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The Psychology of Personality in the Workplace: Enneagram, MBTI, and the Big Five in Hiring Decisions

In today’s work environment, companies and leaders increasingly need to make decisions that go beyond professional qualifications. Choosing the right employee for a position is crucial for the success of a team and the organization as a whole. Personality models like the Enneagram, the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), and the Big Five are valuable tools for making informed decisions. In my theory, however, the Enneagram offers a special advantage by providing deeper insights into a person's emotional drivers. It reveals how each individual unconsciously seeks recognition and attention. Yet, in practice, a common problem arises: recruiters and leaders make decisions based on their own personality structure, often unaware of the dynamics that drive them—an error that frequently has negative consequences for the organization.

 

The Relevance of Personality Models in Hiring

MBTI: Understanding Work Styles

The MBTI is frequently used in the workplace to capture how people make decisions, process information, and interact with others. It provides insights into how an individual fits into an existing team structure. For example, an “INTJ” may think analytically and strategically, while an “ESFP” is likely to be sociable and spontaneous. Such information is useful for hiring decisions, as it gives an initial impression of how someone behaves in the workplace.

However, the MBTI only shows how people work—it reveals nothing about the deeper motivations that influence behavior and performance in the long run. Additionally, personality traits similar to those of the decision-maker are often favored, which can lead to tunnel vision.

 

Big Five: Measuring Behavioral Patterns

The Big Five model offers an empirically grounded method for assessing personality traits. It provides measurable insights into five main dimensions: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. This allows for an objective evaluation of behavioral patterns important in professional settings. A candidate with high Conscientiousness is likely to be disciplined and reliable, while someone with high Extraversion will likely interact well with clients and within the team.

Yet, the Big Five model often fails to reveal the deeper emotional drivers of an employee. Here too, it is easy to focus on candidates with similar strengths and weaknesses without recognizing that other personalities might be better suited.

 

Enneagram: The Unconscious Drivers in the Workplace

The Enneagram delves deeper than MBTI and Big Five by revealing the underlying emotional motivations that drive a person’s actions. This is particularly valuable in a professional context, as it not only shows how someone works but also why. This insight is crucial for understanding the long-term “fit” of an employee and can help leaders recognize the unconscious strategies that an employee uses to gain recognition and success.

 

The Blind Spot of Many Recruiters and Leaders

A frequently overlooked factor in hiring decisions is the unconscious influence of the decision-maker’s own personality. Many leaders and recruiters make decisions based on their own values, beliefs, and behavioral patterns without being aware of these influences. This often leads them to prefer candidates who match their own type—whether consciously or unconsciously.

Unconscious Bias: Recruiters and leaders tend to favor personalities that feel familiar to them. An extroverted manager might hire an extroverted candidate because they feel more comfortable with that person’s communication style, even if the position requires analytical skills. This unconscious bias can lead to hiring individuals who may impress in an interview but do not necessarily possess the best skills or attributes for the position.

Rejection of Other Personality Types: Leaders who are unaware of their own personality and unconscious patterns may reject candidates who are different from themselves. This can be particularly problematic when it comes to integrating diversity and different ways of thinking into a team. For instance, a more rational, logic-oriented type (like the MBTI type “INTP”) may struggle to recognize the value of an empathetic, feeling-oriented employee (like “ENFP”), leading to poor decisions.

Lack of Self-Reflection: Many leaders are not aware of their own life strategies—that is, the strategies they use to gain attention, appreciation, and success in their careers. These blind spots can lead them to make hiring decisions that cater to their own needs rather than the needs of the team or organization.

 

The Solution: The Enneagram as a Tool for Awareness

This is where the Enneagram shows its strength. It not only helps to understand the inner motivations of employees but can also aid leaders and decision-makers in becoming aware of their own patterns. When leaders recognize their own drivers and fears, they are more likely to make objective and strategically sound decisions. This makes them more open to other personality structures and helps them avoid making hiring decisions solely based on similarities to their own personality.

 

Why the Enneagram is Crucial for Hiring Decisions

The Enneagram reveals how people unconsciously develop strategies to gain recognition or success, providing a deeper basis for hiring decisions:

Understanding Long-Term Motivation: An employee of Enneagram Type 3 (the “Achiever”) may impress in an interview with their ambition. However, if their motivation primarily lies in gaining recognition through external success, they may risk burning out or becoming overly competitive in the long run—which may not be desirable in every team environment.

Consciously Shaping Team Dynamics: By understanding the various personality types in the Enneagram, leaders can consciously diversify teams and create synergies instead of inadvertently promoting uniformity. Different personalities bring different strengths that can work together effectively in a well-managed team.

Strengthening Self-Awareness: Leaders who know their own patterns make more informed decisions by objectively assessing which personality traits are most beneficial for a particular position or team. They can then select candidates who complement the team rather than merely catering to their own preferences.

 

Conclusion: The Enneagram as the Key to Better Hiring Decisions

The Enneagram goes beyond traditional personality models and offers leaders the opportunity to better understand not only their employees but also themselves. Recruiters and leaders who base their decisions solely on their own personality and dismiss other types risk not fully tapping into their team's potential. By using the Enneagram, they can overcome their own blind spots and make decisions that are not only in the best interest of the company but also support the long-term development of their employees.