top of the pyramid (goals) and working down to its foundation helped ensure a team
aligned and could function successfully despite obstacles in the work environment.
Belbin (1981) expounded the team role theory in his book Management Teams: Why
They Succeed or Fail.
Belbin (1981) defined a team role as a tendency to behave, contribute and interrelate
with a particular way. The value of Belbin team-role theory lies in enabling an
individual to benefit from self-knowledge and adjust according to the external
situation. There were nine team roles identified by Belbin and his team at Henley
Management College. These team roles categorize as action, people, and cerebral
oriented roles. The accurate delineation of these team roles is critical in understanding
the dynamics of any management work team.
Thompson et al. (2000) introduced the three-stage model for an effective team
process. The team does the groundbreaking work on deciding the basic rules and team
charter in the formation stage. The team makes progress toward meeting the goals in
the development stage. The renewal phase allows the team to move into innovation
and transform itself to take on tasks that are more complex and new goals.