Week 31 Day 6: How to Structure Work So Every Genius Thrives

Every project moves through predictable phases: imagining possibilities (Wonder), creating solutions (Invention), evaluating options (Discernment), building momentum (Galvanizing), supporting the effort (Enablement), and driving to completion (Tenacity). When you map these phases to the people whose genius matches each one, the work flows naturally and each person contributes at their peak.

Here is the genius-aligned project workflow. Phase one -- Discovery (Wonder and Invention): the team explores the problem space, generates possibilities, and creates potential solutions. Staff this phase with your Wonderers and Inventors. Give them open-ended time, access to user research, and permission to think broadly. Output: a set of possible approaches. Phase two -- Evaluation (Discernment): the Discerners review the possible approaches and identify the most promising ones. They ask the gut-level questions: does this feel right? Will this actually work? Is there something we are missing? Output: a recommended approach with rationale. Phase three -- Mobilization (Galvanizing): the Galvanizers build energy around the chosen approach. They communicate the vision to stakeholders, recruit collaborators, and create the momentum needed to move from planning to execution. Output: a team that is aligned, resourced, and ready to build. Phase four -- Execution (Enablement and Tenacity): the Enablers provide the support infrastructure -- removing blockers, coordinating dependencies, managing logistics. The Tenacity people drive the work to completion -- testing, documenting, deploying, closing out. Output: a finished deliverable. The critical insight: each person participates in all phases, but they lead the phase that matches their genius. The Inventor contributes during Evaluation but does not lead it. The Finisher is aware during Discovery but is not expected to generate ideas. This structure does not require a large team. On a team of four, each person might lead one phase and support two others. The mapping does not need to be perfect. It needs to be intentional. The difference between a random work assignment and a genius-aligned assignment is the difference between hoping for engagement and designing for it.

The genius-aligned project workflow extends Lencioni's (2022) Working Genius model into what organizational design researchers call 'workflow architecture' (Nadler and Tushman, 1997). Their research on organizational effectiveness found that the alignment between workflow structure and human capability is the strongest predictor of organizational performance, stronger than strategy, resources, or technology. The phased structure maps to what design thinking practitioners call the 'Double Diamond' (Design Council, 2005), which divides creative work into four phases: Discover (divergent exploration), Define (convergent evaluation), Develop (divergent creation), and Deliver (convergent execution). The Double Diamond's effectiveness is supported by research across 1,500 projects (Design Council, 2015) showing that projects using the phased approach had 72% higher satisfaction ratings from stakeholders compared to unstructured approaches. The 'lead versus support' distinction in each phase implements what Steiner (1972) calls 'task role differentiation' -- the principle that team performance is optimized not by equal participation in all phases but by differential participation based on member strengths. Research by LePine, Piccolo, Jackson, Mathieu, and Saul (2008) in their meta-analysis of 138 team studies found that 'role clarity and role differentiation' predicted team performance (r = 0.30) and team satisfaction (r = 0.36), with the effect being strongest in teams performing complex, multi-phase projects.