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WHAT MAKES A GREAT TEAM:THE AAA MODELby Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhDThe Enneagram in Business Mini-Book©2022 The Enneagram in Business
If you want to go fast, go alone. Ifyou want to go far, go together.~ African proverb
What makes a team go from just OK to good?What helps a good team become a great one? Iuse a simple concept called AAA: alignment,attunement and acceleration.I was first exposed to the first two elements of thisconcept – alignment and attunement – over threedecades ago, the brainchild of a consulting firm calledInnovation Associates and one of their primaryconsultants, Roger Harrison. I added the third element,acceleration. Effective team acceleration occurs whena team is aligned around their purpose, tasks anddeliverables, while team attunement can be thought ofas team resonance.
Is your team aligned and attuned so it canaccelerate? Think of this as teams being able to access thecollective wisdom of their three Centers of Intelligence:Head Center (alignment), Heart Center (attunement)and Body Center (acceleration). Teams have all threeCenters of Intelligence, just like individuals do. This isthe challenge and opportunity for teams andindividuals: Are we accessing and using the wisdom ofall three Centers of Intelligence? Using the Enneagramin its team’s applications is the ideal way to do this.In this mini-book, I'll share some concepts andpractices for how to do this. Here are some questionsto ponder, thinking about the team as a whole:What are the Head Center-based challenges andopportunities?What are the Heart Center-based challenges andopportunities?What are the Body Center-based challenges andopportunities?
You may think this has to do with the types on ateam. This is certainly a factor, but it is not the mostimportant one. For example, just because there aremore Head Center types (5, 6 and 7) on a teamdoesn’t mean the team is more likely to be aligned.Similarly, more Heart Center types (2, 3 and 4) doesn’tmean a team will become more attuned. Anaccelerating team does not necessarily have moreBody Center types (8, 9 and 1) as team members.How to align your team How do you access the collective wisdom of the HeadCenter of Intelligence to align your team? Every team,if they want to become high-performing, needs tocreate a collective mind-share, a way of aligning teammembers that is realistic and grounded in possibility. Aligned teams share a mental understanding andagreement about the team’s vision, goals andinterdependence, as well as its operational plans andways of working together. Alignment allows teammembers to know where they are going together andwhy what they’re doing matters.
Teams have specific alignment challenges at each ofthe four stages of team development: forming,storming, norming and performing.Forming alignment (task) challengesWhat are our purpose, goals, deliverables and ways ofworking together?Storming alignment (task) challengesAre we all in agreement about where we’re going andhow we’re getting there?Norming alignment (task) challengesWhat agreements can we reach about how to operatemore efficiently and effectively?Performing alignment (task) challengesAre we putting our customer first as we continuouslylearn and grow as individuals and as a team?To align your team, the team needs to address each ofthese challenges as the team reaches eachconsecutive stage. Otherwise, the unresolved issueswill either keep your team from progressing to thenext stage, or the team may never even reach the nextstage.But what does the Enneagram have to do with teamalignment? How can the Enneagram help teamsbecome more aligned?
Use the Centers of IntelligenceHelp the team understand the three Centers ofIntelligence and have them explore if they, as a team,are using their collective Head Center in service of theteam. Depending on the team’s stage of development– forming, storming, norming or performing – have theteam discuss the alignment challenges for that stageand then reach collective agreements.What does Enneagram type have to do with this?People of most Enneagram types prefer and feel farmore comfortable diving directly into the team’s task,and they become impatient when they are not workingon their deliverables quickly. The exception to this canbe Twos, Sixes and Nines. Team members of thesetypes might suggest getting more team alignmentbecause they fundamentally understand that a teamfunctions differently and is more than a collection ofseparate individuals. However, suggesting that theteam needs to be more aligned and influencing theteam to spend time doing this are not the same thing.Their voices often get overridden based on a team’sdrive to move forward.On all teams, members have to work together, at leastto some degree depending on the nature of theirwork. Without sufficient alignment or team mindshare,overly deliverable-focused teams will produce
something, but is it the best that was possible? Wereall ideas and voices heard? Do all team members feelownership for what was created and delivered? Wouldthey want to work on this team again, if they had thechoice?A team can be aligned, but if it is not also attuned, itwill experience major impediments in transforminginto a high-performing team.How to attune your teamHow do you access the collective wisdom of the HeartCenter of Intelligence to attune your team? Everyteam, if they want to become high-performing, needsto create a collective felt sense of being in thistogether.Attuned teams feel deeply connected to other teammembers’ feelings and needs. Attunement fuels theenergy and passion to move forward together. Theyare responsive to one another and to the team as awhole because they know and care about each person.
Attuned teams are also passionate about the workthey do together because they understand itscontribution to the organization and their customers.Some refer to this as team resonance, like tuning forksworking together in harmony.Teams have specific attunement challenges at each ofthe four stages of team development: forming,storming, norming and performing.Forming attunement (relationships and process)challengesWho are we, both as individuals and as a team, andare we all fully included as team members?Storming attunement (relationships and process)challengesAre we bringing up and resolving areas ofdisagreement in a constructive way?Norming attunement (relationships and process)challengesAre we using the most effective communication,problem-solving and decision-making skills?Performing attunement (relationships and process)challengesAre we agile, resilient and deeply supportive of eachother, while also making sure we do not experience“burnout”?
To attune your team, the team needs to address eachof these challenges as the team reaches eachconsecutive stage. Otherwise, the unresolved issueswill either keep them from progressing to the nextstage or the team may never even reach the nextstage.But what does the Enneagram have to do with teamattunement? How can the Enneagram help teamsbecome more attuned?Use the Centers of IntelligenceHelp the team understand the three Centers ofIntelligence and have them explore if they, as a team,are using their collective Heart Center in service of theteam. Depending on the team’s stage of development –forming, storming, norming or performing – have theteam discuss the attunement challenges for that stageand then reach collective agreements.What does Enneagram type have to do with this?Although most people of all Enneagram types trulyenjoy working on an attuned team, they often don’tknow what they can do to achieve this. In other words,many think that attunement either happens or itdoesn’t. The two major exceptions to this are
Enneagram Twos and Fours, who are attuned toattunement and understand the importance of teamresonance. The pathway to resonance is often throughself-disclosure and honest sharing.However, most teams become so over-focused onaccomplishing the team’s tasks that they don’t take thetime to really get to know one another or to inquireabout how each person is doing. And if some teammembers bring up the importance of relationships andprocesses that bind them together as a team, otherteam members may discount their ideas. They thinkthere is so much work to be done, there’s no time foranything else.The other exception to jumping over team attunementissues is Enneagram Nines. They focus less onattunement through emotional sharing and more oncreating team harmony, where everyone feels seen,respected, listened to and valued. These are alsoimportant ingredients contributing to teamattunement. Again, this perspective may getdiscounted.The remaining six Enneagram types – Ones, Threes,Fives, Sixes, Sevens and Eights – jump headlong intothe team task, and this overshadows the time it takesfor teams to get attuned at each stage of teamdevelopment. All they have to do, and it really is thissimple, is to slow down the speed at which the teamoperates and take the time to connect with other teammembers in a meaningful way.
A team can be aligned and attuned, but it also needsto accelerate. How to accelerate your teamHow do you access the collective wisdom of the BodyCenter of Intelligence to move your team forward?Every team, if they want to become high-performing,needs to accelerate, moving as a collective whole.Accelerating teams move forward together in acommon direction because they are aligned and withpassion and energy because they are attuned. Theyknow what they are doing and why. If one teammember becomes ill or over-burdened, the others notonly show concern, they also step up to make sure allthe work is done. No one has to ask them to do this.They just want to. Accelerating teams also knowinstinctively when they have accomplished what theyset out to do, when they have not, and what to do inorder to move forward.Teams have specific acceleration challenges at each ofthe four stages of team development: forming,storming, norming and performing and performing.
Forming acceleration (action) challengesCan we focus our actions on understanding our charter,tasks, roles and ways of operating, plus getting to know oneanother as people and the resources we each bring, ratherthan on moving so quickly to activities and deliverables?Storming acceleration (action) challengesCan we slow down our need to take action quickly to getbeyond conflict before it’s resolved because we don’t knowhow, don’t feel uncomfortable addressing issues where wedisagree, or don’t trust our gut instincts about what reallyare the key areas of conflict?Norming acceleration (action) challengesCan we use our guts as well as our minds and hearts tocreate practical and doable new ways of functioningtogether that we all agree to?Performing acceleration (action) challengesCan we modulate our acceleration pace so we remain inconscious choice about what actions we take and how wetake them?To accelerate your team effectively, the team needs toaddress each of these challenges as the team reaches eachconsecutive stage of team development. Otherwise, theunresolved issues will either keep them from progressing tothe next stage or the team may never even reach the nextstage.But what does the Enneagram have to do with teamacceleration? How can the Enneagram help teamsaccelerate most effectively?
Use the Centers of IntelligenceHelp the team understand the three Centers ofIntelligence and have them explore if they, as a team,are using their collective Body Center in service of theteam. Hopefully, the team is aligned and attuned, butare they accelerating together in the right direction ata pace and rhythm that works well for the team andthe team’s services, products and/or deliverables?Depending on the team’s stage of development –forming, storming, norming or performing – teams willhave different acceleration issues and opportunities.Have the team discuss these acceleration challengesand then reach collective understandings so they cancontinue to move forward better together.The Body Center is especially important regardingteam acceleration for two reasons. First, it is the BodyCenter that is most energized when taking action. Buttaking action too soon or too early can impede ateam’s progress, not help it. Second, the Body Center isalso, in a sense, the Truth Center. The body doesn’t lie,although it can become distorted and want to takeaction even if it is not necessarily the best action or it isaction taken too soon or too late. Use the Body centeras the team’s Truth Center, guiding the team towardthe best action to take, when and how.
What does Enneagram type have to do with this?Almost everyone, no matter their Enneagram type,likes team action, as long as the action helps achievethe team’s charter and makes a difference. That said,people of each type need to pay attention to certainareas that may not create optimal team acceleration.OnesLike pragmatic action that is done right; sometimespragmatic action may restrict action that may notseem practical at first glance but allows for greaterpotentiality and possibility.TwosLike action that serves the needs and desires ofothers, particularly customers, but is the customeralways right about what is best for them and what ispossible to do? ThreesLike action, especially more immediate action, becauseaction is the way to get results; however, sometimesmore deliberative or slower action produces a greaterresult.FoursLike action that generates something meaningful andsustainable, but some action may be small andseemingly without significance yet contributes to thegreatest positive outcome.
FivesLike action that is deliberate and well-thought through;however, some action needs to be more immediate,emergent and spontaneous.SixesLike action that solves problems and addresses issues;that said, some issues dissolve without any action andsome action solves no particular problem but makesan enormous positive impact.SevensLike action, but like ideas even more; are you willingand able to take the best ideas into action?EightsLike action, but big action and not the small stuff;however, the smaller items may also be reallyimportant.NinesLike action and like inaction: which to do and when?That is the question!
This eBook is based on Ginger’s new book,Transform Your Team with the Enneagram: BuildTrust, Decrease Stress, and Increase Productivity.
ABOUT THE ENNEAGRAM IN BUSINESSEstablished in 2004 by Ginger Lapid-Bogda PhD, The Enneagram in Business offersexcellent quality, state-of the-art products and services. Our vision is to helpelevate consciousness globally using the Enneagram integrated with otherinnovative approaches; our mission is to provide an abundance of Enneagram-based resources for use around the world. These include the following:» Eight Enneagram books, including several best sellers» Full-color Enneagram training tools, both in hard copy and virtual formats» Global Enneagram certification programs for consultants, trainers, and coaches» Premier leadership development and team development offerings» Training, coaching and consulting services, both virtual and in-person» A comprehensive, interactive online Enneagram Learning Portal (ELP)» A global network of over 70 top-quality Enneagram professionals (EIBN)ENNEAGRAM BOOKS by Ginger-Lapid-BogdaBringing Out the Best in Yourself at WorkWhat Type of Leader Are You?Bringing Out the Best in Everyone You CoachThe Enneagram Development GuideConsulting with the EnneagramThe Enneagram Coloring BookThe Art of TypingThe Art of the Enneagram (co-authored with Russell Tres Bogda)Transform Your Team with the Enneagram: Build Trust, Decrease Stress, andIncrease Productivity.TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | EnneagramLearningPortal.com |info@TheEnneagramInBusiness.com | 510.570.2971Feel free to share this mini-book with friends, colleagues and loved ones.