Team Role Profile 

In the context of a business environment, Teams develop for several reasons. There is no doubt that various benefits are to be derived from teams. These include the advantages of synergy, a progressive learning curve and greater communication. Teams ideally are developed, rather than chosen, in order to accomplish a team mission - the goals of the team and the reasons for its existence. In this development, it is usually the team leader’s job to focus the team and to develop the characteristics of its members. For a team to be effective, certain functions must be completed. Teambuilding is therefore about the development of individuals and the matching of personalities to functions.

It is vitally important to scientifically identify and separate the functions that the team requires and to scientifically identify which individuals can successfully fulfill each of these functions. The Team Role Profile is a questionnaire designed to identify the propensity of each individual in the group to perform each of the required team functions. The results from this assessment will give team leaders and other team members an indication of innate teaming strengths and weaknesses.

There are ten (10) required Team Roles:

VISIONARY: This person has the overall vision of the team mission as well as where that mission fits into the wider organizational objectives. S/he is able to see beyond the team’s own requirements and “reach for the stars”

PRAGMATIST: The Pragmatist complements the Visionary by defining the mission in practical terms. S/he is usually the one to remind the team of budget constraints and other such practicalities. Even though Pragmatists are often described as skeptics, it is these persons who show the team how to make the impossible, possible.

EXPLORER: It is the Explorer’s role to seek information, material and support from outside the team environment. S/he will build relationships with other teams or the wider business environment and will be the team’s ambassador. More than anyone else, Explorers will form relationships that go beyond the interpersonal relationships of the team itself.

CHALLENGER: There will always be someone who challenges the accepted position. This may involve challenging the team mission itself, asking team members to remind themselves of what the mission of the team is and whether it is still relevant. The role is a positive one - the Challenger is there in order that the team goals are furthered and that the team mission is being fulfilled rather than delayed or distracted.

REFEREE: The Referee is that person who takes as near an independent view of team progress and decisions as is possible. Referees may be outsiders, usually consultants brought in to energize the team especially when they have lost sight of its mission statement. It is this independence from the company culture that inspires the name Referee.

PEACEMAKER: The Peacemaker is the one who will ensure that there is fair play, and who will give redress to perceived injustices and resolve conflicts. This person also predicts areas of conflict and heads them off before they arise. The role is that of a troubleshooter.

BEAVER: The Beaver is the person who does a lot of the ground work for the team. This role is defined by the level of physical and mental effort required and exerted.

COACH: It is the role of the Coach to boost morale especially during the times that the team loses its direction or its own focus of its mission. S/he offers praise or encouragement and reminds persons of their own roles and the overall game plan.

LIBRARIAN: The Librarian is responsible for recording all information regarding the team’s activities. This involves recording deliberations, decisions, actions and evaluations so that there is always historical data that can be accessed as needed. Librarians house the information bank from which others can draw.

CONFESSOR: Confessors act as a sounding board for the fears and aspirations of the team members who have no other confidant to turn to. Practical teambuilding has shown that this is a much-valued role and there is a tendency for this function to be performed by the team leader.