Summary: When workplace conflict strikes, employees often fall into the Drama Triangle – cycling through roles of Victim, Rescuer, and Persecutor that damage relationships and productivity. This pattern affects one in four UK workers, creating toxic dynamics that undermine trust and performance. You can break these cycles by developing self-awareness, educating teams about these roles, and implementing the ‘Empowerment Dynamic’. The key lies in fostering psychological safety and encouraging solution-focused conversations.
According to CIPD’s Good Work Index 2024, one in four UK employees experienced workplace conflict. Drama in the workplace damages output, motivation, teamwork, efficiency, and trust in leadership. One dysfunctional and damaging drama dynamic is the Drama Triangle, envisioned by Stephen Karpman. So what is the Drama Triangle and how can HR disrupt it?
The Drama Triangle
The drama triangle provides a set of behavioural frameworks that people instinctively resort to in times of crisis. The Drama Triangle comprises three psychologically unhealthy roles: the Victim, the Rescuer, and the Persecutor. Their relationship involves a commonly employed but ineffective approach to handling conflict and crisis. We can also move between the roles.
The Victim
The victim employee constantly feels overwhelmed, powerless and unsupported, employing an unhealthy mindset of “Why is this always happening to me?”. They passively rely heavily on others to fix their problems rather than using their initiative and taking ownership, which erodes self-confidence and problem-solving skills.
The Victim may use early escalation to senior management or HR, making complaints or grievances, or going off sick. In turn, this can sabotage their own progress at work, as well as other relationships, projects, or processes.
The Rescuer
The rescuer repeatedly intervenes to de-escalate conflicts without being asked to because they feel it is the right thing to do. While driven by good intentions, they often take over tasks completely rather than empowering the Victim to find their own solutions. This creates dependency and undermines the Victim’s professional growth, potentially damaging both their careers.
The Persecutor
The Persecutor may be unaware of their role in the triangle, or they may not mean to create drama but inadvertently contribute to it, partly due to their style and personality.
Persecutors are likely to be demanding and have a desire for control. They often blame others without offering guidance or constructive criticism and have a mentality which just wants things done.
What causes Drama Triangles in the workplace?
Drama in the workplace can be caused by a wide range of factors, including:
- Personality clashes
- Differing viewpoints
- Diverse backgrounds
- Conflicting narratives
- Varying perspectives
- Miscommunication
The Drama Triangle can also go undetected, especially when it becomes embedded in poor work culture.
Increasing conflict and polarity at work can lead to both adversarial and aggressive behaviour. This, in turn, hinders our ability to explore and seek understanding of alternative narratives. Finding ways to de-escalate drama is becoming increasingly important for organisations.
How HR can address the Drama Triangle
1. Ask colleagues to be more self-aware and recognise the roles they play in drama.
Invite colleagues to:
- Gain awareness that they are involved in drama and gain understanding of their pattern of reactivity, defensiveness and victimhood.
- Determine their position in the triangle and notice whether they feel trapped.
- Show curiosity and actively decide to free themselves from these invisible but limiting roles.
- To step away, develop their assertiveness, compassion, empathy, and, most importantly, self-awareness.
2. Educate employees about all three roles
Invite colleagues to:
- Pause and reflect before reacting to conflict. Then move outside it using their new self-awareness.
- Ask themselves: Am I expecting others to fix my problems without explicitly asking them? Am I blaming colleagues when we have different objectives?
- Notice patterns to identify the real issues at play. This key to adapting.
3. Offer an alternative in ‘The Empowerment Dynamic’
Developed by David Emerald Womeldorff, the Empowerment Triangle offers an alternative to the dysfunctional roles of the Drama Triangle. The roles change from:
- Victims to Creators: Taking ownership of problems and proactively seeking solutions rather than waiting for someone else to fix them.
- Rescuers to Coaches and Leaders: Encouraging others to explore solutions for themselves while being compassionate, asking guiding questions and offering resources.
- Persecutors to Challengers: Continuing to maintain high standards but changing their communication style to ask questions, offer constructive rather than harmful feedback, and encourage others to think differently.
The Empowerment Triangle enables employees to move from problems to finding good outcomes and building trust.
4. If a ‘drama’ is playing out in the office, don’t join in
Aim to remain independent and in a calm state. See who else is being dragged into the drama triangle. Ensure you have a broad perspective on the issue. Encourage them not to escalate but to find their own solutions with support and to be self-determining.
5. Empower colleagues early by having a plan
Before colleagues get stuck in specific roles and conflict develops, enable them to explore issues early. Having a resolutionary framework or clear processes in place helps a lot.
6. Supportive workplace environment
Ultimately, tension is defused by creating psychological safety and a healthy culture within the workplace, where people feel supported rather than attacked.
7. Encourage colleagues to challenge narratives
We are often encouraged and drawn to convenience and the easy way out these days. Encourage employees to consider the alternatives available to shift the dynamic from drama and excuses to solutions.
8. Recognise responsibility and where to draw the line in supporting people
Stay in adult mode. Recognise the responsibility you have as an HR professional and where the boundary is.
9. Emphasise the importance of language
Remind colleagues to use calm, non-blaming language. They should focus on empathy, clarity and understanding to harmoniously shift conversations away from blame and towards practical solutions.
