The enneagram is a personality typing system that consists of nine different types. The enneagram was first used in ancient Greece by Christian mystics, but it has since been rediscovered and popularised by modern psychologists. This article will explore the enneagram, what each type means on an individual level, and how this information can be useful for people who are interested in understanding themselves better.
The enneagram become popular as a personality typing tool in the 1970s, when enneagram teacher Oscar Ichazo taught it to spiritual seekers in Chile. Since then, enneagram teachings have spread around the world and are now being used by psychologists to help people better understand how they work on an individual level.
The enneagram consists of nine different personality types that are distinguished from each other. The nine enneagram personality types are the enneagram type one, two and three, which are all focused on being productive in some way; enneagram four, five and six, who are focused on being different from other people in some way; enneagram seven, eight and nine, which all focus on experiencing life to the fullest.
The enneagram used as a typing tool for business is a means to understand diversity in the workplace and understand the drivers of human behaviour. If an enneagram personality can be assigned to a person, there are nine different behavioural patterns that will help understand how they act in the workplace.
Enneagram type one is motivated by being better than others and driven by perfection; enneagram two is inspired by empathy for other people and driven towards making sure everyone around them is ok; enneagram three is focused on success and being seen as a success by others; enneagram four is driven towards having a creative outlet that makes them unique from everyone else.
People with an enneagram five are motivated to understand everything about what they do, be it their work or how the world functions. They want to know why something works so they can reproduce it. Enneagram sixes are often concerned with what could go wrong in an organisation or situation, and enneagram sevens are visionary and excited to explore new ideas and even places.
People with enneagram eight personalities tend to be leaders who will take charge of a group’s direction, while enneagram nines although can make great leaders, tend to be quieter, and with a softer demeanour.
Understanding how the Enneagram could easily provide friends, family and colleagues with insight into yourself and others is what gives it such great value when applied in a business setting. People notoriously misunderstand others, based on their own perspective. The Enneagram gives you a different approach to understanding people as well as yourself and gives you the knowledge to change or choose your behaviour based on the context.
