Strong, spirited teams are the backbone of successful and innovative enterprises. Teams need to remain energised and focused if they are to respond effectively to the marketplace and customers. One of the best ways to make sure your team remains on track is to keep your eye on team participation and team results. For individual team members this means paying greater attention to both the task and relationship roles they are individually play when they work together.
Ginger Lapid Bogda, a leading expert in using the insights of the Enneagram in business describes the difference this way: Task roles are team based behaviors directed towards the actual work, whilst relationship based roles are team based behaviors focused on feelings, relationships, and team processes such as decision making and conflict resolution.
While it’s true that individuals of all Enneagram styles will play varied roles on teams, Ginger’s works suggests that these same individuals will exhibit patterns of team based behaviors just as consistently. Read the table below for examples of typical task and relationship roles for each Enneagram style:
|
Type |
Common Task Roles |
Common relationship roles |
|
1 |
Making sure the work is organised efficiently and giving opinions |
Suggesting protocols and working agreements |
|
2 |
Making sure team members all contribute by asking questions |
Encouraging everyone’s participation |
|
3 |
Making sure the team is on task and meeting deadlines |
Summarizing, synthesizing, cajoling, probing, charting, and other behaviours designed to move the process ahead |
|
4 |
Making sure the team focuses on values and issues of importance and meaning |
Expressing emotions and encouraging others to do so too |
|
5 |
Making sure the team can appropriately manage its resources |
Stating complex issues in a larger and more objective context |
|
6 |
Making sure ideas and courses of action are evaluated |
Articulating risks that need to be considered or obstacles that should be overcome |
|
7 |
Making sure the best ideas are generated and explored |
Having fun and relieving team/work place tension |
|
8 |
Making sure the team understands the bigger picture and purpose |
Challenging ideas and making direct assertions as a way to engage truthfully with others |
|
9 |
Making sure others on the team know all the information they need to do the task well, such as the what, how, why, when, and who |
Harmonising team interactions and facilitating the positive resolution of disagreement or conflict |
Socially intelligent team members have a good awareness of both the task and relationship roles they play on the team. They also have a good handle on when to use these roles consciously to facilitate great outcomes.
Contact us today to discuss how we can bring the insights of the Enneagram to strengthen your team dynamics and performance.