The Six Animals
Each animal represents a distinct role that every effective group needs. These are not personality types -- they are functional roles that can be adopted by anyone, depending on context and group composition.
Bear
Visionary / Leader
"Holds the vision"
The Bear is the group leader and visionary. Competence-focused, the Bear wants the project to succeed and holds the vision and original design. Everyone groups ...
Wolf
Manager
"Keeps the group together"
The Wolf is the group manager and pack animal. The Wolf makes sure everybody is on board and communicating, that everyone is involved in the group. They use the...
Cat
Risk Manager / Cynic
"Wary of obstacles to success"
The Cat identifies risk. Their job is to identify things that could go wrong. Identifying risks helps the group remove barriers and succeed. The Cat looks for t...
Puppy
Enthusiast
"Happy, smiley, positive, eager"
The Puppy is the enthusiast — happy about every idea, supportive of every idea. They want everything to be great and their job is to support you no matter how c...
Owl
Process Master
"Makes sure things move forward"
The Owl is the process person. They make sure things are done in order and that everything is covered. The Owl is there to say 'I'm sorry, we need to move on', ...
Rabbit
Facilitator
"Resourceful, helpful, communicator"
The Rabbit is the facilitator — resourceful, helpful, and a communicator. The Rabbit makes sure everybody has what they need and communicates with the next laye...
SDT Needs Matrix
Each animal maps to a unique combination of primary and secondary psychological needs from Self-Determination Theory.
| Primary \ Secondary | Agency | Competence | Relatedness |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agency | — |
Cat
|
Owl
|
| Competence |
Bear
|
— |
Rabbit
|
| Relatedness |
Wolf
|
Puppy
|
— |
Each cell shows the animal whose primary need is the row and secondary need is the column. The diagonal is empty because primary and secondary needs are always different.