A team is a group of people with complementary skills who are committed to a common purpose and approach for which they hold themselves mutually accountable.
In assembling a good team, one needs to strike a balance between the crippling nature of ‘’sameness’’ and the chaotic nature of diversity.
Team vs. Group
To be successful, startup founders need to move beyond being a group and become a team.
A group comprises three or more individuals working independently of one another towards their organizational goals.
A team comprises two or more individuals working together regularly towards a shared goal or purpose.
Why do you need to team? A team brings synergy. A team is greater than the sum of its parts.
Assigning Team Roles
According to Belbin, there are three main preferences for teams – action, thinking, and relationships. Every team must have at least one member in each role. This diversity will balance the weaknesses of each role (as enumerated in the table below) and make for a more cohesive team.
| PREFERENCE | ROLES | STRENGTHS | WEAKNESSES |
| Action | Shaper Implementer Completer Finisher | Driven Organizer Conscientious | Rude Inflexible Perfectionist |
| People | Coordinator Team worker Resource investigator | Chairperson Diplomatic Explorer | Manipulative Defers to others Loses momentum |
| Cerebral | Plant Monitor evaluator Specialist | Original ideas Strategic Expert | Impractical Critical Narrow |
Action Steps
- Get each person on your team to take the Belbin team inventory test and ascertain what his or her roles and preferences are.
- Conduct regular team-building exercises for your team to build cohesion and team spirit.
