Teams communication and conflict - Belbin roles and group in...

Learning Outcomes

After reading this article, you will be able to distinguish between groups and teams, outline the key purposes of teams in organisations, describe Belbin’s team roles theory and Tuckman’s stages of team development, identify characteristics of effective and ineffective teams, and apply tools for improving teamwork and resolving conflict. By the end, you should be able to analyse team effectiveness and select suitable strategies for team communication and conflict resolution in business contexts.

ACCA Business and Technology (BT) Syllabus

For ACCA Business and Technology (BT), you are required to understand the principles of teams and group behaviour, effective team development, and the management of workplace conflict. This article focuses on:

• The main characteristics of individual and group behaviour
• The differences between a group and a team, and the purposes of teams
• The manager’s role in building the team, and team development stages (Belbin and Tuckman)
• Characteristics of effective and ineffective teams
• Tools and techniques to build teams and improve effectiveness
• Sources of conflict and techniques for conflict resolution
• How communication patterns affect team performance and conflict

Test Your Knowledge

Attempt these questions before reading this article. If you find some difficult or cannot remember the answers, remember to look more closely at that area during your revision.

1. What are the nine roles identified by Belbin that contribute to effective team functioning?
2. Arrange the following stages of team development in Tuckman’s model in the correct order: Storming, Performing, Norming, Forming.
3. Which conflict management technique seeks a compromise rather than a complete resolution? a) Denial b) Reduction/negotiation c) Suppression d) Resolution
4. What is a key difference between a group and a team in a business context?
5. List two characteristics of an effective team.

Introduction

High-performing organisations rely on effective teamwork to meet their objectives. Teams benefit from diverse members, clear roles, structured development, and constructive communication, but they can also face conflict, unclear roles, or poor coordination. Understanding the concepts of group formation, Belbin’s team roles, team development stages, and conflict management is essential for managing teams and ensuring successful business outcomes.

Key Term: group
A collection of individuals who share a sense of identity and purpose, and who perceive themselves as a group.

Why Teams Matter in Organisations

Teams provide several advantages over individuals working alone:

• Pooling of different skills and experience
• More ideas for solving problems
• Increased flexibility
• Greater motivation through shared purpose
• Improved communication channels

However, teamwork is not always effective. Team performance can be reduced by poor leadership, unclear objectives, or unresolved conflict.

Key Term: team
A formal group of people working together towards shared objectives, where each member has specific responsibilities and strong interdependence with others.

Distinguishing Groups from Teams

Groups may form informally or be set up formally by management. Informal groups are based on social needs, while formal groups serve organisational goals. Not every group is a team:

• Teams are created for a specific objective.
• Members rely on each other's skills to achieve results.
• Teams usually have higher levels of commitment, coordination, and clear roles than informal groups.

Worked Example 1.1

Is a department of clerks, each doing identical independent tasks, a team or only a group?

Answer:
While the department is a group, it is not a team unless there is a shared objective requiring members to collaborate and depend on one another’s contributions.

Belbin’s Team Roles Theory

Effective teams require more than just a collection of technical skills. Dr Meredith Belbin identified nine recurring roles in successful teams. Each role contributes key behaviours for team effectiveness. An individual may take on more than one role, but a balanced team will cover all nine.

Key Term: Belbin team role
A characteristic behavioural pattern that a team member typically adopts within a team, contributing towards the team’s objectives.

Belbin’s Nine Team Roles

1. Coordinator (Leader): Clarifies goals, delegates tasks, ensures focus.
2. Shaper: Drives action, challenges inertia, thrives on pressure.
3. Plant: Creative source of new ideas and innovative solutions.
4. Monitor-Evaluator: Sober, logical analyst; judges ideas critically.
5. Resource Investigator: Explores opportunities, develops external contacts.
6. Implementer (Company Worker): Turns ideas into practical actions, organises work.
7. Team Worker: Supports members, promotes collaboration, resolves conflicts.
8. Completer-Finisher: Attention to detail, ensures deadlines and standards.
9. Specialist: Provides specialist knowledge and technical know-how.

Each role, if overused or unbalanced, can hinder the team. For example, too many Plants may result in abundant ideas but little practical progress.

Worked Example 1.2

A team of six is failing to meet project deadlines. The leader notices that while ideas are plentiful, there is little follow-through on tasks. Which Belbin roles might be missing or under-represented?

Answer:
The team may lack Implementers to drive work forward and Completer-Finishers to ensure detail and on-time completion.

Exam Warning

In ACCA exams, you may be asked to identify which combination of Belbin roles is lacking in a given scenario or evaluate the result of missing a key role. Learn the distinct contributions of each role.

Tuckman’s Stages of Team Development

Team performance changes as the team matures. Bruce Tuckman’s model describes four main stages:

1. Forming: Team members are introduced; roles and goals are unclear.
2. Storming: Conflict arises as personalities and working styles clash.
3. Norming: Roles and procedures become accepted; cooperation increases.
4. Performing: The team operates at high efficiency towards objectives.

Some sources add two further stages:

• Dorming: Team becomes complacent or slow-moving with routine tasks.
• Adjourning/Mourning: Team disbands after completing its objectives.

Key Term: team development (Tuckman)
The process by which a team progresses through stages of formation to achieve optimal performance and then disbands or becomes less active.

Characteristics at Each Stage

Communicating in Teams

Communication is essential to team effectiveness. Clear instructions, open feedback, and shared understanding prevent errors and conflict. Poor communication can result in role confusion, delays, or missed objectives.

Key Term: team communication
The process by which team members exchange information, ideas, and feedback to coordinate efforts and achieve team objectives.

Patterns of Team Communication

• Centralised (messages flow through one leader)
• Decentralised (all members interact)
• Formal (meetings, written reports)
• Informal (conversations, messaging)

Teams with open, direct communication tend to perform better and resolve issues faster.

Revision Tip

Make summary notes of the features and recommended communication style for each team development stage to aid speedy revision.

Team Effectiveness: Characteristics

Effective teams:

• Have clear objectives and shared purpose
• Members understand roles and responsibilities
• Balance of Belbin team roles
• Mutual trust and respect
• Open, frequent communication
• Ability to manage conflict constructively

Ineffective teams:

• Competing ambitions override collective purpose
• Poor leadership or unclear direction
• Unresolved interpersonal conflict
• Role duplication or neglect
• Poor communication, secrecy, or exclusion

Sources and Consequences of Conflict in Teams

Conflict commonly arises from:

• Competition for limited resources
• Personality clashes
• Poor communication or misunderstood roles
• Differences in values or objectives

While some conflict can generate new ideas and improvement ("constructive conflict"), most reduces morale and impairs team output if not managed.

Key Term: team conflict
Disagreement or opposition between team members that can hinder performance or, if managed, stimulate improvement.

Managing Team Conflict

Teams and managers can use several techniques:

• Denial: Ignoring minor issues in hopes they will self-resolve.
• Suppression: Threatening negative consequences unless conflict ceases.
• Reduction/Negotiation: Compromising so both parties gain some benefit.
• Resolution: Identifying root causes and developing solutions satisfactory to all (win-win).

Worked Example 1.3

Two team leaders dispute over allocation of the same technician. Their manager meets both and brokers an agreement to split the technician’s time. What approach is this?

Answer:
Reduction/negotiation – a compromise to address both parties' needs.

Exam Warning – Conflict Management

Inexam questions, distinguish between conflict management approaches that aim for compromise (reduction/negotiation) and those targeting full problem-solving (resolution). Use examples to clarify your answer.

Improving Team Performance

Managers can boost performance by:

• Ensuring Belbin roles are covered
• Providing clear objectives and role definitions
• Encouraging open communication and regular feedback
• Addressing conflict early and directly
• Supporting team development through training and coaching

Key Point Checklist

This article has covered the following key knowledge points:

• The difference between groups and teams in organisations
• The nine Belbin team roles and their significance
• Tuckman’s four stages of team development and their main characteristics
• Key features of effective and ineffective teams
• Common sources and causes of conflict within teams
• Conflict management strategies: denial, suppression, reduction/negotiation, resolution
• Importance of clear, open communication for team success

Key Terms and Concepts

• group
• team
• Belbin team role
• team development (Tuckman)
• team communication
• team conflict