Episode 4 – The Builder
Summary of Episode
We often apply to be the newest member of an already functioning unit. Brilliant! Easy! But a good leader is one able to build one of those high functioning units. Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder, suggested the two-pizza rule. A team should be small enough to feed with two pizzas. Big enough to delegate tasks but small enough for accountability.
Professor Meredith Belbin outlines the 9 key characteristics for effective team working:
Co-ordinator
They are focused on the team objectives and on delegating work. Mature and confident. They can come across as manipulative and can delegate their own work out to others.
Team worker
The diplomat: they glue the team together and avert arguments. Co-operative and perceptive; completing tasks on the behalf of the team. They can be indecisive, not the ideal candidate at crunch time.
Resource Investigator
A classic salesman. Outgoing, enthusiastic and likeable. A key player in bringing in new contacts. They can lose interest when initial enthusiasm passes and can be overly optimistic.
Plant
Creativity comes from here. Imaginative, freethinking and great problem solvers. May become too preoccupied in their own tasks to communicate effectively.
Monitor Evaluator
A cool customer. Sober, strategic and discerning. They provide the logical perspective and have good judgement. Part of the deal is that they can be overly critical.
Specialist
They bring specialist knowledge and skills. Single-minded and self-starting. But with specialism comes a limited area of contribution to the team.
Shaper
They thrive on pressure and are driven to overcome obstacles. Challenging and dynamic. But can be prone to provocation and easily hurting people’s feelings.
Implementor
Practical, reliable and efficient. This team member gets things done. When turning ideas into action, they can seem inflexible.
Completer Finisher
They come in at the end of the task to polish and perfect. Painstaking and conscientious. Can worry unduly, and as such struggle to delegate. /experience in.
Reading List
1. Gothelf, J. and Seidan, J., 2016, Lean UX, Boston, MA: O’Reilly Media
2. Two pizza teams: the science behind Jeff Bezos’ rule. https://blog.nuclino.com/two-pizzateams-the-science-behind-jeff-bezos-rule
3. The Nine Belbin Team Roles. https://www.belbin.com/about/belbin-team-roles/
Extra bits
Thank you again to our special guest Dr Rachael Pickering. If you are interested in seeing more of her work please visit: https://integritas-healthcare.squarespace.com/ Or find Integritas Healthcare on Facebook.
Nandi Mnyama is a final-year medical student at Hull York Medical School and Scholar at the Healthcare Leadership Academy. She is also a Finance Assistant at Integritas Healthcare CIC and is on the Agenda Committee for Medical Student’s Conference at the British Medical Association
Tinaye Mopako is a fourth-year medical student at the University of Liverpool. He is currently undertaking an intercalated degree in bioethics/medical ethics
Ahmad Elmansouri is a foundation year two doctor at University Hospital Southampton. He undertakes research in medical education and is the co-founder of the Wessex Finals Revision Weekend. He is currently working in general medicine as part of the Covid-19 response.