Maximising Impact with Belbin Reports to Upgrade Team Building Activities

Sabre’s ‘Team DNA’ packages offer world-class Belbin reports with a tailored workshop and a choice of exciting team building activities.

Stand-alone team building activities can be great, however, they will only ever go so far towards obtaining lasting impact and follow-on value for a client.  That’s why we recommend to any client who is serious about teamwork to use our ‘Team DNA’ approach where genuine insights and follow-on value for team dynamics occur.

While stand-alone experiential activities can provide a welcome break from the daily routine, their impact often fades quickly once people return to work. The difference between a “nice day out” and a long-lasting return on investment lies in how effectively the learning is captured and applied back in the workplace. This is where integrating Belbin Individual and Team Reports with experiential team building activities adds tremendous value.

Beyond Activities: Turning Experience into Insight

Experiential activities are powerful because they engage participants away from distracting devices and online tools. People remember the laughs, the challenges and the sense of accomplishment they achieve in a hands-on task. However, without a framework to translate those experiences into meaningful workplace insights, much of the learning remains anecdotal. Belbin provides the missing piece: a science-based language of team behaviours that turns activity outcomes into real-world understanding.

When participants receive their Individual Belbin Reports, they gain clarity on how their preferred behavioural contributions help (and sometimes hinder) team performance. This personal insight creates self-awareness, builds confidence, and encourages acceptance of strengths and allowable weaknesses.

Adding the Team Report overlays these insights to reveal the collective balance of roles, highlighting potential gaps and overlaps. Suddenly, the activities are not just fun (although we don’t apologies for the fact that they are fun) — they become mirrors reflecting actual workplace dynamics.

Greater Impact for Similar Investment

From an ROI perspective, the difference is striking. A stand-alone team building day may create energy and goodwill, but the benefits often diminish once the event concludes. By layering Belbin reports into the same programme, the insights continue long after the activity has ended. Teams leave not only with memories of working together but also with tangible reports, guides and strategies they can revisit. Managers can use these tools to allocate tasks more effectively, resolve conflict constructively, and nurture collaboration well beyond the event itself.

In effect, for only a modest additional investment, the value multiplies. Instead of buying a day of team bonding, organisations are equipping their people with a lasting toolkit for teamwork and leadership.

Practical Application in the Workplace

With Belbin reports in hand, follow-up conversations become more meaningful. Teams can discuss how the behaviours seen during an activity align with what happens in meetings, projects and daily operations. Leaders can adjust structures, responsibilities and communication styles based on evidence, not assumption. And individuals can take ownership of their contributions, applying what they’ve learned immediately.

This practical, actionable focus is what makes Belbin more than just a theoretical model—it becomes a lived framework for enhancing performance. The activities provide the shared experience; Belbin provides the lens that makes sense of it and the resources to keep it alive.

A Smarter Way to Build Teams

Investing in team building should never be about games for the sake of games. By combining experiential activities with Belbin Individual and Team Reports, organisations achieve far greater impact and value for money. The result is not just a stronger team for the day, but a workforce better equipped for the challenges ahead.

Our recommendation having been in this field since 1988: If you are serious about teamwork, always integrate Belbin reporting into team building initiatives to maximise both learning and ROI.

CONTACT US TO FIND OUT MORE:

T – 1300 731 381  E – Team@Belbin.com.au