A psychometric assessment of the Belbin Team‐Role Self‐Perception Inventory

Abstract

This paper set out to examine the psychometric properties of the extensively used, but little tested, Belbin (1981) Team‐Role Self‐Perception Inventory which examines how people behave in teams. The original 56‐item inventory was given to over 100 people from a variety of backgrounds in a non‐ipsative Likert scaling form. The alpha coefficients for the eight roles were not impressive and factor analysis did not provide clear evidence of the proposed structure. The second experiment attempted a similar non‐ipsative analysis with the more recent 70‐item version of the questionnaire which has nine team roles. Again the alpha coefficients were modest and the factor analysis suggested a more simple solution than suggested. Team‐role scores did not correlate significantly with a large number of demographic factors any more than may be expected by chance. A third experiment used the original scale with the original ipsative scoring system using full‐time managers as subjects. Again alpha levels were low, intercorrelations not as predicted and the factor structure unclear. Implications of these findings are discussed.