Since Culturev8te was formed 7 years ago, I have worked with many varieties of businesses, many styles of teams and have been witness to many different cultures. ‘Cultures’ being ways of working, internal politics, debates, acts of management. I now see two forms of relationships in business, codependent and (what I strive for) interdependent.

What is a codependent relationship in business?

Most of us have heard of codependency in personal relationships. It’s most often used as a negative to describe an unhealthy dynamic within a relationship.

There are common signs of codependency:

• Your sense of self-worth and self-esteem comes from outside yourself — primarily from the other person(s) in the dynamic.
• Your mood, emotions, and decision-making ability are governed by the feelings, behaviour, or responses of the other person.
• You neglect your own personal needs or desires to please and fulfil those of others.

Here, you could easily change the term ‘person or other’ to partner, but we can also change this phrase to ‘manager’ or ‘boss’.

What does an interdependence relationship look like in business?

Interdependence is quite different. Signs of an interdependent relationship could be the following:

• You’re two autonomous individuals who make a choice to work together.
• You find personal fulfilment through your own interests and accomplishments as well as what the other person provides.
• You support one another while respecting boundaries.

You can pinpoint from the brief explanation above the differences between both relationship styles. There is a huge shift to make, and in business, this isn’t just a shift for two people, it can be teams of 10, 20, 50 or more. It takes time and energy.

How to achieve interdependence in business relationships?

It’s not always something that can be achieved alone. External support is definitely required throughout the shift. Emotions and opinions within set cultures of codependent working relationships are hard to see and pass through.

This is where Insight Discovery is a perfect tool, delivered by myself, an external expert with a helicopter perspective, to shift working relationships between managers and colleagues, peer to peer into Interdependence.

The key features I am always aiming for when I deliver Insight Discovery for organisations is:

• clearly defined and respected boundaries between individuals and teams
• individuality in thoughts, beliefs, and opinions – but not at the exclusion of anyone else
• recognition of what it means to be an individual that makes up, and contributes highly to a wider team and mission
• a continual effort to practice healthy communication and respect for one another, no matter the scenario
• a sense of security in your ability to strengthen the relationship or work with the other to face challenges
• acknowledgement of your own efforts, and of others, to celebrate success together.
• having fun along the way.

So what is Insights Discovery?

Insights Discovery is a psychometric tool based on the work of psychologist Carl Jung. 

It uses a simple, colour-coded system to represent different personality types: Cool Blue, Earth Green, Sunshine Yellow, and Fiery Red. 

Each colour highlights unique traits and communication preferences, helping individuals gain a deeper understanding of themselves and others.

I see it time and time again. The ‘ah-ha’ moments. The realisation that we can understand ourselves as individuals, pause, and then turn our attention to truly understand the person in front of us with the goal of getting something really great out of the working task and interaction.

Little by little, this simple ‘appreciating others’ method creates a better working environment.

In essence, Insight Discovery empowers individuals to communicate effectively, build trust, manage conflicts constructively, and achieve shared goals in interdependent relationships.

Make contact if you’d like to discuss developing relationships in your organisation.