A Reflective Account Of My Group Presentation, Applying 'machiavellianism In Belbin's Team Roles.'

My group was asked to create a presentation on exploring management by using a film as an example to identify the key aspects of management. In our case, the film we chose was Coach Carter and we analysed the film to identify the importance of leadership in management. After creating our presentation through several stages including research, compilation of the first draft and then the creation of the final draft we then presented in front of our seminar group. Each stage of the process was contributed by various members of our team, where I had a small input in the research and first draft but a significant input in the final presentation. As a whole I feel the entire task was carried out very well with no real animosity or tensions between the group. We communicated well and completed the presentation before our deadline and despite the good presentation on the day; I felt we could have been far better as a team if certain members hadn't let their nerves get the better of them which affected their presentation however despite this one negative, the entire task was very positive as a whole.

Using Belbin's team roles theory I have identified the roles of several team members including myself and I hope to correlate them with degrees of Machiavellianism (activity characterized by subtle cunning, duplicity, or bad faith) and how this affected the group dynamic. I'll start with myself who I identified as a 'Plant' for the group but not in the traditional sense of generating ideas but by introducing an innovative and confident presence whilst presenting which my team members were unable to replicate. I fit the characteristics of a plant as I can be very innovative but also very introverted when working in the group. According to 'Machiavellianism in Belbin team roles' by W.D.K. Macrosson and D.J. Hemphill this would correlate strongly with my degree of Machiavellianism due to my disregard of general protocol and contempt for team mates who struggled with the presentation although I was able to keep my criticisms to myself in order to maintain group moral.

Next I will examine one member of the team who I clearly identified as a complete finisher as they took over the final draft of the presentation and changed large parts of it quite radically however this was generally to improve it and the group as a whole approved. They were very detailed and hard working with a high attention to detail and liked everything to be well maintained and structured which actually resulted in them struggling during the presentation due to an inability to adapt when caught off guard. This team member also matched 'Machiavellianism in Belbin team roles' as they showed a non-significant correlation due to high anxiety over the task showing positivity but their structured nature showing negativity.

Finally I will examine a team member who I identified as a definite co-ordinator. This member initially took charge of organising the team and set about delegating tasks; immediately recognising my specific ability to present confidently they set me this specific task above any other whilst keeping the entire presentation building process running smoothly and efficiently. They took part in all parts of the process by collecting research from other members and compiling it into a first draft to give to the complete finisher to create the final draft with. This individual also show a correlation complementary to 'Machiavellianism in Belbin team roles' as they were very trusting and accepted all group members with good faith and was able to let them perform their specific tasks without interference whilst keeping the entire group on track and focused on the overall goal over their own individualistic motives. These characteristics show an extremely negative correlation with Machiavellianism which is hypothesised by W.D.K. Macrosson and D.J. Hemphill.

To conclude I have found that in a good group a balance of Machiavellianism is required for the best groups as with low Machiavellianism members the group can lack direction, with non-significant Machiavellianism members the group can lack structure and without high Machiavellianism the group can lack innovation and energy. To support this theory with my personal experience, I found the co-ordinator the easiest member to work with as they were laid back but focused and hardworking which allowed me to flourish in my role with ease. This is a great example of Belbin's team roles resulting in opposites attracting for the greater good.

References.

'Machiavellianism in Belbin team roles' by W.D.K. Macrosson and D.J. Hemphill.

R Meredith Belbin, Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail (Butterworth Heinemann, 2nd ed., 2004)