Use this spread when teamwork feels stuck. Five positions unpack the relationship: your role, a key member's role, where things flow, where they keep jamming, and how to adjust next. It shows what really stalls the team and turns a relationship problem into a small move you can actually make.
Where This Spread Comes From
Team problems rarely live in one person. More often the roles are misplaced and the communication is on the wrong layer. This spread sets each role and every block out in the open, so you stop pinning every problem on one person.
Texts and Traditions
A seasoned reader never uses the cards to label a coworker. The real work is showing the structure of the interaction: who is covering, who is overstepping, and where one honest conversation is needed.
Five Angles on Teamwork
Role Placement
Shows the role you and a key member actually play. Misplaced roles start most of the friction.
Collaboration Quality
Finds what flows and what wastes energy, separating real teamwork from pointless tugging.
Block Spotting
Marks the real reason things stall: communication, trust, split goals, or thin resources.
Adjustment Direction
Turns an abstract team problem into one concrete move instead of leaving it in complaint.
Spread Diagram
Where you actually sit
Your Role
Where the other person sits
A Key Member's Role
What already works
Where Things Flow
What is jamming you
The Block
The next move
How to Adjust
When to Use This Spread
The same friction keeps coming back
The same problem repeating means something structural is misplaced. Worth laying it out.
Things feel off with one member
You can't name what's wrong, yet it keeps nagging. That's exactly when this spread helps.
A new team with unsettled roles
Blurry roles during the settling period drain people. Seeing each spot early saves a lot of friction.
Don't use it to label coworkers
The spread reads structure and interaction, not proof of who is the problem.
How to Read Roles and Blocks
Read cards 1 and 2 together
Friction usually comes from overlapping or misplaced roles. Read both to see who oversteps and who is missing.
Where it flows is your lever
Card 3 points to the teamwork that works. That's what you should reuse and amplify.
Don't rush to blame on the block position
Card 4 reads a structural problem. Split goals and thin resources are often nobody's fault in particular.
Turn the adjustment into one real talk
Card 5 usually points to one honest conversation or one change of roles. Make it your next move.
Common Mistakes and Real Next Steps
Mistake: blaming friction on personality
Most clashes come from unaligned goals and unclear roles, not clashing personalities.
Mistake: dodging direct talk
No matter how good the direction, if it never becomes a real conversation the relationship stays put.
Next: draw one clear line
Write down who owns what and who decides. A lot of overlap and passing-the-buck vanishes on its own.
Next: run a review on the work, not the people
Use one review to put the block on the table, focused on process and goals instead of blaming each other.
Pro Tips
- Don't pull this spread when emotions are running hottest.
- Read cards 1 and 2 side by side. Friction usually comes from overlapping roles.
- Where it flows is your lever. Amplify what works before anything else.
- When the block position shows conflict, ask first whether the goals line up.
- Turn the reading into one real talk or one change of roles, or it's just self-soothing.
FAQ
Can this spread solve team conflict?
Not directly. It helps you see the roles and blocks clearly. The real fix is the talk and the adjustment that follow.
Do I need a card for every member?
No. The key is your role and a key member's role, plus one card for what flows and one for the block.
What if the block position shows a communication problem?
Start with one conversation about the work, not the people, and realign the goals and the roles.
Can I use it to assess a new team?
Yes. Use it in the settling period to see each role and the friction ahead, and save yourself a lot of wasted energy.