The Drama Triangle illustrates unhealthy interpersonal dynamics involving three roles: Victim, Persecutor, and Rescuer. In leadership, these roles can impede team collaboration and growth. It’s crucial for leaders to recognize the Drama Triangle’s significance in averting conflicts, micromanagement, and burnout. Strategies include addressing triggers, fostering open communication, and enhancing emotional intelligence. This article, authored by Jens Thiemann, a Management 3.0 facilitator based in Germany with over 25 years of diverse management experience and the aim to create organizations and environments that simplify processes and unite people by inspiring and strengthening them, explores the Drama Triangle’s roles and how to break free from them.

As a manager, you will encounter conflicts within your team. These conflicts often involve three key roles: the Victim, the Persecutor, and the Rescuer, which collectively create the Drama Triangle. People frequently switch between these roles inadvertently. By understanding the Drama Triangle, you can spot these patterns, resolve conflicts, and work towards empowering your teams.

The Three Roles of the Drama Triangle

The Drama Triangle, first described in the 1960s by Stephen Karpman, a U.S. therapist and co-founder of transactional analysis, identifies three primary roles: the Victim, who feels oppressed and helpless; the Persecutor, who blames and criticizes; and the Rescuer, who tries to save the day without being asked. These roles are not fixed; individuals can shift between them in various situations. Understanding these roles offers a fundamental insight into conflict dynamics, helping identify behavioral patterns within teams and organizations.

In his book “The Coaching Habit,” Michael Bungay Stanier, an award-winning author, coach, and speaker, describes these roles as follows:

	Victim	Persecutor	Rescuer
Core Belief	“My life is so hard; my life is so unfair. Poor me.”	“I’m surrounded by fools, idiots, or people less good than me.”	“Don’t fight, don’t worry, let me jump in and take it on and fix it.”
Dynamic	“It’s not my fault (It’s theirs).”	“It’s not my fault (it’s yours).”	“It’s my responsibility (not yours).”
Benefit of playing this role	You have no responsibility for fixing anything; you get to complain; you attract rescuers.	You feel superior and have a sense of power and control.	You feel morally superior; you believe you are indispensable.
Price paid for playing the role	You have no sense of being able to change anything – any change is outside your control; you’re known to be ineffective. And no one likes a whiner.	You end up being responsible for everything. You create victims. You’re known as a micromanager. People do the minimum for you and no more. And no one likes a bully.	People reject your help. You create victims and perpetuate the Drama Triangle. And no one likes a meddler.
You feel stuck because	You have no power or influence. You feel useless.	You don’t trust anyone. You feel alone.	Your rescuing doesn’t work. You feel burdened.

Considering McGregor’s Theory X, it’s interesting to note that the Persecutor feels validated in their view of the world (“the others are lazy, stupid workers”), further reinforcing the situation. However, we aim to avoid conflicts and break free from the Drama Triangle rather than support it.

To escape this cycle, it’s important to understand why Drama Triangles form.

What Causes the Drama Triangle?

The Drama Triangle often originates from unmet emotional needs, a lack of assertiveness or self-awareness, and poor communication skills. Additionally, the team or organizational culture can foster it. A culture of blame, fear, or unresolved conflicts encourages the Drama Triangle, highlighting situations where psychological safety is lacking.

The Drama Triangle in Leadership

In leadership, the Drama Triangle manifests as toxic behaviors such as blame, avoidance of responsibility, and micromanagement. Leaders can also fall into the roles of Victim, feeling overwhelmed by challenges; Persecutor, resorting to authoritarian tactics; or Rescuer, micromanaging their team to ‘save’ them. This behavior hinders team growth, innovation, and collaboration.

When leaders find themselves trapped in the Rescuer role, constantly taking on more responsibilities for their team, it can lead to frustration, exhaustion, and, in severe cases, burnout. Therefore, setting clear expectations and boundaries for your team and delegating tasks transparently is essential, a skill you can acquire through the Agile Team Leadership Workshop.

Triggers and Anticipating Drama Triangle Dynamics

Leaders should be acutely aware of the triggers that can lead to Drama Triangle dynamics within their teams. These triggers may include high-stress situations, differences in opinion, changes in the workplace, or personal challenges among team members. 

By recognizing these triggers, leaders can anticipate potential Drama Triangle dynamics and take proactive measures to address them before they manifest. Anticipating these dynamics involves understanding the unique dynamics and personalities within the team, allowing leaders to tailor their communication and management strategies to prevent the Drama Triangle from taking hold. 

Additionally, fostering an environment where team members feel safe discussing their concerns and seeking solutions can help mitigate triggers and create a more harmonious work atmosphere.

How Do You Break the Drama Triangle?

Recognizing the underlying causes is crucial in effectively addressing the issue. By acknowledging these causes, leaders can work towards creating a healthier work environment. But how can you break free from the Drama Triangle?

Breaking free from the Drama Triangle requires self-awareness, effective communication, and empathy. As a leader, you can learn these skills, establish habits to remind yourself to use them, and create a system that fosters psychological safety and helps others escape the Drama Triangle. Remember: manage the system, not the people!

As a leader, you can establish a system that encourages open dialogue and promotes a blame-free culture. Consider providing conflict resolution training or participating in a Management 3.0 workshop, such as the Agile People Leadership Workshop. These workshops allow you to learn about emotional intelligence and better understand your team members.

For improved communication, the Feedback Wrap is a valuable tool for providing open and respectful feedback, a cornerstone of successful teams. Other proven practices, such as Personal Maps, Moving Motivators, or Kudo Cards, should ideally already be part of your leadership toolbox. These tools help enhance your understanding of others and build trust, both essential for effective communication.

By implementing these strategies, you can empower your team members to voice their concerns, take responsibility, and collaborate proactively, dismantling the destructive cycle of the Drama Triangle.

Remember that discussing concerns should not be limited to special events like retrospectives but become a daily habit, much like giving kudos or offering spontaneous feedback.

Escaping the Drama Triangle as a Leader

When asked if they recognize the Drama Triangle and which role they would claim for themselves, most leaders identify with the Rescuer role. Particularly, leaders who aim to protect their team or reduce their mental load often fall into this role. But how can you break free from this role and halt the drama from continuing? 

Here, another valuable tip from Michael B. Stanier comes in handy: asking a specific question instead of offering help immediately. Ask: How can I help? This question may sound simple, and it is – but you must remember to ask it.

Apart from remembering the question, what are the advantages of this approach? 

First, it forces the Victim to articulate a concrete request. This request will be specific, allowing you to decide whether you want to assist or not.

Second, and more importantly, it avoids the assumption that you know the best solution. It helps you understand the situation and the other person better, fostering curiosity and active listening. Often, the concrete request reveals different perspectives and alternative solutions. 

However, be mindful of the timing and tone when using a bolder version of the question, such as “What exactly do you want from me?” as it may trigger additional emotions.

Using a Niko-Niko Calendar or conducting a thorough check-in during the initial meetings of the day can help you understand others better and decide if you should take the bold approach.

Shifting from drama to empowerment

As you can see, conflicts and the Drama Triangle are inevitable, but you can learn to escape and transition from drama to empowerment. Douglas Wick’s blog provides an excellent summary of the opportunity to make this transformation.

From Rescuer to Coach

Understanding the Drama Triangle is essential for agile leaders. By recognizing the roles, causes, and manifestations of the Drama Triangle, leaders can dismantle its destructive influence and start building a system characterized by harmonious cooperation, respectful communication, and empowered teams.

Understanding the Drama Triangle is essential for agile leaders. By recognizing the roles, causes, and manifestations of the Drama Triangle, leaders can dismantle its destructive influence and start building a system characterized by harmonious cooperation, respectful communication, and empowered teams.

At a personal level, leaders can learn to avoid typical pitfalls, escape the Drama Triangle, protect themselves, and become respected and successful leaders.