Why Indoor Climbing Gyms Need to Rethink Team Composition

The Westway Climbing Team going above and beyond for the ITV The Games Speed Climbing Event (in the rain no less)

TL;DR

Indoor climbing walls often overlook the importance of team composition, despite its proven impact on productivity and satisfaction. Balanced teams improve efficiency, communication, and workplace morale, but many gyms focus only on individual skills rather than team synergy. In my opinion many climbing walls also struggle with conflict resolution, leading to inefficiencies and frustration. To fix this, gyms should implement structured team-building strategies, use psychometric tools like Belbin, Jungian and Thomas-Kilmann, and invest in leadership development. Those that prioritise team optimisation will gain a competitive edge, reduce turnover, and create a better climbing experience for everyone.

Indoor climbing centres have evolved dramatically in recent years, from small community hubs to sprawling commercial ventures. With this growth, the operational demands on climbing wall staff have increased, requiring a delicate balance of safety, instruction, customer service, and community engagement.

Despite the complexity of running these facilities, many climbing centres fail to address a fundamental factor that can make or break their success: team composition.

Research across industries has shown that assembling the right mix of personalities, skills, and working styles can dramatically increase productivity and satisfaction, both for staff and customers. However, many climbing gyms continue to operate with ad-hoc hiring practices, prioritising individual competencies over team synergy.

This article explores the impact of teamwork and conflict management in climbing gyms, backed by real-world data, and argues that climbing walls must rethink their approach to staffing if they want to remain competitive.

The Role of Team Composition in Performance and Satisfaction

When individuals come together in a workplace, they don’t automatically function as a team. A team is a group of individuals working cohesively towards a shared goal. The process of team formation, development, and performance can make or break an organisation. This common assumption that

putting like minded individuals together and the will form a productive entity

is fundamentally flawed and will only inhibit business growth and success.

The Belbin Team Role Inventory (BTI), Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) and Jungian Type Indicator (JTI) are two of the most widely used tools for understanding how teams function.

• Belbin’s Team Roles (BTI) identify the natural functions team members assume within a group, ranging from creative problem-solvers to task-driven executors. A well-balanced team should ideally include all essential roles, such as coordinators, implementers, and shapers, to maximise efficiency and collaboration. Understanding these roles helps leaders build complementary teams that capitalise on diverse skill sets.

• The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) assesses how individuals handle conflict, categorising responses into modes such as avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromise, and collaboration. Conflict management is crucial for maintaining a productive work environment, and recognising preferred conflict styles allows teams to address disagreements constructively and maintain strong working relationships.

• The Jungian Type Indicator (JTI), rooted in Carl Jung’s psychological theories, explores how people perceive the world and make decisions. By examining dimensions such as introversion vs. extraversion and thinking vs. feeling, it provides insight into personal strengths, communication tendencies, and decision-making styles. While similar to the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), JTI is often used as a more streamlined approach to Jungian typology in professional settings.

For indoor climbing walls, team dynamics are critical because the environment demands high-functioning collaboration. Staff members must juggle safety, instruction, problem-solving, customer service, etc all while working in a physically active and sometimes high-stress setting. If team roles and conflict resolution styles are mismatched, it can lead to inefficiency, burnout, toxic handling and poor customer experiences.

Findings: How Indoor Climbing Centres Are Falling Short

A study of indoor climbing wall management teams, based on data collected through Belbin and Thomas-Kilmann’s assessments, revealed common weaknesses in staffing and team composition:

1. Overemphasis on Individual Competence, Not Team Fit

Most climbing centres hire based on technical climbing ability and industry experience, overlooking how employees will function as part of a broader team. This leads to unbalanced teams, where certain skills are overrepresented, and others are neglected.

For example, a climbing gym with too many “Shapers” (task-driven, competitive team members) and not enough “Team Workers” (collaborative, supportive members) may struggle with internal friction and poor communication. Similarly, a team lacking in “Implementers” (practical, process-oriented individuals) may experience operational inefficiencies.

In one case study, an indoor climbing startup initially had a team composed mostly of highly driven but competitive individuals, leading to frequent conflicts and inefficiencies in day-to-day operations. Over time, team dynamics improved after intentional restructuring based on Belbin’s framework.

2. Failure to Manage Conflict Effectively

Indoor climbing centres, like any workplace, are not immune to conflict. However, many of them lack structured methods for resolving disputes productively.

Data from the Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI) showed that climbing wall staff tended to favour Avoidance and Compromise, rather than Collaboration. This means that instead of addressing conflicts directly, staff often ignore them or settle for short-term solutions that don’t resolve underlying issues.

This avoidance can lead to:

• Frustration among staff who feel unheard or unappreciated.

• Lack of innovation, as constructive disagreements are essential for progress.

• Poor customer experiences, since unresolved internal conflicts can spill over into interactions with climbers.

A well-functioning team should embrace conflict when necessary and manage it in a way that leads to productive outcomes rather than resentment.

3. A Lack of Long-Term Team Development Strategies

Many climbing gyms operate as small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) with informal structures. Because of this, they often neglect structured team-building programs, leadership development, and professional growth opportunities.

A Christmas "jolly" not constituting a decent team building activity.

Long-term staff retention is a major challenge in the climbing industry, and one of the biggest factors in retention is workplace satisfaction. A well-balanced, effectively managed team is more likely to be satisfied with their work, leading to lower turnover and higher overall gym performance.

What Climbing Centres Can Do to Improve Team Composition

Climbing centres need to move beyond basic hiring and think strategically about how they build and manage their teams. Here are some practical steps for making improvements:

1. Assess Team Roles Before Hiring

• Use Belbin’s Team Role Inventory to map out the existing team composition and identify gaps.

• During hiring, look for candidates who fill missing roles rather than just prioritising climbing ability, or technical experetise.

Skills can be taught - Behaviour cannot.

For example:

• If your team already has multiple Coordinators (leaders), but lacks Completer-Finishers (detail-oriented individuals), prioritise hiring someone with strong follow-through skills who has completed lots of projects through to the end.

2. Encourage Constructive Conflict Management

• Implement Thomas-Kilmann’s Conflict Mode Instrument during team training to help employees recognise their conflict resolution styles.

• Train staff in collaborative problem-solving to avoid unnecessary workplace tensions.

3. Foster Long-Term Team Development

• Create structured training programs that go beyond climbing instruction and include leadership development.

• Invest in regular team-building exercises to strengthen workplace relationships.

• Provide clear career progression opportunities to retain talented staff.

4. Monitor and Adapt Team Dynamics Over Time

• Recognise that team dynamics evolve and periodically reassess your team composition.

• Use staff feedback surveys to understand workplace satisfaction and adjust team structures accordingly.

• Encourage mentorship programs, pairing experienced staff with newer team members to ensure smoother transitions.

• Dont shy away from End of Year Appraisals (EYA) and chance to have honest and robust conversations with your team members.

The Future of Teamwork in Climbing Gyms

The indoor climbing industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, with climbing now an Olympic sport and major commercial groups in the market - more people than ever are trying it for the first time. To keep up with this momentum, climbing gyms must innovate not just in their walls and holds, but in their management practices as well.

Strategic team composition and conflict management are low-cost, high-impact improvements that can transform a climbing centre’s efficiency, culture, and customer experience.

By adopting evidence-based team development practices, climbing gyms can:

✔ Reduce staff turnover

✔ Improve workplace morale

✔ Enhance customer service and safety

✔ Increase overall profitability

In short, getting team composition right isn’t just a “nice-to-have” - it’s a necessity for any climbing gym that wants to thrive in an increasingly competitive landscape.

Take Your Climbing Gym to the Next Level

Strong walls alone won’t build a thriving climbing gym - strong teams will. The best climbing centres don’t just invest in route setting, equipment and holds; they invest in their staff, leadership, and workplace culture.

If you want to reduce turnover, improve efficiency, and create a truly collaborative environment, it’s time to rethink your approach to team composition. Implementing structured hiring practices, conflict resolution strategies, and leadership development isn’t just good management - it’s the competitive advantage that will set your gym apart.

Are you ready to build a team as strong as your walls? Start today by assessing your team’s strengths, addressing weak spots, and making team dynamics a priority.

Your climbers, and your bottom line , will thank you for it.

Reach out today for an informal chat.