Reflecting on the Legacy of Dr. Meredith Belbin: Why Your Law Firm Might Be Stuck
For those who are deeply invested in organisational culture and the art of building teams that simply work, the passing of Dr. Meredith Belbin overnight marks a moment to pause and reflect on the profound legacy he leaves behind. His pioneering research on team roles reshaped our understanding of group dynamics, offering timeless insights into how ineffective teams can transform into extraordinary ones.
Who Was Dr. Meredith Belbin?
For those unfamiliar, Dr. Meredith Belbin was the architect behind one of the most potent methodologies for transforming organisations from being stuck to unstuck. While that might sound like an oversimplification, it speaks to the heart of Belbin’s decades of research, which has literally turned organisations around. If you look at some of the world’s most successful businesses, it’s highly likely they’ve been exposed to Belbin’s thinking in some way.
I first encountered Belbin’s work around 20 years ago, alongside the owners of what has since become a large, national compensation practice. Captivated by the strength of his methodology, I went full tilt and became a Belbin trainer. The firm embedded Belbin into its DNA, and it remains a foundational part of their organisational culture to this day.
Why Belbin Still Matters for Legal Practice Strategy
You might ask: What’s Belbin got to do with the strategy and marketing of legal practices?
The answer is: Everything.
Because the biggest handbrake in your law firm right now isn’t about external factors. It’s not about market forces, your competitors, or even the slow adoption of AI. It’s internal. It’s about your people. More specifically, it’s about the dynamics and composition of your leadership team.
And I’d go one step further—it’s probably about the people sitting around the table at your partners’ meeting.
The Real Reason Your Law Firm is Stuck
Under Belbin’s framework, the reason things get stuck in your firm is often due to team composition at a leadership level. Think about it:
- Your Managing Partner is brimming with ideas but is surrounded by “Finisher Completers” who get lost in the details, stunting progress.
- Your Managing Partner is a Shaper—a hustler, action-oriented—but lacks someone who can spot opportunities and see around corners.
- Or perhaps your Managing Partner is a Finisher Completer, and any new idea is smothered by layers of scrutiny until it fades away.
Your team feels the frustration. They know what’s coming over the hill, but there’s no clear pathway forward.
Belbin’s Nine Team Roles: The Key to Unlocking Growth
Belbin identified nine fundamentally important team roles. These aren’t personality types—leave that to the Enneagram or Myers-Briggs. These are roles that must work in harmony, much like players in a football team, each understanding their unique responsibilities to fulfil the overall strategy.
Belbin Team Roles for Law Firms is pragmatic. It isn’t about pandering to personal frailties but about asking, Who do we need in this room to get the job done? Which distinct roles are missing? Where is the imbalance that’s causing friction?
Why Belbin is Still Relevant in the Age of AI
Take the latest conversations about AI in legal practices. Reports suggest law firms are lagging behind. But the issue isn’t the technology. It’s not about which platform to adopt or which vendor to choose.
It’s about leadership teams struggling to mobilise and take the necessary steps. It’s about internal barriers to execution. The same principle applies to any challenge in your firm—whether it’s marketing, client engagement, or service innovation. If something is stuck, it’s usually because of the dynamics within the team driving (or blocking) the change.
The Belbin Lens: A Solution That Works
And the Belbin model isn’t hypothetical. It’s been applied across industries and global organisations—from British Airways to Telstra, even to companies like TikTok. They’ve seen their opportunities and challenges through the Belbin lens, and it’s transformed how they operate.
A Final Reflection
Rest in peace, Meredith Belbin. Your work has shaped organisations around the world and will continue to guide leaders towards building better, stronger, and more effective teams.
For anyone wrestling with strategic inertia in their law firm, perhaps it’s time to ask: Do we have the right roles at the table to make this work?
Need help with Belbin Team Roles, we can facilitate training for your law firm’s leadership team when you need it!
