Viewing a Team Through the Lens of the Enneagram

To illustrate how the Enneagram can be used in a business environment, let's take a look at one five-member project team. The team leader, Brenda, views conflict as something that creates frustration, hostility and stress between team members. She sees her role as a peacemaker, the person who calms everyone down and diffuses tense situations.

Other members of the team include Tom, an individual with a strong personality - someone who always seems to know the best way of doing things and isn't shy about quashing opposing viewpoints. Tom's outspokenness seems to have a negative effect on Marcie, who does well in one-on-one situations but rarely speaks up during team meetings. Sometimes the only way Brenda knows what she's thinking is when she receives an insightful e-mail from Marcie once she has returned to the haven of her office.

Kevin, another team member, constantly challenges every decision that's made during a project. While his endless questioning has often exposed unforeseen problems, his abrasiveness does nothing to smooth the way for his opinions on how to resolve the issues he brings up. Finally, there's Sarah who never takes anything seriously - she uses her sharp wit to immediately divert difficult conversations onto more positive subjects. However, Sarah's quick mind also enables her to come up with inventive solutions that no one else would have thought of.

Although all of the team members do their work satisfactorily as individuals, situations that require the team to make joint decisions often end in deadlock or hurt feelings. As team leader, Brenda wants to get the team functioning at a higher level but is unsure how to proceed. The conflict management exercises she has attempted to put the team through don't seem to work for any length of time.

Can this team be brought together? Is there a way their differences can be leveraged to create a broader perspective? Better communication? Could conflict be used to promote individual growth, build cohesiveness and stimulate creativity and innovation?

Approaching the situation through knowledge of the Enneagram, we already realize that no point of view is 100% correct and all perspectives can be broadened and enriched by the inclusion of the values and perceptions of the eight other character types. Instead of polarizing in an argument, a different attitude can be adopted ... that of "profound curiosity." As explained previously, profound curiosity is the desire to truly understand how another sees the world including their values, feelings, perceptions and goals. Research in conflict resolution has definitively proven it is nearly impossible for a person to change a polarized position until their point of view has been fully heard. Once understood, it is much easier for anyone to open up and listen to another's perspective.

Let's take a look at the team from an Enneagram perspective:

Tom is an 8 who often sees a situation in terms of absolutes and needs to feel powerful. Although it seems at first that Tom is unrelenting in having his views adopted by everyone in the group, he will back off, listen to other opinions, and show respect for team members if he is approached in a firm, honest and open manner about his behavior. He will not take comments personally and will admire team members for stating observations and opinions directly.

Marcie is a 5, the most introverted Enneagram type. She will always find it more difficult than others to engage in an unfamiliar situation. Often, having information such as agendas and expectations ahead of time will help her participate more fully during team meetings. This allows her to first think through her contributions before presenting them.

Kevin is likely to be a "counter phobic" character type 6. His endless questions arise from the desire for safety and predictability and his distrust of authority. The best way to work with him is to give him time to voice his concerns, to not take his challenges personally, and to be honest about how his attitude impacts the team.

Sarah, an Enneagram 7, does not like to deal with unpleasantness so diverts attention into other more positive arenas. Managing her requires that you clearly explain expectations, boundaries, and norms. She needs to be told how her humor and side comments divert the team from focusing on necessary concerns.

Brenda, the team leader, is a 9 - a natural facilitator. Although her desire for cohesiveness and unity can help pull the team together strongly, she must be careful that she does not gloss over conflict in her quest for peace.

The following pages provide a brief overview of some defining values of the nine character types. These sketches illustrate the radically different values for each of the nine types. Since each member of a team thinks s/he has the correct understanding of a situation based on their value system, knowing the Enneagram allows one to understand the roots of the conflict, the structures and beliefs they hold most dear. This difference in values by itself often initiates conflict.

In addition to each of the Enneagram types having different values, each also automatically focuses on different parts of a situation. The focus of attention for each of the nine character types is also represented within the table.

A team that understands the Enneagram and how it affects each member's values, motivations and outlook on life can easily maneuver through periods of difficulty brought about by differing point of views and polarized opinions.