JO Magazine

It takes more than matching t-shirts to make a team: Akhtaboot unveils the nine essential roles for organizing a successful group effort.

Words and illustration by Akhtaboot.

TEAMS HAVE BECOME A strategic tool in the success of organizations. Management cadres in many organizations agree that teams are more flexible and responsive to a continuously changing environment than are traditional departments. Good teams have the capability to quickly unite, organize, coordinate, adapt and disband.

Akhtaboot presents the nine roles that make up a balanced and successful team.

ACTION PLAYERS:

RESULTS-ORIENTED EMPLOYEES

The Executive – Implementer: Have you never missed a deadline? Do you like to turn people’s ideas into positive action? Are you are willing to handle jobs everyone else avoids or dislikes? If you answered yes to all of the above, then you are an Implementer. Implementers are eager to turn decisions and strategies into defined and manageable tasks. However, implementers also tend to be close-minded and inflexible.

The Doer – Shaper: Do you like to be challenged? Do you tolerate working under pressure? Do you usually say what’s on your mind? Do you do whatever it takes to achieve your goals? All the above characteristics define a perfect Shaper, who gives structure and energy to the team and directs it toward achieving results. Yet Shapers sometimes forget to be sensitive to the feelings of others.

The Perfectionist – Completer: Have you ever been frustrated by a teammate who worries excessively about minor details and refuses to delegate tasks? Sorry for the bad news, but you need him: nothing will be finalized without this annoying team member. A Completer is a perfectionist who will often go the extra mile to make sure everything is just right. Completers are detail-oriented and motivated by their own high standards.

SAVIORS:

PROBLEM SOLVING EMPLOYEES

The Genius – Plant: Don’t ever underestimate a Plant! He’s quiet, but when the time is right he astonishes the team with innovative and creative ideas. Plants are open-minded and willing to accept change, but often have less than stellar communication skills, and are unable to deliver and convince other team players of their ideas.

The Person Loved by Everyone – Monitor: Monitors are fair and logical observers, judging their colleagues based on what they actually see. In most situations, Monitors will make the right decision, as they are unbiased and able to see all options with the greatest clarity. They move slowly and analyze all aspects of the situation. However, they can become excessively enthusiastic for some things without logical grounds, and they may face difficulties inspiring themselves or others to be passionate about their work.

The Know-It-All – Specialist: Have you ever felt that there is only one team member you always can turn to when you’re stuck or need information about a specific subject? He’s the Specialist of the team. Specialists tend to be the most knowledgeable about their own particular field. They bring a high level of concentration, knowledge and expertise to the team, but they limit their involvement to cover this narrow aspect of teamwork.

FEELING EMPLOYEES

The Leader – Coordinator: Have you ever felt deceived by a team member who tells others what they should do but does nothing to help? Unfortunately, this team member is playing the leader role by managing the team’s chaos. By default, the Coordinator becomes responsible for organizing tasks among team members. He explains group goals, sets the agenda and the timeline, but does not dominate discussions.

The Fuel of the Team – Teamworker: Teamworkers are the oil that keeps the team engine running. They’re good listeners and excellent at resolving conflict. The value of Teamworkers tends to show only when they are absent—when the team begins to argue and no one is there to solve the problem. Because of their unwillingness to take sides, a Teamworker may not be able to take decisive action.

The Thief – Resource Investigator: The Resource Investigator is enthusiastic; he vigorously pursues contacts and opportunities at the start of the project and passes his enthusiasm to other team members. He focuses his attention on building relationships outside the team rather than concentrating on internal issues. Unlike a Plant who strives to create new ideas, a Resource Investigator would rather steal them from outside parties. Yet he tends to lose his energy by the end of a project, and neglect small details.

The success of a team is not just about having all the above team member skills, it’s also about the integration and coordination of these roles. It’s not necessary for a team to incorporate all nine roles, but the best teams, regardless of their size, try to utilize the benefits of each member to achieve a common goal.