From Squid Game to Organizational Governance: A Neurobehavioral Framework of Four Leadership Archetypes

This paper presents a multidisciplinary framework integrating leadership theory, personality psychology, and organizational development models through the lens of narrative structures found in the television series Squid Game. Specifically, it introduces a four-archetype model—Twist, Triangle, Circle, and Square—each representing distinct leadership behaviors and personality orientations. These archetypes are aligned with the Big Five personality dimensions and are mapped across individual, team, and organizational lifecycle stages. The Twist represents innovation and adaptability, the Triangle embodies goal orientation and competition, the Circle reflects empathy and collaboration, and the Square stands for structure and consistency. Each archetype is examined in terms of its strengths, limitations, and optimal fit within particular phases of organizational evolution—from startup and rapid growth to maturity and bureaucratic consolidation. Empirical support is drawn from behavioral leadership theories, neurobehavioral data, and case studies of corporate development. Through this analysis, the paper explores how mismatches between leadership archetypes and organizational stages can lead to dysfunction, stagnation, or failure. Conversely, alignment between archetype and context contributes to sustainable performance and team cohesion. The framework offers practical applications in leadership development, succession planning, and cultural diagnostics. It also provides a basis for evaluating leadership effectiveness not solely on competencies, but on congruence with an organization’s stage-specific needs. By bridging narrative metaphors with validated psychological models, the study proposes a novel approach to navigating the complexity of modern organizational leadership.