Only room for an ideas man - or is there more to CI for the less creative?

This paper looks at the ideas associated with team roles within a continuous improvement (CI) program. It uses a case study approach, with Belbin's team role theory and the Self-Perception Inventory (SPI) questionnaire to assess the naturally adopted roles within two teams at a Slovenian manufacturing organization. Results show that, team members have a wide range of preferred team roles, but few are drawn to the Plant role that provides the creativity needed for effective CI. Conclusions state that the preferred team roles in established teams need to be acknowledged in order for members to feel a valued part of the process. In the future it is suggested that CI programs are more wide ranging to include tasks more suited to all of the team role preferences.