The Role-Playing Model (Belbin & de Bono)
The role-playing model combines Edward de Bono's 'six thinking hats' technique for structured group discussion with Meredith Belbin's team role profiles to enhance group creativity and decision-making by assigning different perspectives and recognizing individual contributions.
THE IDEA
THE ROLE-PLAYING MODEL (BELBIN & DE BONO)
HOW TO CHANGE YOUR OWN POINT OF VIEW
When Edward de Bono presented his “six thinking hats” in 1986, critics dismissed the idea as just a bit of fun. De Bono’s idea was to assign the members of a working group a temporary one-dimensional point of view or “thinking hat.” The technique gives a team a way to examine a topic from several perspectives without assigning each person a permanent position.
This is how it works. An idea or a strategy is discussed by the members of a group. During the discussion, all the members adopt one of the six points of view – reflected in the color of the hat. (It is important that all members of the group wear the same color hat at the same time.)
• White hat: analytical, objective thinking, the emphasis is on facts and feasibility.
• Red hat: emotional thinking, subjective feelings, perceptions and opinions.
• Black hat: critical thinking, risk assessment, identifying problems, skepticism, critique.
• Yellow hat: optimistic thinking, speculative best-case scenario.
• Green hat: creative, associative thinking, new ideas, brainstorming, constructive.
• Blue hat: structured thinking, process overview, the big picture.
Beware! The meeting must be moderated to ensure that the team members do not slip out of their designated role.
Belbin’s approach asks what different contributions a team needs from its members. In the 1970s, Meredith Belbin studied individuals and character roles and their influence on group processes. Based on his observations, he identified nine different profiles:
• Action-oriented: doer, implementer, perfectionist.
• Communication-oriented: coordinator, team player, trailblazer.
• Knowledge-oriented: innovator, observer, specialist.
If you have a good idea, but fear that it may meet with strong resistance, try to lead the discussion in such a way that the other members of the group think that they came up with the idea themselves. The more that people feel they have generated an idea themselves, the more passionately they fight for its implementation. If nobody claims to have come up with the idea, perhaps it wasn’t that good in the first place!
I never did anything alone. What was accomplished, was accomplished collectively. Golda Meir
See also: Drexler/Sibbet team performance model (p. 140)
| TEAM ROLE | CONTRIBUTION |
|---|---|
| The plant | introduces new ideas |
| Resource investigator | investigates possibilities, develops contacts |
| Coordinator | encourages decision-making processes, delegates |
| Shaper | overcomes obstacles |
| Monitor | examines feasibility |
| Team worker | improves communication, gets things moving |
| Implementer | puts ideas into practice |
| Completer | conscientious, prompt |
| Specialist | provides specialist knowledge |
In the 1970s, Meredith Belbin investigated different personality types in terms of their team performance. He identified nine different types of team player.
| CHARACTER | PERMISSIBLE WEAKNESS |
|---|---|
| unorthodox thinking | absent-minded |
| communicative, extrovert | over-optimistic |
| independent, responsible | appears manipulative |
| dynamic, works well under pressure | impatient, provocative |
| level-headed, strategic, critical | uninspired |
| cooperative, diplomatic | indecisive |
| disciplined, reliable, effective | inflexible |
| ensures optimal results | timid, hardly delegates |
| self-reliant, committed | gets lost in the details |
When to use it
Brainstorming a new product idea in a cross-functional team.
Analyzing a business strategy from multiple angles to identify risks and opportunities.
Debriefing a project to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Resolving a conflict in a team by assigning different perspectives to understand all viewpoints.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
Overcoming Resistance to a New Idea
A team leader has a proposal for a new workflow but anticipates strong pushback. Instead of presenting it directly, the leader facilitates a six-hats session where the team first explores facts (white hat), then feelings (red hat), then risks (black hat), then benefits (yellow hat), then creative alternatives (green hat), and finally the process and next steps (blue hat). The discussion gives members a chance to test and revise the proposal together, which may build commitment to the version they choose.
Balancing Team Roles in a Project
When forming a project team, a manager uses Belbin’s profiles to ensure a mix of action-oriented members (doer, implementer), communication-oriented members (coordinator, team player), and knowledge-oriented members (innovator, specialist). The profiles help the manager check whether the team has people to propose ideas, evaluate them, and carry them through.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
How could you use the six thinking hats in your next team meeting to encourage diverse perspectives?
Which Belbin team role do you naturally gravitate towards, and how might you develop skills in other roles?
Think of a recent group decision. How might adopting different hats have changed the outcome?
References
- Six Thinking Hats — Edward de Bono (1986)
- Team Roles at Work — Meredith Belbin (1970)
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- The Decision Book Fifty Models for Strategic Thinking