Identity Source
Mastery (Craft)
Output (Result)
Cognitive State (Bandwidth)
Surplus
Deficit
Surplus + Mastery
The Operator
They have the energy to learn and they care deeply about the craft. They want a powerful tool, not a simple one.
Path / Expansion : Unlock complexity. If it's too easy, they'll reject it as a toy.
+
You'll recognize them as
The one who knows why every step exists, because they were there when it got built the hard way. The person who read the whole policy, not the summary. The one who needs to know why the new way reaches its answer... not just what the answer is.
Transition triggers
Exhaustion Slide → Detective
Incentive Pivot → Maverick
Cynicism risk
Black Box Authority. If they can't see the logic behind the tool's recommendations, their sign-off becomes varnish on a guess. Years of mastery reduced to a rubber stamp.
Deficit + Mastery
The Detective
Overwhelmed, but they refuse to let quality slip. Often the Old Guard. Protective of the part of the job that makes them... them.
Path / Continuity : Build a bridge. Prove the new respects the old.
+
You'll recognize them as
The person who's been here 15 years and knows where every body is buried. The one who keeps a shadow spreadsheet because the official system can't be trusted. The auditor who catches the error everyone else missed... and resents that nobody noticed.
Transition triggers
Efficiency Dividend → Operator
Incentive Pivot → Fixer
Cynicism risk
Liability Node Trap. The system produces a 99% complete output. They verify it. If they catch the error, the system is "efficient." If they miss it, they're "negligent." They're not a governor... they're a legal shield.
Surplus + Output
The Maverick
Energy to burn. They want massive results and aren't wedded to "the way we've always done it."
Path / Modularity : Give them a kit of parts. Let them invent the workflow.
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You'll recognize them as
The one who already solved it before the meeting to discuss it. The coordinator who reworked the process over a weekend because the old one cost everyone an hour. The person three steps ahead of an approval that hasn't happened yet.
Transition triggers
Exhaustion Slide → Fixer
Audit Shock → Operator
Cynicism risk
Efficiency Squeeze. They save four hours through innovation. The organization immediately fills those hours with grunt work. Being efficient is punished with more work. The path of least resistance becomes a treadmill.
Deficit + Output
The Fixer
Overwhelmed. Zero patience for features. They just want the job done and the desk cleared.
Path / Subtraction : Remove three steps for every one you add. Be invisible.
+
You'll recognize them as
The person with 100+ unread Slack messages who just needs the report to go out. The admin who processes 200 tickets a day and has zero capacity for "innovation." The parent-caregiver-employee who just needs one thing to be easy today.
Transition triggers
Efficiency Dividend → Maverick
Audit Shock → Detective
Cynicism risk
Performative Agency Paradox. The system asks "How would you like to work today?" but the KPIs stay fixed. If they choose the automated path and get penalized for "low engagement," the choice was an illusion. Dignity as theater.
These are states of reality, not types of people. A person can be an Operator on Monday and a Fixer by next Friday.