Article - Intermediate

Using the Enneagram to Make Your Organisation Future-fit

By Anna-Rosa le Roux | 25 April 2019 |
business people organisations and enneagram

"It's never enough to just tell people about some new insight. Rather, you have to get them to experience it in a way that evokes its power and possibility. Instead of pouring knowledge into people's heads, you need to help them grind a new set of eyeglasses so they can see the world in a new way." -John Seely Brown

The world sits on the brink of the Fourth Industrial Revolution – a revolution that is beginning to see developments that were the stuff of science fiction only a few decades ago, and yet are predicted to fundamentally change both the way we live and the way businesses operate. With this in mind, how can you ensure that your organisation, and especially your people, are prepared to tackle the coming challenges and take advantage of the opportunities of this brave new world?

The first step is understanding the people who are responsible for planning and implementing the strategies that will ensure your business is future-fit. The Enneagram provides a powerful lens that, when used correctly, can decode complexity and inspire new ways to drive development for individuals, teams, and the organisation itself.


How does the Enneagram support organisational change and effectiveness?

The Enneagram is a holistic model of human development that describes nine Types or worldviews that reflect how people think, feel and act and how they relate to themselves and others. Much more than a personality profile, the Integrative Enneagram combines psychology, neuroscience and emotional intelligence to delve deeper into subconscious motivations, beliefs, defences and fixed behaviour patterns. It does not put people into boxes, but rather advocates including all these different voices and uses each individual’s unique capabilities to create a business that will thrive in our changing world.

The Enneagram allows us to make sense of the motivational patterns that drive people and thereby unlocks personal and organisational change at the level of ‘why we do things’. These insights enable shifts in consciousness and deep transformation, making the Enneagram a powerful catalyst for change.

As well as offering a lens to make sense of what is playing out in the organisation now, the Enneagram framework offers powerful ways to create transformational journeys within the organisation, connecting these across the organisational system. Whether working at the individual, team or organisational level, the Enneagram holds the keys to creating new solutions based on insights and understanding of the drivers in the organisation as a whole. The resulting change is deeper, faster and more sustainable as it speaks to the core motivators and drivers of behaviour – not behaviour in isolation – and offers a way for organisations to work deeper; continuously tapping into subtler pathways of development as the business changes and grows.


What makes the iEQ9 Report special?

The Integrative Enneagram Questionnaire (iEQ9) is an adaptive, intelligent online questionnaire which is used by more than 4000 accredited practitioners worldwide. More than 400 000 profiles have been generated for corporate clients around the world in English, Danish, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Norwegian and French. The iEQ9 combines the latest thinking on the Enneagram with a rigorous measurement tool to produce data that is reliable and valid.

Corporate organisations are often challenged with survey fatigue that results from surveying for many interventions. The iEQ9 takes around 30 minutes to complete and on the basis of that data, many powerful reports, tools and workshops can be delivered. This universal survey enables the organisation not only to create a shared language across the business, but also enables practitioners to link various interventions together, creating coherent, meaningful journeys for organisational change.

Organisational Enneagram practitioners find that application of the Enneagram results in deep learning, change and development. The Enneagram supports a broad range of solutions such as building integrity, developing talent pools, building leadership bench strength, leading culture-change transformation journeys and building resilient teams.


The Enneagram aims to empower managers, leaders and coaches with a shared language to equip them to work with their people through times of complex change.


Benefits of working with an Accredited iEQ9 Practitioner

While the Enneagram supports management in making sense of their organisational reality, accredited practitioners become thinking partners to reflect with business leaders on their context, the rich data provided by the iEQ9 and the results of their measured efforts. Accredited practitioners also support organisations in crafting development journeys based on the actionable iEQ9 insights, guiding clients as they integrate interventions and create buy-in to accelerate and support the transformation journey.

Our Integrative Enneagram accredited practitioners bring a value-driven approach, one of integrity, authenticity and inclusivity that works in partnership with the client to deliver sustainable change. They offer valuable knowledge and work strategically with organisations, leaders or teams to build real solutions.


Not only are our practitioners well versed in the methodology of the Enneagram, but they also hold domain-specific knowledge in the world of organisational change and development, management science, leadership development, team dynamics, and individual learning, growth and development.

The Enneagram offers rich data and actionable insights that point practitioners to the high-potential areas for intervention and development within large, complex organisations. Our reports unpack the Enneagram data in depth, using powerful graphics and offering clear action tips in areas such as communication, collaboration, leadership, resilience and strategic management. The organisation will benefit from various intervention methodologies that our global network of practitioners can access to guide the client along their path.


Future-fit organisations

The modern business world is challenging organisations and the individuals who work within them to change and adapt faster than ever. The Enneagram is a powerful catalyst for accelerating and deepening change, enabling shifts in consciousness that enable more mindful, diverse and future-fit strategies and business processes.


Meet with an Accredited iEQ9 Practitioner to discuss your business needs.

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