Team role balance and team performance: an empirical study

Accompanying the growing use of teams in the workplace, Belbin’s diagnostic instrument for team role self‐perception is now widely used for a variety of practical management development purposes, including putting together “balanced” teams. Despite the claims of some purists that Belbin’s instrument lacks a strong theoretical underpinning, it fills an apparent void in practical teamworking literature, even though its applicability is not well understood. This study uses data from 43 teams of MBA students performing a project management simulation exercise, and finds no significant relationship between team role balance and team performance. Nevertheless, the study shows that the presence or absence of some individual roles can have a positive or negative effect on performance.