Belbin and Tuckman Theories of Teamwork

Reflection of Belbin and Tuckman Theories of Teamwork

            Joining a preexisting team is quite difficult and I experienced it when I joined a team in high-school to which I was not assigned before. In general, there was a team in the class that was inefficient in the completion of projects and I was already working in a team of my own. I was the leader of that team and had effectively completed several projects. Our professor was not satisfied with the progress of that team. He attempted to resolve the issues within the team on his own but couldn't identify the problem properly because he didn't have enough time to focus solely on a single group.

            In order to not only understand the issue but also resolve, he assigned me to the team not as a leader but as a team member because that team already had a leader. I was not aware of the issues that I would have to encounter working within the team and I was indeed surprised by the developments. For instance, when I joined the team, I was not welcomed and all of the members were not friendly towards me. Moreover, they didn’t even converse with me or even explain the details of project. It was the responsibility of team leader to establish effective communication within the team but he never worked on it. Other than just being unwelcomed, I also felt as if it was not comfortable for them to work with me. For them, it was like working with a foreigner who threatened their comfortable environment. For a month or so, I attempted to work with the team and until then, I had identified the issues which prevented them from working on projects. Most of them had difficult family situations due to which they couldn't focus on their work (Berlin, Carlström, & Sandberg, 2012).

 Gradually, the members of team began to trust me and they shared their ideas with me. Although I didn't work for a long period of time within the team, I learned an important lesson that it takes time for someone to adjust in a new environment such as a new group or team because it is difficult for them to accept a new person in their preexisting system. According to the Teamwork Theory of Tuckman, it takes a lot of time for teams to develop as they cannot form overnight. Time is consumed because teams have to pass through several stages before they are able to achieve mutual and collective objectives. According to him, these stages include Performing, Norming, Storming, and Forming.

            In forming, the dynamics of the team are not developed but they just work together to form a team. Meanwhile, in storming, teams find it quite difficult to reach conclusions and make objectives. In the stage of norming, team members are aware of each other and understand the dynamics of team. This way, they are able to develop different processes for achieving the required tasks. At the performing stage, people understand their capabilities and know that they can work as a team. In accordance with Belbin, teams are not just individuals who are grouped with each other for achieving a common objective. Each and every member has a specific role according to which they work. Different roles are adopted by different people and they fulfill their roles in teams.

            I believe that both of these theories are accurate and they can effectively be used to explain the situation that I have faced. For instance, as I explained before, the team members didn’t converse with me or felt comfortable because it was an established team and accepting another new team member was difficult because I hadn’t spent time with them and they weren’t familiar with me as well (Morita & Burns, 2014).

References of Belbin and Tuckman Theories of Teamwork

Berlin, J. M., Carlström, E. D., & Sandberg, H. S. (2012). Models of teamwork: ideal or not? A critical study of theoretical team models. Team Performance Management: An International Journal, 18(5-6), 328-340.

Morita, P. P., & Burns, C. M. (2014). Trust tokens in team development. Team Performance Management, 20(1/2), 39-64.