ABSTRACT
In addition to building and motivating the team, the manager may have a role as a referee dealing with team conflicts and clashes of personality. There are two ways of looking at the manager’s position when it comes to building the team. Some theorists would advise a manager to think of themselves as a team servant, being part of the team and not just managing it, balancing the roles of the individual staff members, the team as a whole and the task. Other theorists believe the manager is not part of the team but directs and supports the team as a leader, leading from the front, monitoring aspects of the work, offering encouragement and vision, getting the job done. One of the best known theorists on team roles, whose work has been used in all kinds of management training and development, is Dr Meredith Belbin.
