Belbin is famous for his categorization of types of people in teams. His 9 types are listed below and described in terms of the phrases and slogans which they might use.
| Plant | Shaper | Implementer |
| Resource Investigator | Monitor Evaluator | Completer finisher |
| Co-ordinator | Teamworker | Specialist |
| When a problem is baffling, think laterally |
| Where there’s a problem, there’s a solution |
| The greater the problem, the greater the challenge |
| Do not disturb, genius at work |
| Good ideas always seem strange at first |
| Ideas start with dreaming |
| Without continuous innovation, there is no survival |
| We could make a fortune out of that |
| Ideas should be stolen with pride |
| Never reinvent the wheel |
| Opportunities arise from other people’s mistakes |
| Surely we can exploit that? |
| You can always telephone to find out |
| Time spent in reconnaissance is seldom wasted |
| Let’s keep the main objective in sight |
| Has anyone else got anything to add to this? |
| We like to reach a consensus before we move forward |
| Never assume that silence means approval |
| I think that we should give someone else a chance |
| Good delegation is an art |
| Management is the art of getting other people to do all the work |
| Just do it! |
| Say ‘no’, then negotiate. |
| If you say ‘yes I will do it’, I expect it to be done |
| I’m not satisfied we are achieving all we can |
| I may be blunt, but at least I am to the point |
| I’ll get things moving |
| When the going gets tough, the tough get going |
| I’ll think it over and give you a firm decision tomorrow |
| Have we exhausted all the options? |
| If it does not stand up to logic, it’s not worth doing! |
| Better to make the right decision slowly than the wrong one quickly |
| This looks like the best option on balance |
| Let’s weigh up the alternatives |
| Decisions should not be based purely on enthusiasm |
| Courtesy costs nothing |
| I was very interested in your point of view |
| If it’s all right with you, it’s all right with me |
| Everybody has a good side worth appealing to |
| If people listened to themselves more, they would talk less |
| You can always sense a good atmosphere at work |
| I try to be versatile |
| If it can be done, we will do it |
| An ounce of action is worth a pound of theory |
| Hard work never killed anybody |
| If it’s difficult, we do it immediately. If it’s impossible it takes a little longer |
| To err is human, to forgive is not company policy |
| Let’s get down to the task in hand |
| The company has my full support |
| This is something that demands our undivided attention |
| The small print is always worth reading |
| ‘If anything can go wrong it will’, and as O’Toole said on Murphy’s Law, ‘Murphy was an optimist’. |
| There is no excuse for not being perfect |
| Perfection is only just good enough |
| A stitch in time saves nine |
| Has it been checked? |
| In this job you never stop learning |
| Choose a job you love, and you’ll never have to work a day of your life |
| True professionalism is its own reward |
| My subject is fascinating to me |
| The more you know, the more you find to discover |
| It is better to know a lot about something, than a little about everything |
| A committee is 12 people doing the work on one |
For Fellowship to be right, there must be organisation within diversity: clarity in purpose within the strength of diversity. Then does fellowship lead to order. (I Ching) |