The Belbin Team Inventory focuses more on roles than personality types. The best way to use the Belbin types is to analyse and balance the team.

If the team is uneven and roles are not spread out correctly, it may encounter a variety of issues. Too many of one type can create clashes, or bias the team towards one area too strongly while neglecting other important areas. Remember, that team members may exhibit more than one role. To have an effective team, it is necessary to know the primary, secondary, etc. roles of each team member and balance the teams based on all roles.

For example, there is a tendency for top teams to have too many Shapers and Plants but with few Complete Finishers or Monitor Evaluators. This means that too many people try to suggest new ideas and want the team to follow their own advice while there are not enough people to rationalise the plans, do a reality check and setup processes to make sure the right quality of the output is achieved.

It is also essential for teams to understand the necessity of every role. For example, team members with roles such as Monitor Evaluator who seek quality controls and advice on following set industry standards may be seen as difficult for constantly finding faults in the procedures and aiming for perfection. Understanding the importance of constant monitoring will allow team members to appreciate and work better with their evaluating colleagues.

By examining the Belbin roles of your team, you can discover gaps or overlaps and find the root cause of a dysfunctional team. The team leader can adjust this imbalance by either bringing new people to fill the gaps or by asking current members to move to their second or third roles so that the team is finally balanced.