The Password Is ENNEAGRAM: The Secret Tool to Decode Your Team Dynamics

Culture in residency training is largely driven by the collective personalities, customs, beliefs and values of the people that make it up. Understanding personalities and how personalities interact, especially in context of relationships with colleagues as well as patient interactions, can be paramount to the success of a residency program. Interest in personality-based tools to help aid in culture development and team dynamics has been studied in the business world for years and has made its way into health care models. The enneagram is one such tool; readily recognized by many, it helps to identify the primary "type" of personality for an individual while also acknowledging that "wings" add to the complexity of an individual's self-identity and that each primary type has inherent limitations. This workshop will demonstrate how utilization of the enneagram can empower the residency leadership team (program directors, associate/assistant program directors, core faculty) in their dynamic roles as mentor, teacher, and colleague. Awareness of one's own personality type, motivations, and limitations as well as those of colleagues will foster reflection and introspection but also facilitate execution of routine challenges: the remediation of a struggling learner, navigating interpersonal conflict, or managing change. Ultimately, identifying "love language" through the enneagram may improve success in a leadership role and create a more meaningful experience that has ripple effects on the culture of the educational program.