The 9 Ways of Working
by Michael Goldberg, Marlowe and Company, New York, 1999.
ISBN 1-56924-688-2
A couple of caveats
This book was originally published in 1996 as "Getting
Your Bosses Number" and isn’t an enhanced or expanded
piece of work. I only rated it three balls because of a personal
bias. I think that the Enneagram, on which this book is based, is a
powerful personal tool. I am skeptical on how it can be used in the
workplace. Although there are only 9 points as compared to the 16 of
the MBTI, I have found it far more complex and profound. Like the
MBTI or any other "model", it is rife for abuse and
labeling. For this reason, I have had difficulty finding ways
to incorporate it into the business setting. "The 9
Ways of Working " brings the Enneagram into the work world
and tries to make it accessible. I would not recommend starting with
this book if you are new to the Enneagram. If you are a
"student" then this is a good book to have in your
library. Otherwise start elsewhere. You might want to begin by
going to the the web site of The
International Enneagram Association which is the
non-for-profit overseer.
A brief background into my own appreciation of
the Enneagram
I first came across the diagram when I picked up Dobson and
Hurley’s book "My True Self" at a discount
bookstore just about seven years ago. I acquire many books
over the years and often do not get around to reading them. For some
reason in this case I did read it and became quite impressed.
It was the following summers that I learned these two authors were
coming to the Ottawa area to conduct a weekend workshop. I
signed up and have been an avid reader and student since.
A one paragraph description
Up until the seventies, the Enneagram was really an oral tradition
and I do not intend on describing it here. It describes the
nine ways that we relate to the world and each of has our essence in
one of the nine numbers and each style has its own gifts and
challenges. Over the last two decades many books have been
published. Different authors have different names to describe
the various numbers, so it is safer when talking about the Enneagram
to just stick to the numbers 1 through 9. (As a 5, I must confess
that I do prefer Goldberg’s label of Sage for a number 5 rather
than the usual Observer.)
Typical layout
Besides Hurley and Donson (the later having changed his name a
couple of years ago) the best known of the lot are Helen Palmer and
Richard Riso and Don Hudson. Some follow a more spiritual
perspective while the last three authors mentioned prefer a stronger
tie to the psychology of the Enneagram. Goldberg’s book follows a
similar pattern to most written in the field. It starts off with a
quick overview of the history and principles of the Enneagram which
is quite complex and far more profound that can be captured in two
chapters. Then usually a chapter is dedicated to each of the
numbers. Sometimes you find a little quiz to help you determine your
number. At other times you read the various stories of each type.
Goldberg uses the later but only peripherally. Also common, is a
couple of chapters on how the various numbers relate to one another.
Goldberg compares each of the numbers when one is a manager to the
other. I would also have like to have seen a comparison of numbers
when they work as peers. The impact on teams would have been even
more significant. Alas these two were not to be included.
The last chapter, just before the acknowledgment,
is a three-page synopsis about the Enneagram and where it came from
that is perhaps the best summary that I have read.
RFH
(00/07)
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