The Enneagram and TT38
The Enneagram explains why you do it. TT38 explains what it does to you.
The Enneagram is excellent at delving into the unconscious drives of an individual. However, motivation alone doesn't explain whether an action provides something in return. Two people with the same core motivation may still thrive or wither in different types of work.
The Enneagram
Its strength lies in its depth. While many tools stop at behaviour, it asks: what is the driving force behind it? Nine types, each with a motive, fear, and pattern under stress and in security. For self-development and conversations about what moves a person, it's hard to match.
TT38
However, motivation alone doesn't tell you what energises and what drains. A person can be driven by something and still lose interest in the tasks it leads them to. TT38 looks for that – where the energy comes from and where it dissipates – regardless of one's Enneagram type.
The Enneagram seeks the innermost motive beneath everything. Below, we take the opposite approach and get specific: one work question at a time, and what each test addresses.
Enneagr.
TT38
Driving Force – what lies behind it?
The Enneagram uncovers core motivation, fear, and longing with a depth few tools achieve. TT38 adds whether the driving force also provides energy in the work itself.
Self-awareness – do they understand themselves?
The Enneagram provides a language for inner patterns that people can recognise in themselves. TT38 supplements this by showing what energises them in their daily lives – not just what drives them from within.
Confidential Dialogue – do you get under the surface?
The Enneagram opens a conversation about what is otherwise difficult to articulate. TT38 shows whether the team’s collective talents cover what the tasks require.
Energy – what energises/drains them?
The Enneagram maps motivation, not energy sources. TT38 maps 34 talent patterns and shows what naturally provides and drains energy.
Recruitment – can you use it for selection?
The Enneagram is intended for development, not selection, and does not imply rejection. TT38 is designed to show whether a candidate’s talents match what the job requires in the long term.
Well-being – can they sustain the job in the long term?
A core motivation may fit a role well, without the person thriving in it. TT38 shows whether the work energises or slowly depletes them.
Direction – what should they focus on?
The Enneagram describes what drives a person, not where they should go. TT38 points to what they have natural potential to excel at.
Leadership – can they sustain the role in the long term?
The Enneagram speaks to motivation and inner patterns. TT38 shows whether the talent base can sustain a leadership role over time.
If you need to know more, let's delve deeper
Perhaps you have two individuals of precisely the same type, but one flourishes in their work while the other slowly withdraws.
Perhaps you sense that a talented employee is about to leave, without being able to pinpoint why. This kind of situation is difficult to discern from a core motivation alone – and that's where this overview can move you forward.
Do not read it as a judgment on the two tools, but as a map: where do they point in the same direction, and where does only one address what you are currently facing.
In short: if you want to understand what deeply moves a person and why they act as they do, the Enneagram is an excellent place to explore. If you want to know what sustains people over time – or drains their energy – that's a different question, and that's what TT38 is designed for.
It's rarely an either-or situation. The Enneagram and TT38 touch different aspects of a person – one on motivation, the other on energy – and they complement each other well.
If you already use the Enneagram for development and self-insight, there's no reason to discard it; TT38 complements it and answers what motivation alone cannot.
And if you use neither, TT38 can stand alone. It doesn't require a typology alongside it to make sense, but together they cover more than either does individually.
So, what should you choose?
Do you have a talent for what drives you?
Your motivation is not always what also gives you energy.
A talent advisor will review your free TT38 with you, so you see both aspects in yourself. And you will become better at leading each individual based on what ignites the passion in their eyes.