Root Cause Analysis (RCA) is often framed as the domain of the data-minded analyst—meticulous, methodical, and logically rigorous.  As my colleague in L&D Ed Wells often says RCA ‘has traditionally been seen as the preserve of the ultra-logical thinker, the Mr Spock of the team’. And I certainly agree with him there! But we would also both agree that this represents a far too narrow a way of thinking about the skills required to run a great RCA. Effective models for collaborative problem-solving need to represent a wide diversity of thought and the benefits that can be brought to the ‘process’.

This is where the Insights Discovery system is so valuable. Rooted in the psychological theory of Carl Gustav Jung, the Insights Discovery system provides a valuable diagnostic to help us understand the team and various contributions required to conduct an effective RCA.

Insights Discovery is based on a psychologically validated framework that honours both cognitive diversity and individual development and has its original four colour energies—Fiery Red, Cool Blue, Earth Green, and Sunshine Yellow. Other systems also use colour to represent the individual’s preferences but if you have learnt about Discovery then it can be hard to comprehend how any colour could ever be used in a different way to the solution Discovery System.

Let’s look at a reminder of those four colours and how a team that can flex across all of them will fully understand a problem, explore its origins, and commit to lasting solutions.

Cool Blue Energy – The Analyst (Introversion with Thinking)

Strengths: Analytical, objective, precise, methodical.
Ideal for: Gathering and structuring data, validating evidence, building logical root cause chains.
Risks: May stall progress by overanalysing or struggle to consider emotional or contextual factors.

You’ll probably want to bring the Cool Blue in to the RCA to ensure the visual analysis is rigorous and complete. They bring a meticulous, detail-oriented approach. They are naturally suited to all the major structured methodologies such as the 5 Whys, Ishikawa diagrams, or fault tree analysis. Their need for evidence and objectivity safeguards the process against assumption or hearsay. Yet without balance, their pursuit of accuracy can lead to overthinking and ‘paralysis by analysis’.

Sunshine Yellow Energy – The Ideator (Extraversion with Feeling)

Strengths: Creative, enthusiastic, persuasive, optimistic.
Ideal for: Generating a wide range of ideas early, keeping momentum and morale high.
Risks: May skip over details in the rush to fix and move forward.

You might want to bring the Sunshine Yellows in to come up with a wide range of potential solutions. Easy and light-hearted, full of ideas, Sunshine Yellow personalities help teams see beyond the current crisis. They’re skilled at reframing challenges, exploring alternatives, and inspiring forward movement. They are often the spark that moves a team from analysis into action. But without anchoring from Cool Blue and Earth Green, they may leap to solutions without sufficient rigour or stakeholder alignment.

Fiery Red Energy – The Driver (Extraversion with Thinking)

Strengths: Action-oriented, decisive, goal-focused, unafraid to challenge.
Ideal for: Driving momentum, demanding clarity, initiating change.
Risks: May rush to conclusions or overlook nuance in pursuit of speed.

Fiery Red thinkers are indispensable when an organisation needs to act decisively and implement change. They challenge inertia, cut through ambiguity, and ensure that outcomes are not just theoretical. The Fiery Red elements are exceptional in honing down some of the more ‘creative’ ideas down to the rational range that are going to get things done. However, their impatience for analysis can sometimes lead them to jump to conclusions before the true root cause is understood.

Earth Green Energy – The Harmoniser (Introversions with Feeling)

Strengths: Empathetic, values-driven, steady, reliable.
Ideal for: Ensuring a team feel, ensuring democratic approaches, building consensus.
Risks: May avoid conflict or defer critical decisions for the sake of harmony.

Earth Green thinkers always think about the people behind the problem—a crucial len, particularly when our RCA is focussed on Human Factors. They bring an ethical sensitivity to the table, asking, “Why did the person behaviour this way? or What affect will this have on the team?” However, their preference for harmony and stability can lead to an aversion to disruption or confrontation, even when those things might be necessary.

In today’s organisations, root cause analysis cannot be reduced to logic alone. It must be treated as a collaborative, multi-perspective process. Each of the four colour energies brings unique and essential contributions to different phases of the process.

1. Blue rigorously investigates and tests assumptions through structured analysis.
2. Yellow energises the early problem-definition stage with expansive thinking and optimism.
3. Red cuts through delays and drives decisive, accountable action.
4. Green ensures people are considered and solutions are grounded in values.

High-performing teams might naturally understand and know these preferences implicitly and it is probably one of the reasons they became high-performing. Teams in an earlier stage of formation would benefit from making them explicit.

Psychological Diversity as Operational Strength

When viewed through the lens of Insights Discovery, problem solving becomes more than a technical exercise—it becomes a human process that acknowledges our differences and all that we can bring to the workplace.

Root Cause Analysis works best when it’s not the preserve of one thinking style, but when all styles are present and valued. For organisations that understand and apply Insights Discovery, this is not just an opportunity—it’s a competitive advantage!