Balanced and Unbalanced Teams

Within the TMP framework, a balanced team is one in which role preferences are distributed across the Team Management Wheel. This means all eight critical work functions are likely to be addressed. By contrast, an unbalanced team tends to have preferences clustered in one area—for example, around roles such as Thruster–Organiser, Concluder–Producer, or Assessor–Developer.

This raises a key question:
Does balance always equate to greater team effectiveness?

The Strength and Complexity of Balanced Teams

Balanced teams offer broader perspectives. With diverse preferences present, they are less likely to overlook key tasks and more likely to generate well-rounded solutions.

However, this diversity also introduces potential complexity. Individuals on opposite sides of the Team Management Wheel may interpret the same situation through very different lenses. Without effective Linking, misalignment and tension may arise.

Pacing: A Behavioural Lever for Linking

One powerful way to manage diversity is through Pacing—a behavioural expression of Communication, one of the six People Linking Skills in the Linking Skills Model. Pacing involves adapting your style to suit another person’s preference or communication approach. It demonstrates respect, builds rapport, and enhances the mutual understanding necessary for high-functioning teams.

Importantly, Pacing also supports other People Linking Skills, such as:

• Team Relationships – by building empathy and connection.

• Problem Solving & Counselling – by facilitating open, adaptive dialogue.

• Participative Decision Making – by enabling inclusive and considered engagement.

There are two dimensions to this skill:

• Strategic Pacing: Anticipating communication needs based on a person’s TMP role preference. It is proactive and deliberate.

• Operational Pacing: Real-time behavioural adjustment—tone, tempo, language or structure—based on situational cues.

To illustrate how Pacing enhances Linking in real-time, let’s explore two practical examples drawn from contrasting role preferences on the Team Management Wheel. These examples show how both strategic and operational Pacing can be used to build rapport and facilitate effective collaboration.

Explorer–Promoter

• Strategic Pacing: Plan a high-energy introduction, use expressive language, and frame discussion in broad possibilities.

• Operational Pacing: Mirror their tempo, show visible enthusiasm, and allow idea exploration before guiding toward outcomes.

Controller–Inspector

• Strategic Pacing: Prepare content with clarity, evidence, and process in mind.

• Operational Pacing: Slow your delivery, use precise language, and allow time for reflection and clarification.

By Pacing consciously, team members exercise their Linking Skills, making communication more fluid and reducing tension—especially valuable in balanced teams, where differences are more visible.

The Risks and Limitations of Unbalanced Teams

Unbalanced teams face a different risk: groupthink. When team members share similar preferences, they may reinforce each other’s views and unknowingly neglect other work functions.

The result is often a lopsided approach to problem-solving or decision-making. Over time, this can lead to missed opportunities, delivery issues, or a disconnect from stakeholders.

To address this, TMS encourages teams to engage in structured, focused conversations—referred to as colour meetings—that deliberately explore underrepresented work areas.

Colour Meetings: Rebalancing Team Focus

Each colour meeting draws attention to a specific quadrant of the Team Management Wheel. When used purposefully, they help teams think more holistically and reduce bias from dominant preferences.

Green Meetings – Exploring Possibilities

Designed for idea generation, these sessions open up thinking and challenge assumptions. The aim is not to decide, but to explore. Teams with strong delivery focus benefit from regular green meetings to reintroduce curiosity and creativity.

Yellow Meetings – Promoting and Influencing

These meetings help teams build support for their ideas. They focus on promotion, communication and stakeholder engagement. Teams with a task-heavy bias often need yellow meetings to gain traction and visibility.

Red Meetings – Delivering and Developing

Red meetings are about converting ideas into action. They focus on execution, timelines and budget. Creative or strategic teams may generate options, but without red meetings, delivery may stall.

Blue Meetings – Reviewing and Evaluating

These sessions focus on detail, quality and reflection. They help teams ensure consistency, audit outcomes and improve processes. Fast-moving teams often benefit from the discipline of regular blue meetings.

White Meetings – Reflecting on Collaboration

White meetings are unique. Their purpose is to strengthen Linking by reflecting on how people work together. Often facilitated, these sessions explore team dynamics, communication patterns and areas of tension. They are particularly valuable in balanced teams, where differences are more pronounced. These sessions may also help individuals refine specific Linking Skills—particularly Communication and Interpersonal Skills—through real-time feedback and group reflection.

Different Strengths, Shared Potential

Balanced teams thrive when they respect and work with their differences through conscious Linking and strong pacing. Unbalanced teams succeed when they compensate for blind spots by deliberately engaging in the conversations they might otherwise avoid.

Ultimately, it’s not the configuration of preferences that defines success—it’s what the team does with it. Awareness, structure and adaptability are what unlock high performance. The TMS framework provides the map. The team provides the movement.