‘My rich experience with Belbin’
A top international NGO uses Belbin to enhance self-understanding and explore behavioural diversity in teams
GAME
- Employees: 130
- Non-governmental sports organisation
- Location: HQ Denmark, operating in Africa, Europe and the Middle East
Objectives
Develop awareness of individuals’ strengths and weaknesses and enable the team to work more effectively together by improving behavioural diversity.
Outcomes
- An objective interpersonal and intrapersonal view of individual strengths and weaknesses
- Greater understanding of how to work more effectively, individually and in teams
- Self-development strategy to cultivate roles that others do not observe
- Team strategy to compensate for ‘Team Role gaps’ and improve behavioural diversity
Introduction
GAME is a top 120 international NGO working for social change through youth-led street sports and culture. GAME creates new facilities, educates youth leaders to serve as instructors and role models in street sports and civil society, and provides entrepreneurial education to empower them to make positive change.
Challenge
GAME Lebanon originated in 2007 and organises training and competitions in street basketball, street soccer and street dance for children across disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Lebanon.
Teams within the NGO wanted to explore how to work and collaborate more effectively.
Solution
Individuals underwent a one-to-one session with an internal Belbin facilitator who explained the results and helped individuals understand how to frame their contribution positively.
The facilitator then led a team session to offer group feedback, highlight strengths in team culture and explore ways to cover Team Role gaps within the team.
Tools used
A selection of Belbin reports were used, along with 1:1 feedback and a Belbin team workshop.
Process
Individuals completed the Self-Perception Inventory (SPI) and requested Observer Assessments (OA) from colleagues within their teams. Internal Belbin facilitators conducted one-on-one feedback sessions to help individuals understand their Belbin Individual report and their Team Role contributions in greater depth.
Team Session
A team session was led by the facilitator to offer group feedback, describe the team’s strengths and culture and to explore the importance of Belbin and behavioural diversity in improving effectiveness and overall performance.
Following an introduction to Belbin, the team took turns to sit on a chair within a circle. Other team members were asked to guess two strengths and one weakness for each participant. One participant describes the process and ‘exciting and engaging’, since they were communicating openly and were encouraged to maintain eye contact. The facilitator maintained an environment of tolerance, listening and understanding throughout.
“This Belbin experience was clearly effective and constructive for me and my colleagues, as I feel we have become closer knitted together as a team. I’m looking forward to participating in a similar experience in a few years to assess my progress and development!”
– Salwa Fathalla, GAME
Feedback
One participant describes the process of completing the SPI as ‘effortless’ and says she ‘was eagerly waiting for the results’.
The individual in question received in-depth feedback on how to promote her Resource Investigator behaviours (which observers had noted) and Plant behaviours (which, she felt, were more evident in her written, than spoken, communication and therefore were not as apparent to the team).
The team noted that Co-ordinator strengths were missing in their team and were able to identify two people who might be able to step in and take on this role when required, for the benefit of the team.
Update…
From Christopher Beck, Facilitator and Partner of Belbin Denmark who worked with Game:
“A big congratulations to Simon Prahm and the whole team at GAME for receiving the Crown Prince Couple’s Social Award. It is much deserved.
At Potential, we are proud to have supported and worked together with GAME over the past 10 years and we look forward to continuing our partnership with Simon and all of GAME for many years to come.
It is inspiring to see how Simon has embraced Belbin and introduced it widely in the organization and we are happy to help ensure that everyone gets the opportunity to give their best and be part of a well-functioning team.”
Simon Prahm, Co-founder & CEO at GAME:
“I am convinced that Belbin and the support you have provided through a better understanding of the dynamics in our many teams has helped pave the road for the success.”
Many congratulations from all of us at Belbin HQ.
