Tributes paid to Dr Meredith Belbin, ‘father of Team Roles’

Tributes to Dr Meredith Belbin, the founder of Belbin and ‘father of Team Roles’, have been made following his death at 98.

Born in Sevenoaks, Kent, on 4 June 1926, Dr Belbin started his Cambridge odyssey at Clare College, where he began a classics degree before switching to psychology. His doctorate, also at Cambridge, centred on the psychology of ageing in industry.

His 1981 classic, Management Teams: Why They Succeed or Fail, took nine years to research and write, and revealed how successful teams exhibit a wide range of behaviours. A second seminal book, Team Roles at Work, was published in 1993.

Belbin devoted his professional life to improving team performance and challenging thinking around organisational design.

The first iteration of Belbin Limited – which became an Employee Ownership Trust in 2022 – was Belbin Associates, which was formed by Dr Belbin, his wife Eunice, and their son Nigel in 1987 to offer Team Roles advice globally.

He continued to travel the globe delivering lectures and new material well into his 80s, with his works translated into 25 languages and with distribution partners in 35 countries. Up until his passing on 6 March he was still an active patron of Belbin, regularly visiting the head office, and he was working on his latest book at his home in Barton at the time of his death.

Jo Keeler, managing director, Belbin Ltd, said: “Meredith was both a scholar and a gentleman, with a genuine interest in everyone he met.

“He was insatiably curious and had recently started a new book. Over the coming weeks, we will look back fondly on the time we spent with Meredith. Once the sadness has passed, we will begin to celebrate his life. I think it is fair to say that Meredith had a long life, which was very well lived.

“His legacy will continue to help individuals understand their contributions when working in teams, which in turn will positively impact businesses for many years to come. We will miss him enormously.”

Lisa Ward, relationship manager and team coach at Belbin, said: “What always struck me about Meredith was how genuinely down-to-earth he was. His insatiable energy and determination for life made him constantly buzz with new ideas and thoughts – after all, he was the original Belbin Plant!”

Paul Hockey of talentshift on LinkedIn said: “A full life and a great life summarise this legend of the learning and development community. Very few L&D models have endured so long and been adopted so widely by so many – this is his legacy and we should all celebrate his huge contribution to all of our careers and programmes.”

Coach Carolyn Parry said: “He was definitely the brightest of Plants and, as you say, a real gentleman with a twinkle too, even in his later years – and what a life well lived.”

Dr Belbin is survived by his son, Nigel, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.