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Recruitment, Project Management and Team Types

I suppose it's one way to avoid a four hour drive home on a wet Wednesday night.  We were closing the wrap-up meeting after one of the biggest assignments we've ever carried out … Engineering Director, Sales Director and Head of Procurement together with a Sales Manager, Channel Manager and Marketing Manager.  The MD told us how pleased he was.  'All I've got to do now is get them stuck into some projects and start earning back your fees.'

'Well,' said our Technical Director, 'You've got all the information you need to put the project management teams together.'  We both eyed the rain falling implacably out of a dark sky.

'I have?,' asked the MD. 'Where?'

'In those psychometric reports we sent you.'

The MD stared at him. 'I'll get Cynthia to book you into the Holiday Inn,' he said.  'You can explain yourselves over dinner.'

Later that night our Technical Director produced his simple diagram linking the Project Management Process (Think, Plan, Do, Review) to Meredith Belbin's classic Team Types.  'Look,' he said. 'You know how often the simplest projects turn out to be poorly thought through, inadequately planned, badly implemented, or overrun.' 

'Yes,' said the MD.  'But what really irritates me is that we never seem to learn the lesson - we go and do the same thing again next time.  Mind you, I'm expecting things to be different now you've found my new team.' 

'Well, it certainly can be.  I'm not saying that anything can guarantee success but the information we collected when we did the recruitment psychometrics can certainly help.  Look … you know Belbin classifies people's behaviour in teams into three categories.  The first are the behaviours that people are likely to adopt, then come those behaviours people may adopt with and finally those they are unlikely to adopt.'

'I've certainly been told that,' said the MD guardedly.

'Well, what I'm suggesting is that you take notice of those preferred behaviours when picking people for Project Teams.  Otherwise you run the risk of swamping the team with people who are forever coming up with great ideas while having nobody on the team who gets their kicks by driving the implementation phase forward.  Or you could be totally lacking somebody who questions ideas constructively at the thinking and planning stages, so you end up running with options or plans that haven't been properly thought through.'

He pushed his first diagram across the table.  'Look. This is a simple representation of the main stages of the project management process.'

'Where does that get us?' asked the MD.

'Not very far - until we link it with the Team Types described by Meredith Belbin.  Belbin highlighted eight particular roles, or team 'types' which appear to have special relevance in most organisational structures.  Each type contributes an important element towards good group performance, and teams incorporating each of these types, as opposed to a predominance of any one, tend to be more successful.'

'Just refresh my memory on these team types,' said the MD.  'Aren't they about Shapers and Plants and things?'

'Spot on,' replied our TD, pulling out his second diagram.  'Here they are and those are the descriptions of the types of behaviour people will adopt when adopting their preferred roles!'

*Belbin,RM (1981); Management Teams, Heinemann

'Now,' said our TD. 'Overlay these types of behaviour on the parts of the project management process where you would most want to see them being exhibited.'  He produced his third and final diagram.

'Looking at it like this,' continued our TD, 'Just helps concentrate the mind that throughout the project management cycle you are going to need a selection of people who are going to comfortable with ALL these types of behaviour and unless you know what behaviours people are most likely to adopt putting a successful team together is usually a matter of luck!  But you do know, because our personality profiling told you.'

The MD had been very quiet (usually a worrying condition).  'It's all so obvious really, isn't it?  I've been thinking for some time that, at our current rate of growth, we would need to be getting our HR act together.  I think I ought to get our new HR Manager to have a word with you,' he said to our Technical Director.

'I'm sorry. When did you appoint an HR Manager?,' asked our TD.

'We haven't yet,' replied the MD.  'But I'm sure you'll find us an absolute star.  Just like you always do!  Now.  Anyone fancy a brandy?'