5 Responses

1. MBTi vs Belbin

   Karen,

   You asked on the different outcomes you’d get from using MBTi or Belbin and cite that you dont have any money to pay for an accredited MBTI practioner.

   I’m a little confused as to how you are planning to do the Belbin? Too facilitate Belbin correctly would incurr a cost as well – to either be trained by Belbin Associates (and become an accredited trainer) and / or to pay for the Belbin Individual and Team profiles – which then produce detail reports for the team and individuals.

   There are some clear differences between the two models…and my question would be more around what are you looking to achieve and subsequently do with the information gleened from the tools, that has led you to Belbin over for example SDI, or Lencioni’s 5 Dysfunctions??

   Use of the appropriate tool will ensure success for the group and individuals.

   We have a simple one pager that we use to categorise the different Behavioural and Pyschometric Analysis tools out there that may help you.

   If interested drop me a line and I’ll send it across to you.

   Regards

    

   Lee

    

    

    

2. type and trait
   Hi
   these are very different models with very different underpinning principles – MBTI is a Type based tool and belbin is based on 16PF –
   a trait based tool – apples and pears
   as has been said to use belbin (legally) you need to use Interwise which is more expensive than MBTI – please don’t use a photocopy
   version of the instrument – it is breaking the copyright laws.

   You can used Jung type indicators (MBTI lookalikes) for very little cost – but is your underpinning knowledge of the model strong
   enough to use it effectively without training?
   there are many other tools on the market that can help to show difference – even a simple AVK can help individuals to recognise
   that people have different preferences – and then use that to drive a discussion around preference difference within the team
   and its impact.

   Please only use tools that you are competent to use – inappropriate use of instrument does long term damage in the minds of the participants, and while you may “get away with it” some other trainer down the line will be faced with questions like “well the last time I did this it added little value – why should I listen now?”

3. Comms model
   Hi Karen

   I have a simple generic communication styles model that you could use (please email me if interested). If you don’t already use it, http://www.businessballs.com is a good first stop for resources, models and your own learning.

   Best wishes,

   Rachel

   hopkinsrguard-trainingzone@yahoo.co.uk

4. Your Preferences for Teams
   Hi Karen!

   If you want to benefit from the powerful impact that MBTI can have, but don’t want to incur the costs to be certified and administer the instrument, then take a look at Your Preferences for Teams from Academy28.

   http://www.academy28.com/yourpreference/ypforteams.html

   This is based on the same underlying theory, but uses more everyday language to describe the personalities on a team, relies on a quick to deploy online self-assessment and does not require the facilitator to be accredited.

   I should point out that I used to work for this organisation, so am no longer connected with this business, but am more than pleased to recommend this product.

   Tim

5. The Difference
   As stated above by Mike and others, these two systems are quite different. The Belbin roles are ideal if you have a team and want to optimise it while the MBTI is more universal and can be applied to teams as well as being used for categorising people you work with that are not necessarily part of your team.

   For example, MBTI can be used in the context of a leadership course, so a manager learns how to handle the team members based on their type (or at least understand why they do certain things in certain ways), while Belbin roles can be thought in a team building course to get the staff understand the value of each others’ inputs and see the need for all roles. Of course you can also use it to optimise the team so you don’t end up having too many managers and too few complete-finishers! (which seems to be the case when major projects fail).

   If you are wondering how these can be used in practice and you are on a tight budget, have a look at the following example training materials for further details:
   Leadership Skills Training Resources
   Team Building Training Resources

   Hope this helps
   Ehsan Honary