• Introduction
• Learn about Team Role Profiles
• Stephen Harper
• Stéphane Dion
• Gilles Duceppe
• Jack Layton
• Elizabeth May
• Results for other politicians
• Take your turn
• Get a Team Role Profile

Public Panel Results - After the Debates

The most salient feature of Stephen Harper’s post debate Belbin Team Role report is the continuing downward trend in his Shaper role. His campaign strategy has been to present a softer image. That seems to be occurring. However, one has to wonder whether this was a well informed strategy relative to presenting the “real” Stephen Harper. Harper seems to have lost his branding over the course of the election campaign, just as Dion has done the opposite. If you examine Harper’s latest Belbin profile post the debate, you will note that, compared to the experts profile and his first profile by the public which showed a few very definite roles, the latest one shows a number of roles all with similar percentages. This is usually an indication of a lack of branding.

Public Panel Results - September 30, 2008

Stephen Harper’s overall profile has remained virtually unchanged, but as we get more granular and look at the words you have chosen to describe him there have been some subtle shifts. We saw significant increases in the choice of the following words to describe him: innovative, original, encouraging of others and inquisitive. These adjectives were at very low levels to start with, but have crept up in his latest profile. Maybe the increase in these descriptors signals that the goal of the Conservative campaign machine to soften his image is starting to have some effect?

Public Panel Results - September 12, 2008

The public’s assessment of Stephen Harper’s team role profile is in agreement with our experts in the choosing of Shaper (SH) as one of his top two roles. In fact the public see Harper as being a stronger Shaper than our experts do. The public’s assessment differs from the experts in that they do not rate Harper as highly as a Monitor Evaluator (ME) - sober, discerning, strategic. Rather they see him having more attributes of the Specialist (SP).

As noted below in our experts’ assessment, the Specialist role is associated with individuals who are very single minded and possibly narrow in focus - Margaret Thatcher's #2 role is Specialist. Interestingly, while the experts rate Harper higher as an all-around ME (the public don't), a key attribute of the ME role, impartiality, is rated very low by both the experts and the public. Both the experts and the public rate Harper’s Coordinator (CO) role as being low. This role usually contributes breadth of outlook.

With his strong SH/SP combination of top roles and low CO, PL roles, Harper, more than most other combinations of roles, would be advised to surround himself with advisors who are strong in complementary roles such as CO and PL. They would contribute a broader view to problem solving and possibly stimulate creativity within his team. Should he surround himself with clones of himself, he and his followers may, as stated below in our expert analysis, run the risk of becoming convinced of a flawed or biased line of thinking and then pursue it with vigour. 
 

Expert Panel Results

Stephen Harper has two team roles that stand head and shoulders above his remaining team roles:  Shaper and Monitor Evaluator. This combination is usually associated with mental robustness. They would suggest that Harper combines a hard driving style of leadership with strong strategic thinking capabilities. Central to his style would be the ability to develop a strategy and then have the courage of his convictions to hold to it.

His qualities have their advantages; they can also produce problems. One big advantage is that he is likely to gain people's respect for having the courage of his convictions. But there is a danger that he will over-emphasize the power of pure reason. Our experts were uniform in their high ranking of Harper's Monitor Evaluator capabilities, but also agreed that one dimension usually associated with being a highly effective Monitor Evaluator-- the ability to remain impartial--was missing.

This void, combined with his overall strength as an Monitor Evaluator and his Shaper drive, may create situations in which he and those around him become convinced of a flawed or biased line of thinking and then pursue it with vigour. There are other aspects of his overall profile that may reinforce this tendency. Harper's third and fourth roles of Plant and Specialist further reinforce the cerebral nature of his style. The Specialist role is associated with individuals who are very single minded and possibly narrow in focus - Margaret Thatcher's #2 role is Specialist. The role most associated with broadness of thinking, Coordinator, is one of Harper's weakest team roles.

His best working relationships are likely to be with those who combine social attributes with a practical turn of mind. In choosing his advisors he should look for individuals well versed in diplomatic skills who can both prepare the ground for him and deal with problems when they arise.