PDP Global vs. Enneagram: Insights for Business Leaders

Executive Summary

The Enneagram is widely used for self-awareness and personal development, offering valuable insight into individual preferences. However, it was not designed as a predictive tool for workplace hiring or performance decisions. PDP Global’s ProScan is a scientifically validated behavioral assessment built specifically for business, helping organizations understand job fit, motivation, and team dynamics. Backed by decades of research and data from over 39,000 respondents, ProScan supports more informed hiring, leadership, and retention strategies.

The Enneagram is a popular personality framework that categorizes individuals into one of nine personality types. Many organizations use it to encourage self-awareness and improve communication by helping employees better understand personality differences.

But is the Enneagram personality test the right tool for business decision-making?

Not all personality assessments are designed for workplace use. While the Enneagram can be valuable for personal insight and development, it was not developed as a statistically validated instrument for hiring, performance prediction, or talent management.

This article compares the Enneagram with PDP Global’s ProScan behavioral assessment, examining their origins, research support, and practical applications, to help organizations choose the right approach for building stronger teams and improving business outcomes.

Origins and Development

Enneagram Personality Test

The contemporary Enneagram approach to personality originates in the teachings of Oscar Ichazo, a Bolivian philosopher and mystic. His personality theory draws from several ancient spiritual and philosophical traditions, including:

• Judaism
• Christianity
• Islam
• Taoism
• Buddhism
• Ancient Greek philosophy

Since its introduction, multiple assessments have been developed to map individuals onto the Enneagram’s nine personality types. Commonly used versions include:

• Riso–Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI)
• Stanford Enneagram Discovery Inventory (later renamed the Essential Enneagram)

PDP ProScan Behavioral Assessment

PDP Global’s ProScan behavioral assessment originated from a business need: helping organizations identify and select talent with traits aligned to job success.

From the outset, ProScan was developed empirically, with a focus on statistical validation and practical workplace utility rather than theoretical or spiritual models. Its foundation is based on the work of established personality researchers, including:

• Thurstone
• Cattell
• Guilford
• Fiske

Using rigorous statistical methods, PDP developed a reliable and valid behavioral assessment and confirmed through rigorous testing that ProScan can predict job performance.

Takeaway: In contrast to the Enneagram’s spiritual origins, PDP’s assessments are grounded in observable behavior and self-reported data, designed specifically for workplace application.

Output: What Each Assessment Measures

Enneagram Personality Test

The Enneagram personality test assigns individuals a number from 1 to 9, representing a primary personality type. This type describes the characteristics and behavioral patterns you tend to display most often.

Each Enneagram type is also associated with two secondary types, often called “wings,” which may influence how a person behaves in different emotional states.

Enneagram results typically include:

• A primary type (1–9)
• Two related wing types
• Descriptions of behavior when stressed or relaxed

For example, someone identified as a Type One may be described as principled and detail-oriented, but may show traits of other types depending on circumstances.

PDP ProScan Behavioral Assessment

The PDP ProScan Survey provides a workplace-focused behavioral profile based on measurable traits and motivators. Rather than assigning a fixed personality category, ProScan identifies key behavioral tendencies that influence performance, communication, and job fit.

ProScan results include:

• Four cornerstone traits:
  • Dominance
  • Extroversion
  • Pace / Patience
  • Conformity
• Logic as an additional factor
• Workplace Motivators that drive engagement

ProScan also measures these traits across three dimensions:

• Natural Self
• Priority Environment
• Predictor / Outward Self

Unlike typology-based personality tests, ProScan recognizes that behavioral priorities and motivators can shift over time depending on role demands and workplace context.

Applying ProScan Results in Business

PDP’s assessments are designed to extend beyond individual insight into practical organizational application:

• JobScan builds on ProScan results to measure the traits and energy levels needed for success in a specific role
• TeamScan applies ProScan data to evaluate team dynamics, culture, and organizational change needs

Together, these tools help organizations understand:

• Behavioral fit for a position
• Traits linked to success in specific roles
• How to motivate teams for stronger performance

Takeaway: While the Enneagram provides a personality type framework for self-understanding, ProScan delivers a multidimensional behavioral output designed specifically for workplace performance, role alignment, and team effectiveness.

Research Validation and Scientific Evidence

Enneagram Personality Test

For any behavioral assessment to be useful, especially in professional settings, it must demonstrate reliability (consistent results) and validity (measuring what it claims to measure).

Overall, research on Enneagram-based assessments shows mixed or limited evidence of reliability and validity.

Key findings from published studies include:

• A study of 1,039 participants using the Open Enneagram of Personality Scales found poor internal consistency and weak test–retest reliability
• A study of 287 participants using the Riso–Hudson Enneagram Type Indicator (RHETI) found reliability was adequate for six types, but inadequate for three (Newgent et al., 2004)
• A systematic review of 104 independent samples reported mixed support for the Enneagram’s underlying nine-type structure, finding that factor analysis provided little evidence for nine distinct personality categories and that reliability and validity estimates varied across types (Hook et al., 2021)

These results are reflected in professional evaluations as well. In a Delphi poll of 101 doctoral-level psychologists, at least 25% rated the Enneagram personality theory as “discredited" (Norcross et al., 2006).

PDP ProScan Behavioral Assessment

In contrast, PDP Global’s ProScan behavioral assessment is supported by decades of empirical research focused on workplace performance, selection, and organizational outcomes.

The original validation studies, conducted in the 1970s with working adults (rather than undergraduate-only samples), found:

• Excellent reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.94)
• Strong evidence of validity, with concurrent validity correlations ranging from 0.39 to 0.87

PDP has continued to evaluate and strengthen ProScan through ongoing research. From 2019 to 2021, PDP conducted multi-year studies achieving three highly rigorous Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs).

Key outcomes include:

• All three CFAs produced Cronbach’s alpha coefficients above 0.87
• Over 39,000 respondents contributed to ProScan research
• The assessment underwent:
  • 11 Exploratory Factor Analyses (EFAs)
  • 3 Confirmatory Factor Analyses (CFAs)
• Results confirmed a strong four-factor behavioral structure:
  • Dominance
  • Extroversion
  • Pace
  • Conformity
  • Logic as a separate factor

Previous research also demonstrates that PDP assessments:

• Correlate directly with job performance
• Show no disparate impact across demographic groups
• Are compliant with EEOC and ADA standards

PDP Global’s validation methods have been endorsed by the Center for Applied Psychology at the University of Colorado at Denver and align with American Psychological Association standards, as well as the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology’s principles for personnel selection procedures.

Takeaway: While Enneagram assessments show mixed research support, ProScan is a statistically validated behavioral tool built specifically for workplace decision-making, job performance prediction, and legally defensible talent selection.

Business Use Cases and Practical Applications

Enneagram Personality Test

The Enneagram is most commonly used for self-awareness, personal development, and reflection. Individuals and teams may find it helpful for understanding personal motivations, communication styles, and internal growth patterns.

Because Enneagram-based assessments show mixed evidence for reliability and validity, their effectiveness for workplace decision-making, hiring, or performance prediction is limited. As a result, the Enneagram is generally better suited for personal insight rather than business-critical applications.

PDP Behavioral Assessment

PDP Global’s ProScan is designed specifically for organizational and people management decisions. It helps businesses understand which behavioral traits contribute to success in specific roles and how to align people, teams, and environments for optimal performance.

Organizations use PDP behavioral assessments to:

• Standardize and improve hiring processes
• Match individuals to roles based on behavioral fit
• Improve candidate selection and onboarding
• Reduce interpersonal conflict in the workplace
• Enhance interviews by involving candidates in objective, data-based discussions
• Measure and reduce employee stress
• Identify early signs of burnout
• Improve employee engagement, satisfaction, and morale
• Identify disengagement or “quiet quitting” patterns

The broader benefits of PDP Global’s assessment suite include:

• Increased morale and job satisfaction
• Reduced employee turnover
• Improved recognition of individual strengths
• Stronger team alignment and collaboration
• Higher productivity
• Increased profitability

“PDP Global has given us a level of insight into our people that we never had before. It’s not just about hiring the right person; it’s about setting them up for success in the right role. Seeing someone go from struggling in a position to thriving as a leader because of this instrument—that’s a game changer.”
— Margaret Johnson, Chief Human Resources Officer