Tests and Facts

Since the beginning of time, humans have described and treated each other in relation to characteristics and functional abilities. Not least, the Vedic period (1500-500 BCE) has meant a lot for the development of the game of chess and then the Hindu caste system that we know from India, which we described earlier in the chapter on chess and archetypes · Secret 4,3 · Warrior or Helper?

In most models for team and personality types, distinction is made between seven to sixteen different groupings, developed from the theories of the Swiss psychiatrist, Carl Gustav Jung, as described in the chapter on the decision axes · Secret 4,2 · Decision Axes

Shortly after came classical astrology with its twelve signs of the zodiac, followed by the Sufi-inspired Enneagram with nine personality roles. The Danish professor, Erik Johnsen, describes the same number — nine observed leader roles, and 27 sub-groups defined according to tasks. The well-known Australian psychologist Meredith Belbin operates with nine groups in his revised role understanding, as opposed to seven groups earlier. The Hindu Shakra system describes seven levels of growth and self-realisation, which is the same number as the seven categories of Transactional Analysis of “The OK boss”. However, Carl Gustav Jung (1875–1961), the father of all personality tests, developed everything on the basis of his four mental and archetypal main roles.

In the SGL-concept we have determined that Jung’s four archetypes and the three active levels of communication of transactional analysis (Parent, Adult and Child) should form the basis for the theoretical and practical structure of our eight team roles and their use and significance for development, creativity and leadership.

Belbin, in short

According to Belbin’s research, all roles are described with some typical positive contributions, but also in that the roles have what we can call “allowed weaknesses”. These must be tolerated in order to be able to benefit from the strengths that are associated with them. The roles can be grouped into three main groups: reflective roles, social roles and acting roles.