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Enneagram

Change Management and the Enneagram

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Many know the Enneagram as a personality system. Less well known is that the Enneagram can also serve as a change management framework independent of personality. I discovered this aspect of the Enneagram when I asked the simple question, why are numbers used to label Enneagram types. It turns out that the numbers are the order of a change management process! Here’s how it works…

Change Management Defined

Change management is the term used to describe the systematic approach to transforming an organization to solve structural problems and improve organizational performance. I developed the change management tools described in Teamwork 9.0 based on the dynamics associated with each Enneagram number, a change management process comprised of 9 steps.

Change Management Framework

Having a systematic change management process to lead your organization through challenging situations keeps your team focused on objectives and consistently moving towards resilient solutions.  Here is a brief summary of the change management steps that I outline in chapter 2 of Teamwork 9.0:

Step 1 – Define the Problem and Set the Goal – Step 1 establishes the Big Why, the starting point of any transformative effort.  Clearly define the problem by ensuring you include all stakeholders’ perspectives.  The flip side of defining the problem is creating the vision for success—what will the world look like when your team reaches the goal and solves the problem.  Step 1 creates purpose for your effort.

Step 2 – Identify All Stakeholders – The people who have any connection with the effort are the stakeholders.  This is the Big Who. Who is suffering with the problem?  Who will be affected by the solution? Who needs to help in the effort? As new stakeholders are brought into the fold, be sure and loop back to Step 1 and record their unique perspectives on the problem. Also, verify that new stakeholders are in alignment with the effort’s vision and goals.

Step 3 – Brainstorm Ideas – Listen to everyone’s ideas for how to solve the problem.  Collect all ideas without prejudice. By creating a positive, inclusive environment, you will enhance your team’s creativity.  Don’t discard any idea—keep them all!  Out of these will emerge the team’s Big What.

Step 4 – Pick Positive Ideas – That idea’s great! That idea sucks!  You will have some emotional reaction to each idea.  In this step the team collectively ranks the ideas.  The top few ideas serve as the Big What.

Step 5 – Analyze Ideas – Validate which promising ideas actually solve the problem. Perform cost-benefit and pro-con analysis.  Prototype and validate ideas. Step 5 determines the Big How for your transformation.

Step 6 – Plan Path to Goal – Taking the best approaches from Step 5, build a plan around the most promising idea —  Plan A — and keep a backup approach — Plan B. Consider what resources you will need and schedule a path that will get your team to the goal.  Step 6 considers the timing of resource allocation — the Big When.

Step 7 – Get Buy-In – With the plan completed, it’s time to get stakeholder buy-in. In this step you present the plan and get the approval and the resources to start the project.  Keeping stakeholders updated on progress in Steps 1 through 6 makes Step 7 buy-in easier by minimizing surprises.

Step 8 – Implement the Plan – Having stakeholder buy-in, you now get to action.  Step 8 in the Enneagram change management process is the step in which you actually solve the problem!  Up to this point it has been all talk.  Now you execute the plan, achieve the goals and realize the vision!

Step 9 – Debrief and Harmonize the Solution – In Step 9, the team assesses how well they realized the vision and solved the problems. Here you assess the solution measured against the problem-goal statement from Step 1. Step 9 requires conversations with and feedback from all stakeholders.  Here you ensure that the solutions are working well with everyone and becoming integrated and habituated within the organization. Inevitably,  these conversations will uncover new issues which can take you back into Step 1, and that’s why the Enneagram-based process is a circle, a never-ending cycle of continuous improvement.

Change Management Models

There are a number of change management processes.   When compared to the Teamwork 9.0 change management approach, I find that some systems will overemphasize some steps while skipping other steps entirely.  For instance, the more analytical change management approaches may skip steps related to the emotional aspects of change management like Steps 2 and 4. Skipping these steps may slow or even prevent buy-in in Step 7.  Another aspect of strictly analytical approaches is that they can become bogged down in detail—paralysis by analysis.   Compare your current approach to the Teamwork 9.0 model and see how they differ. Such a comparison will give you insights into the efficacy of your approach.  I share an number of such change management examples in chapter 8 of Teamwork 9.0.

People Plus Process Provides Purpose

Having a change management system that takes into account the distinct gifts of each team member keeps your problem solvers engaged and performing at their best. The Enneagram as a personality system describes nine personality dynamics each with a set of strengths. Since the Enneagram change management process dedicates one and only one step to each Enneagram type, this change management framework is arguably the most balanced approach from a humanistic point of view. The framework considers the strengths of all nine Enneagram human dynamics.  Applying the strengths of your teammates to the process creates a powerful and purposeful team dynamic.

What change management tools have you used? Which work well? Which have stalled?  How do those approaches compare to the Teamwork 9.0 approach?

Feeling Safe — Intrinsic Motivation of Enneagram Type 5

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Going deep on a topic?  Enneagram Type 5s are masters at mastering subject matter.  If you want to ensure that all the nooks and crannies of any matter are uncovered, you can count on Type 5 for the job.  What motivates Type 5’s drive for subject mastery?  This video provides a sneak peek into the mind of the 5.  Don’t worry, it’s safe.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

As the internal anxiety type, Enneagram Type 5’s anxious energy conveys an extraordinary ability to collect and comb through mountains of data. Type 5s will follow the data wherever it takes them and will not be satisfied until they believe they have exhausted all avenues. At Step 5, your team will have developed a handful of promising ideas that need careful consideration. Type 5 is ideally suited to take up the leadership mantle in this step and guide the team through the pro/con analysis of each idea.

A special trait of the 5s is their unbiased pursuit of information. They would just as soon collect all available data and not leave anything out. Other types tend to have biases that cause them to filter out certain data. While those filters may help them arrive at a decision more quickly, they might overlook important information that the 5 would have uncovered.

How does your leadership style approach uncovering all knowledge on a subject matter?  Do you do the research yourself? Or do you trust others go deep while staying focused on the big picture.  How do you ensure that you haven’t overlooked anything? What are leadership styles that work well with Enneagram Type 5?

[Video Transcript]

And now for the 5. Again, they’re dealing with anxiety but it’s internalized. And the way they deal with their anxiety is they want to feel safe. They just want to feel safe. So, what makes the 5 feel safe? Well, they collect resources that they need to feel safe. So, what kind of resources would make a 5 feel safe? Money, certainly collecting money.  But also information and knowledge. So, they will collect lots and lots of resources. If you know a 5, you’ll find that they go very, very deep on subjects. I was talking with a client the other day, and we talked about how he was in the military and he knew everything about all the military weapons; he could just talk through everything. And then he talked about, oh yeah I was in a band. And then he talked about guitars deep, deep, deep, deep, deep in guitars. And then oh yeah, I was a writer for a music magazine. And then he was listing all these bands that he’s written about.

So, these are very narrow and very deep. That is very typical of a type 5. They might be engineers or in academia, in finance but really deep topics, that’s their comfort zone. And once they’ve mastered that knowledge, then they feel safe. And that makes them feel safe, that mastery. I said earlier 5s can be kind of the flip side of the 1, where the 1 wants to get it right, the 5 is afraid of getting it wrong. And that’s what compels them (the 5) because they don’t want to appear uninformed. But both (1 and 5)  are compelled to go very deep on topics. And if you work with 5s, they can be challenging because they’re not very communicative. They’re the ones who just sit in meetings and you’re just trying to draw information out and of them, but why should they give away their information? That’s their gold, right? So, 5s can be particularly challenging for project managers.

Thanks so much for listening. If you like this, please leave a comment and share it with others and please subscribe to the channel and stay tuned for the next episode. Thanks again.

Avoiding Risk — Intrinsic Motivation of Enneagram Type 6

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Like a computer simulator, the mind of Enneagram Type 6 is constantly racing into the future imagining what might happen, alert to any possible risks or danger.  Type 6s are masterful at plotting a path forward that avoids pitfalls and gets your team safely to the goal. In this video, I describe the intrinsic motivation of Type 6. Don’t be afraid, danger is avoided.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

The active Type 6 mind continuously connects dots into the future. As the suppressed anxiety type, they seek to minimize their feelings of anxiety by identifying a path to the goal that has a high likelihood for success. As 6s review the pro/con analysis of each idea in Step 5, they can intuitively assign probabilities to outcomes, which gives them insight into the most promising ideas.

The 6s are driven by the fear of failure and the danger that failure represents, so they can easily identify the danger in each option. Their gift is being able to identify the path of least danger. In their minds, the 6s connect the dots along the path to the goal for each idea. The path with the clearest set of dots stands out starkly to them. This makes the 6 well equipped to lead the group in both selecting the most promising ideas and creating a plan of action that connects the dots and guides the team to the desired goal.

The aphorism, “Failing to plan is planning to fail,” captures the mindset of Type 6. In Step 6, you plan schedules, budgets, resource allocation, and contingencies that will withstand scrutiny from the stakeholders. Before further investment in the project, the action plan needs to be organized in a logical and palatable manner.

How does your leadership style minimize risk? Do you take time to think through possible problems, or do you plunge ahead and figure it out as you go?  How much do you value planning? What are leadership styles that work well with Enneagram Type 6?

[Video Transcript]

Now, we’re going to get to the suppressed anxiety. And I know this one well, because this is my type. And the way that I address my anxiety is, if I know what’s going to happen, then my anxiety goes down. And what I’m trying to do is I’m just trying to avoid any possible risks or danger, right? And I will plan things out and as long as everything goes on track and everything’s smoothly going along, my anxiety stays down. But when things start to go up, it’s, “Danger, Will Robinson. Danger, Will Robinson.” That’s the six dynamic, right? And my anxiety’s coming up, because now I don’t know what’s going to happen anymore. So sixes love to… I think a lot of sixes are drawn to project management, because we love to plan. We like to plan things out. And we have our contingency plans. We have our plan A and our plan B. And we think things through to make sure that we can successfully get to the outcomes that we’re after.

Thanks so much for listening. If you like this, please leave a comment and share it with others, and please subscribe to the channel. And stay tuned for the next episode. Thanks, again.

Being Liked – Intrinsic Motivation of Enneagram Type 7

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Hi! How are you!  Who are the natural networkers of the Enneagram? Type 7, of course! Most networking groups have a plurality if not majority of Type 7s. And why not? Type 7s are engaging, charming, talkative, and FUN—the perfect mix for a mixer! They always have something to say and will keep things light and fun. What motivates these behaviors? My latest video gives you a sneak peek at what’s going on under the hood for Enneagram Type 7.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

The external anxiety Type 7 is motivated to create a positive environment and build enthusiasm for the next adventure. This motivation drives them to encourage and embolden the project stakeholders in Step 7, making them perfectly tuned for leadership during this step. The 7’s dynamic is invaluable for helping the team coalesce the broader group of stakeholders around the plan and getting the buy-in, endorsements, sponsorships, budget allocations, and so on necessary to execute the plan.

The 7’s natural ability in this role is evidenced by the fact that many of our elected politicians are 7s. The kind of leadership that gets a politician elected is exactly the sort of leadership required by the project team in Step 7. The 7 can lead the team to create the “pitch deck” presentation for the project, deliver that pitch, and navigate the nuances of the stakeholder communication to get the support the team needs to move the project towards implementation.

In a nutshell, the key activity in Step 7 is instilling trust and confidence in the sponsors and stakeholders that the team will accomplish the plan, meet the goals, and solve the problem. Type 7s are masters at instilling trust in others.

How does your leadership style create a positive social atmosphere for projects or for networking?  Do you draw in others who like to keep things light and fun?  How much do you value being liked by others? What are leadership styles that work well with Enneagram Type 7?

[Video Transcript]

Now we’re in the head group, and the issue for the head group is anxiety. If you know a 7, you would never associate a 7 with anxiety. Because what you associate with 7s is fun, doing exciting things, trying new things. This is what you’ll see in the 7, right? But the underlying issue is anxiety, and what they’re really wanting is to be liked.

So if they go into a room, they’re going to be the ones who can go around and work the room, right? “Oh, hey, how’s it going? Hey. Oh, it’s so great to see you.” As they connect, they’ll connect briefly, and they’ll laugh, and they’ll joke around a little bit and say, “Oh, yeah, I’m going to go over and say hi to Mary.” And then they’ll go over and say hi to Mary. Then they’ll go over… So they’ll go around and work the room.

And what they’re doing is, it’s like, “Hey. We’re okay, right? We’re good?” If we’re good, then anxiety goes down. And if there’s something wrong, then the anxiety goes up. So that, because they’re always trying to keep that anxiety down and just be liked, then that compels them to be charming and fun and enthusiastic, because all of those garner being liked and everybody will end up having fun. So that’s the dynamic of the 7.

Thanks so much for listening. If you liked this, please leave a comment and share it with others. And please subscribe to the channel and stay tuned for the next episode. Thanks again.

Securing Control – Intrinsic Motivation of Enneagram Type 8

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When you need to get things under control—NOW!—turn to Enneagram Type 8.  Type 8s are motivated to secure control of their environment and their intuition informs them what to do.  No need for thinking, no need for talking, Type 8s  already instinctively know what needs to be done. And they want to get to action ASAP! Their motivation to secure and maintain control will your keep projects on track and moving forward.

Excerpt from Teamwork 9.0

The external anger Type 8 wants to get started, and Step 8 is the point in problem solving where action-oriented leadership shines. With the plan in place and the resources allocated, the 8 can direct the team in executing that plan. The strength and confidence of Type 8s inspires and motivates others to follow their lead. Type 8s are not afraid to fail. If they go down a path that proves to be unproductive, they are quick to course-correct and try something new. There is little fretting or pondering; the dynamic in Step 8 is action, which the Type 8 leader delivers.

Since other types are more susceptible to a fear of failure, Type 8 in particular provides the confidence to help others overcome their inhibitions and take action. If feelings are hurt along the way, that is a price that must be paid to achieve the goal. Conflicts will arise in this step, and 8s tap into their anger-based energy and easily rise to the challenge. They can get beyond a confrontation and move on to the task at hand. They won’t let feelings get in the way of getting the job done. They tend not to take things personally, and they expect others not to either.

What’s your leadership style when you need to get things under control? Does your intuition inform you what needs to be done?  Does anger energize you to action? What are leadership styles that work well with Enneagram Type 8?

[Video Transcript]

So we’ll start off with the external anger types. Okay. And the thing that the 8, Type 8 wants to do is they want to be in control of their environment, right? And so they’re always concerned with how secure control they have of the environment. And when they feel that their control is threatened, their go-to tool is anger. They use anger to help them get back into control. So you’ve probably seen people do this before. So you might’ve been in a meeting and there might be a person in that meeting who all the sudden starts raising their voice, or they might start pounding the table, or they might start pointing their finger when they talk. So all of these are indications. These are all very eight type behaviors. And they’re tools that when people are in that Type 8 dynamic that they use to help get back into control. And the Type 8s, because they are informed by their intuition, they often have a sense of what to do.

Their intuition is already telling them. So they don’t need a lot of conversation. They don’t need a lot of thought. They already kind of know what to do. So they really don’t like being in long conversations because they just want to get to the point so they can get to action. And because they have this intuition telling them what to do, it gives them the sense of decisiveness and confidence, and they kind of exude this. And people sense that. And so they often become leaders. They’re these natural leaders. So you’ll see Type 8s migrate to roles, leadership roles. So you might see them as a CEO or a COO. Those are the types of roles that the Type 8 just seems to go to naturally.

Thanks so much for listening. If you like this, please leave a comment and share it with others and please subscribe to the channel and stay tuned for the next episode. Thanks again.

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