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Dilemma 3: Parts Versus the Whole ■ 87

(1,10) Me, myself, and (10,10)
(1,10)
withholding information Reward teams for
individual creativity
Individual motivation Go for the small team Reward individuals

for team work
(5,5)
(5,5)
Go for the Small team

(10,1) Team mediocrity
(10,1)
Team motivation
Figure 7.2 Co-opetition: cooperation reconciled with competition

Rival Disciplines Versus Agreement in the Business Plan

The Specialist Versus the Coordinator
In the previous chapter, we referred to Belbin’s theories
regarding how different roles are needed in the teams, and
the tensions that these can create. The example we focused
on was the tension between the creative Plant and the criti-
cal and analytical Monitor-Evaluator.
With respect to the dilemma of “parts versus the
whole,” there is another Belbin pairing that is of impor-
tance, namely the Specialist and the Coordinator. These
two come into the picture once the original idea has gone
through the initial testing, and the commercial idea is
born. This then needs to be translated into a business plan.
Specialists are experts in particular areas essential to the
project or product. However, they only make individual
contributions regarding their small part of the project or
product and often get stuck in the technical details, without