The 5R model: five questions that align a team
Direction, frame, roles, rules and relationships. A simple checklist for aligning expectations — and a quick check-up when collaboration creaks without anyone being able to say why.
- The five Rs explained
- The questions for each R
- How to spot the weak R
- From alignment to agreements
Why the order matters
Most teams that ask for help with relationships are in fact missing clarity about something that comes earlier. When two people clash again and again it is rarely chemistry — it is usually two different pictures of who decides what.
That is why we always start with direction. Can everyone in the team say what you exist for, without looking at a poster? If not, that is where the day should go. Roles follow from the task — not the other way round.
The five Rs
Direction
What do we exist for, and what must we succeed with this year? If two people in the team answer differently, everything else is wasted time. Direction must fit in one sentence without slides.
Frame
Time, budget, mandate, staffing and deadlines. What can we decide ourselves, and what is decided above us? An unclear mandate is one of the most common sources of frustration.
Roles
Who does what, who decides what, and who simply needs to be heard? Roles are not titles — they are the concrete tasks and decisions each person owns.
Rules
How do we meet, how do we respond to each other, how do we decide, and how do we push back? Five good ground rules beat twenty nobody remembers.
Relationships
Trust, psychological safety and knowing each other's strengths. The goal is not friendship, but being able to say something uncomfortable without it costing you.
Questions that reveal where it breaks down
Direction: What must we be able to do in a year that we cannot do now? What should we stop doing?
Frame: Which decisions can we make ourselves? What is already decided, and by whom?
Roles: If something goes wrong next week, who do we expect to pick it up? Do you agree?
Rules: How does one disagree with the boss here? What happens when an agreement is broken?
Relationships: Who in the team do you know least about professionally? When did you last say something uncomfortable out loud?
How we use 5R in a workshop
Everyone answers first
Each R is built as a model before anyone speaks. Then the differences are on the table before the loudest voice has defined the truth.
Disagreement as material
We look for the Rs where the models do not resemble each other. That is where the important conversation sits — and it typically takes 20 minutes, not a day.
Agreements with a name and a date
The day ends with concrete agreements per R, an owner and a deadline — plus a short pulse check after 30 and 90 days.
Frequently asked questions about the 5R model
What do the five Rs stand for?+
Direction (retning), frame (rammer), roles, rules and relationships. The idea is that a team needs all five in place to function — and that problems that look like a personality clash almost always originate in one of the first four Rs.
When should you use the 5R model?+
When a new team starts, when a new leader arrives, when the task changes significantly, or when collaboration creaks without anyone being able to say why. It is also a good annual check-up for a team that works well.
Does the order matter?+
Yes. Start with direction. A team that does not agree on what it exists for cannot clarify roles meaningfully, because roles follow from the task. Relationships come last — not because they matter least, but because the best relationships are built through clear collaboration rather than social events.
What is the difference between the 5R model and Tuckman's stages?+
Tuckman describes what happens over time in a team. 5R is a checklist of what needs to be in place right now. They complement each other: 5R is often exactly what a group in the storming stage has not yet talked through.
How do we align expectations without it becoming a chore?+
By letting everyone answer before anyone discusses. When each participant first formulates their own answer to the five Rs — written or built — the differences become visible immediately, and the conversation is about what people actually think rather than what the loudest voice said first.
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Shall we run a 5R alignment with your team?
Tell us briefly what you experience, how many you are, and when. We reply within two working days with a suggested format and price.