bank. 
3. To provide a high quality service for the legitimate credit needs of the bank's communities.
4. To ensure the staff satisfaction within the loan department. (OAB, 2016)

Motivating the team members to achieve such objectives should be based upon a motivation theory such as that of Maslow as it categorizes needs as follows:

Self-actualization

esteem

Belongingness

Safety

Psychological

Self actualization

The team members have to be well aware of the objectives as I have to communicate the objectives with them, explaining how to achieve them by different methods and techniques. The team members have to be trained in order to be able to achieve such objectives. They need to be encouraged for presenting creative ideas that can achieve the objectives fast and efficiently. Open discussions should be made about how to achieve the objectives. I should develop plans to meet the loan department objectives. 

Esteem

The team members' responsibilities have to be clear and each individual has to know his role exactly. Team members should be respected and supported when needed. I should recognize efficient team members, appraise their work, guide them and provide advice when needed.

Belongingness

The team members have to be well aware about the clients' needs and how to satisfy them. The team members need to be managed and informed by all they require to know about business operations as this helps them feel more belonging to the bank. Opportunities and difficulties have to be well identified and informed to the team members, they have to be discussed and solutions should be discussed too. I have to advise the team members about certain problems and difficulties.

Safety

The team members have to feel safe in the work environment, all their rights have to be ensured, security and safety measurements need to be met and the team have to be monitored and supervised in order to ensure support in its time. I have to evaluate the work done by the team members in order to ensure the success of the work done and give further advice. Good reward systems and salary systems need to be studied as the members monetary needs should be met. Insurance systems also need to be regarded.

Psychological

For motivating the team members; their psychological needs have to be regarded as they need to work in a work environment that is free from stressors, they have to be listened to and their sufferings and problems need to be regarded. I should discuss their problems and find solutions for them. I should praise and correct the members in simple clear words and I have to project a positive attitude towards success. (Kaur, 2013)