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Problem Solving

What Does The Enneagram Tell Us About Climate Change?

February 8, 2022 by Matt Schlegel Leave a Comment

What insights can we learn from the Enneagram as to how humanity will respond to the climate emergency?  In this video I share how the Enneagram can be used as a problem-solving framework to guide humanity through the steps of problem solving towards addressing and resolving the climate crisis. While there are many efforts underway to address climate change and there are activities in each of the nine problem-solving steps, I share why I think that collectively humanity is currently in Step 2 — building the coalition of the caring — of the problem-solving process and how we can move into Step 3 and beyond.

This is a summary of a discussion I led for the Spiritual Life Foundation: https://www.spirituallifefoundation.org/

[Transcript]

So what can Enneagram tell us about climate change, and in particular, how humanity is going to respond to the climate crisis? The Enneagram is a personality system that will tell us how individuals respond, and the Enneagram as a system could give us clues as to how the entirety of humanity will respond and rise up to solve the crisis that we’re about to face.

So you may be familiar with Enneagram as a personality system, and the Enneagram has nine types associated with it but can also be thought of as three groups of three, and each one of those three groups has a dominant feeling associated with it. So the intuitive folks, which is the group eight, nine, and one, one of the strongest emotions that’s associated with that group is anger. And for the head folks, which is five, six, and seven, the strongest feeling associated with that group is anxiety.

So already two thirds of the people will have the feelings of either anger or anxiety associated with a response to some crisis, and you can kind of think of that as your fight or flight processor. That the fight people are more inclined to show anger and the flight people are more inclined to show anxiety. But then there’s a group in the middle. So you can imagine that there’s a group that’s kind of balanced between the two of them and they are going to feel a number of different feelings. And this triad, or this group of three, is often called the feeling triad or emotion triad because emotions are so central and feelings are so central to how they respond. And so it will be fascinating to see how the folks in the feeling triad respond to the climate crisis when provoked by some event.

Well, so that’s how the Enneagram describes feelings, and there’s another aspect of the Enneagram that I write about in my book Teamwork 9.0, which looks at the Enneagram as a system or a process. And it answers the question why are Enneagram types numbers? Well, they’re numbers because that’s the exact order in which humans move through the process of problem solving. And so for those of you familiar with the Enneagram, you’ll know that type one is often called the perfectionist but they’re the first ones to say, “Hey, there’s a problem. It shouldn’t be like that. It should be like this.” Well, isn’t that the first step in problem solving?

So let me just go through those steps just to clarify that. So first of all is step one in problem solving is hey, there’s a problem. It shouldn’t be like that. And the reason why you feel like it shouldn’t be like that is because you already have an intuition of how it should be. The ideal world or the perfect world, and you’re comparing those two. Well, that’s the first step in problem solving. Well, the second step in problem solving is who cares. If nobody cares about the problem, then nobody is going to pitch in to help solve it.

So it’s when you have people who are emotionally connected to the problem, emotionally invested in solving the problem, that’s when you build your emotionally vested team of problem solvers, the ones who will move forward to help solve the problem. Well, once you have a group of people together, what are they going to be doing? They’re going to be coming up with ideas for how to solve the problem. It just happens naturally. And you go through a phase of ideation, of generating a rich set of different ideas to help solve the problem. And what happens every time you blurred out an idea, you have an instant emotional reaction. Hey, that idea is great. Or ooh, that idea sucks. It’s just natural.

And so that’s step four in problem solving is you’re going to filter all the ideas through your emotional filter, out of which will come the ideas with the positive energy, the ideas that the team would want to pursue. Now that you have that set of positive ideas, you need to go to work and validate, well, will they actually work? And that’s step five where you analyze the validity, do the pro/con analysis, the cost benefit analysis. You do all the analysis, especially the validation that the idea will be effective. And out of that, you will then be able to rank the efficacy of all of the ideas that you generated. And once you have the most effective and promising ideas, then you need to build a plan around that.

And that’s step six, is planning how to get from where you are today, point A, to the goal, solving the problem, B. And you need to consider the resource you need, the time you need, the people you need, everything that would go into building a plan to get you from point A to B. Now that you have your plan, you need to go back and sell that plan to everybody and get everybody excited about implementing the plan. And that’s step seven, where you’re getting everybody enthusiastic about pursuing the plan. And then once you have the buy-in and everybody has bought in and wants to move forward to solve the problem, that’s when you get to implementation. That’s step eight, and you implement the plan and solve the problem.

But wait, there’s one more step, and that’s after you’ve solved the problem, how well did you do in solving the problem? And that’s when you need to go back and speak with all of the stakeholders and figure out what’s working for you? What’s not working for you? Did it solve the problem for you? Are there any new problems? And because in that conversation you’ll inevitably come up with more problems, that’s why the Enneagram is a circle going from nine right back to one.

So that explains how the Enneagram would work to help us move through problem solving and solve the climate crisis. But where are we today? Where is humanity in that process? And I would say that at this point we’ve done a very good job of understanding the problem. We know that we’re in a crisis and it’s getting worse, and we’re seeing floods, we’re seeing ecological, environmental collapse, we’re seeing fires. We’re seeing all of these problems, so we know that there’s the problem.

Step two is who cares? Do enough people care? And that’s where I would say that humanity is right now is they are in step two of problem solving, and that is getting the people, more and more people, to actually care about solving the problem. And once we have enough people who care about solving the problem, guess what? We will solve it very quickly because people are already working on steps three, four, five, six, seven, eight, even nine. People are already doing them. They’re laying the path. They’re laying the road for us to move forward quickly once we collectively get past step two. Once enough of us care to want to solve the problem, then we will solve the problem very quickly. And that’s why I’m very hopeful that things will go quickly once we get past step two.

So how do we get past step two? Well, talk about the climate crisis. Talk about it with your friends. Talk about it with your family. Just bring it up. Try to connect them emotionally with the problem because that is step two, it’s connecting emotionally with the problem. And I know there’s a lot of distractions out there. I know a lot of people don’t want to think about negative things, and it won’t be until people start to actually acknowledge their feelings about the climate crisis that we will start to move forward and we will solve the problem.

So thank you so much for listening. This is my take on where we are with the climate crisis today, and I’m looking forward to moving past step two and into step three and beyond soon. Thanks.

Filed Under: Climate Crisis, Enneagram, Problem Solving

Online PMI-LA Workshop: The Nine Problem-Solving Strengths of Teammates

November 23, 2021 by Matt Schlegel Leave a Comment

Title: The Nine Problem-Solving Strengths of Teammates

Register here:  https://www.pmi-la.org/calendar?eventId=9360

Description: Come prepared to turn on your video and engage with participants in this interactive workshop in which we explore the nine problem-solving strengths of ourselves and our teammates. One of the biggest challenges a project manager faces is matching the best teammates for each assignment. The Enneagram is a powerful system that describes nine personality dynamics each with its own set of problem-solving strengths. Understand these dynamics helps managers match assignments with suitable sets of strengths.

Attendees will learn:

  • Discover their own primary Enneagram dynamics and strengths
  • Use a tool to discover the Enneagram dynamic and strengths of teammates
  • Understand which dynamics work well together
  • Leave with a framework to match the best problem-solving dynamics for each assignment.

Date: Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Time: 5:30PM to 7:30PM Pacific Time

Host: Project Management Institute – Los Angeles

Registration Fee: $5 members; $10 non-members

Registration:  https://www.pmi-la.org/calendar?eventId=9360

 

Other Upcoming Online Workshops

Title: Enneagram and Climate Change

Description: Humanity is in a bit of a pickle.  Carbon dioxide levels are higher now than they have ever been since homo sapiens emerged on the planet some 500,000 years ago.  How will people respond to this major change in our environment?  The Enneagram may provide some clues.  In this session we will check in to see how individuals of each Enneagram type are responding. Also, we will explore the Enneagram-based teamwork principles from the best-selling book Teamwork 9.0 which can give us insights into how humanity might come together to solve our collective climate crisis.

Date: Wednesday, January 19, 2022

Time: 7:30pm to 9pm Pacific Time

Host: Spiritual Life Foundation

Registration Fee: Free

Registration: For Zoom link contact Matt Schlegel at matt@evolutionaryteams.com

For more information contact:  matt@evolutionaryteams.com

Filed Under: Enneagram, Problem Solving, Workshop

Teamwork 9.0 “Indispensable” for the New Virtual Work World

November 30, 2020 by Matt Schlegel Leave a Comment

In a recent review of my book Teamwork 9.0 on Amazon,  a business owner and team leader pointed out how the principles in the book are indispensable for teams in the new virtual world.  Here is the full quote:

“Great insights into real life teamwork dynamics

There are lots of teamwork books out there, but few have the insights into human personality as solid as Teamwork 9.0. I loved learning about all the different personality types and how to relate to them in business and life. As a business owner and team leader figuring out this new virtual work world, Teamwork 9.0 is indispensable.”

As teams continue to be buffeted by the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, having problem-solving tools to help teams navigate the ever-changing landscape are indeed indispensable.  I am delighted this reader uses the Teamwork 9.0 approach for their situation.

Beyond a Personality System

The Enneagram is more than a personality system.  As I show in Teamwork 9.0, the reason why the Enneagram system uses  numbers 1 through 9 for the nine types, is that the system also describes the order, steps 1 through 9,  in which people solve problems.  In other words, the Enneagram is also a problem-solving methodology!

Problem Solving Methodology

Having a systematic problem-solving approach to lead through tumultuous situations keeps teams focused on objectives and consistently moving towards resilient solutions.  Teamwork 9.0 shows how the Enneagram system can be used as such a problem-solving tool.  Here is a summary of the approach I describe in Chapter 2 of the book:

Step 1 – Define Problem/Goal – The starting point of problem solving is identifying that there is a problem—why something is wrong and why it needs to be corrected. Asking these questions of multiple people, you will discover various perspectives on the problem.  Recording these descriptions of the problem and describing how things should be once the problem is solved informs the WHY of problem solving and establishes the problem-solving objectives. The WHY serves as the purpose of your problem-solving effort.

Step 2 – Identify Stakeholders – The problem necessarily impacts someone, especially problem solving in business. The second step is determining who. Who does the problem affect? Who can help solve the problem? Who may be affected by the solution? These people form the group of stakeholders who join you on your problem-solving journey.

Step 3 – Brainstorm Ideas – There are often numerous problem-solving approaches. You will generate ideas, and these ideas comprise what you will consider as possible solutions to the problem. Enlisting a diverse group of people to join you in idea brainstorming is how your problem-solving initiative can lead to new ideas.  In this step, problem solving and creativity intersect.

Step 4 – Pick Positive Ideas – Every idea will generate an emotional response—your first reaction. This reaction happens immediately, without thinking.  That idea is great! Or, that idea sucks!  This is the step in which each idea is run through your emotional filter to eliminate bad ideas and retain good ones. If you wonder whether problem solving is a soft skill, step 4, which requires an examination of our emotional reactions, implies that the answer is yes!

Step 5 – Analyze Ideas – Any promising idea needs to be vetted, and this is the step where you analyze and determine how an idea will actually solve the problem. Run your ideas through the filter of logic, out of which emerges the most promising approaches—your Plan A and Plan B.  Step 5 is the time in problem solving for analytical skills and critical thinking. While data analysis may have been required in step 1 to understand the problem, it may also be required in step 5 to assess the efficacy of the proposed solution.

Step 6 – Plan Path to Goal – This is the planning step in problem solving, when you sequence all the required actions into a plan. You take all the information collected in step 5 and synthesize that into an action plan that achieves your problem-solving objectives.  In short, WHO does WHAT by HOW and WHEN to address WHY.

Step 7 – Get Buy-In – Once your plan is formulated you need to check in with all stakeholders to ensure everyone is on board.  Depending on the scope of the problem, you will need everyone’s support, time—energy—resources, in many dimensions, physically—mentally—emotionally, to execute the plan and solve the problem. If you’ve kept everyone in the loop up to now, you will be in good shape to get the buy-in you need to proceed. Step 7 is the final decision-making point before moving into action.

Step 8 – Execute the Plan – Finally you get to action.  This is the step in the problem-solving process where you actually solve the problem!  Up to this point it has been all talk.  Now you execute the plan and achieve the goal—problem solved!

Step 9 – Debrief and Harmonize Solution – After step 8 you may think you’re finished, but there’s one last step: the final check-in with all stakeholders to ensure that the problem was actually solved to everyone’s satisfaction.  If you took the time in step 1 to document the goals and outcomes, those details will serve as your checklist.  Sometimes the unexpected happens and new problems arise in step 9—that takes you back to step 1.

People Plus Process Provides Purpose

Having a problem-solving approach that takes into account the distinct gifts of each team member serves to keep your problem solvers engaged and performing at their best. The Enneagram as a personality system describes nine sets of gifts and as a problem-solving framework shows how to optimally apply those gifts to solve problems.   A team acting with purpose is the perfect antidote to overcoming the trials and tribulations of the pandemic.

How is your team responding to the challenges of the pandemic?  Which problem-solving approaches are you applying?

Filed Under: Problem Solving

How the Best Teams Solve Problems

September 26, 2020 by Matt Schlegel Leave a Comment

The Enneagram is a powerful system for understanding yourself, others, and interpersonal dynamics.  But did you know that the Enneagram is more than a personality system?  I this video, Matt Schlegel explains how the Enneagram can be applied to collaborative problem-solving teamwork.

Learn more about Teamwork 9.0—Successful Workgroup Problem Solving using the Enneagram here:

https://evolutionaryteams.com/make-your-life-even-better-professionally-and-personally/

Buy it on Amazon here:

https://www.amazon.com/Teamwork-9-0-Successful-Workgroup-Enneagram/dp/1733478809

Grateful to Mari-Lyn Harris and Heart@Work (www.heartatworkonline.org) for the opportunity to share topics in author Matt Schlegel’s book Teamwork 9.0–Successful Workgroup Problem Solving Using the Enneagram.

Find the entire interview here:

https://evolutionaryteams.com/heartwork-interviews-author-matt-schlegel/

Video Transcript

Mary—Question: What other situations have you had, other challenges that you’ve run into with your clients, and how have you been able to help them do teamwork.

Matt—Answer: The powerful thing about the Enneagram… People know about the Enneagram as a personality tool. That’s predominantly how it’s used now and understood; but, actually it’s really much more than that. And, I came across this when I started to ask the question, “Why is the 1 the 1, why is the 2 the 2?” So, the Enneagram uses numbers for the different types and I was like, was that arbitrary? Could the one actually be the seven or could the three be the nine? And as I studied it more I realized there is a specific reason why the numbers are numbers and they’re in that particular order.  It’s because the Enneagram also describes a process by which humans work together to solve problems. And once I understood that, then I started to use the Enneagram as a problem-solving framework with my team, where Type 1 is the perfectionist and they’re the first ones to identify that “Hey, that’s not right; it shouldn’t be that way; it should be this way.” Well, what’s the first step in problem solving? It’s identifying that there is a problem.  And, on and around each of the nine steps, you have a dynamic that we know through the personality dynamic, but it’s also a problem-solving dynamic.  So that’s really how I understood that there’s much more to Enneagram and how powerful it is; and, I used that framework to help my team solve big challenging problems at work, and then I built my consulting practice on top of that.

Mary: That sounds great.

Filed Under: Problem Solving

How to Create a New Normal with the Enneagram

August 13, 2020 by Matt Schlegel Leave a Comment

In this video segment, I describe how the Enneagram can serve as a collaboration tool for teams to create a “New Normal” when organizations are faced with a challenging situation, like the Covid-19 pandemic.   Grateful to Mari-Lyn Harris and Heart@Work (www.heartatworkonline.org) for the opportunity to share topics in my book Teamwork 9.0–Successful Workgroup Problem Solving Using the Enneagram.

You can watch the entire interview here:

You can learn more about Mari-Lyn Harris, her Impactful Legacy podcast, her firm Heart@Work, and the Kindness Matters Conference here:

Creating an Impactful Legacy

 

 

[Video Segment Transcript]

Using a framework like this, the Enneagram, it’s really suited for a certain type of challenge. Where I tend to focus is on organizations that are faced with a challenge that requires the whole company to step up and address—a cross functional challenge, a challenge that is going to touch everybody in the organization. We’re living through a perfect example of this right now. We are in the middle of a global pandemic. People have stayed away from work. People are sheltering in place. It has been very disruptive to the normal flow of work. People still want to do the job. They still want to work together. They still want to accomplish the mission of the organization whatever that is. But they have to do it in a new way.  They have to essentially create a new normal for that organization. You could have somebody who says “hey, we’re just going to do it this way.” But, how much buy in are you going get from the organization if you do something like this? Much less than if you build a team that represents all the constituents of the organization, and they collaborate together to create that new normal, and implement and roll out that new normal. This is the type of challenge that is really suited for this methodology.

Filed Under: Enneagram, Problem Solving

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