In my work as an MBA educator and Enneagram coach at Boston City Campus, I have come to appreciate that the most significant shifts in students’ development do not happen only through mastering theories or analysing case studies. They emerge more quietly, often through moments of reflection, when students begin to question who they are, how they lead others, and what truly drives and motivates their decisions.
While the MBA journey is intellectually demanding, it is also, perhaps more importantly, an identity-forming experience. Students are not only acquiring knowledge, but they are, often without realising it at first, re-evaluating their assumptions, beliefs, and the ways in which they show up in the world. It is within this deeper layer of learning that the Enneagram offers particular value.
The Enneagram is a personality and developmental framework that maps nine distinct patterns of motivation, perception and behaviour. Unlike many personality tools that focus on traits (such as the Big Five personality model), the Enneagram draws attention to the underlying drivers of behaviour, the “why” behind how individuals think, feel and act. It highlights habitual patterns such as striving, controlling, pleasing, or avoiding, and importantly, shows pathways (via lines and wings unique to each personality type) for growth beyond these patterns (Chestnut and Paes, 2021). In this way, it becomes less about labelling and more about increasing awareness and expanding choices for change.
In my experience, the Enneagram provides MBA students with a language to understand themselves with greater clarity, honesty and depth. It brings into awareness patterns that often operate beneath the surface of professional identity. These particular patterns, which may have once been adaptive, can also limit growth if left unexplored. As these patterns surface, students begin to pause. They reflect. They question. And gradually, they start to engage with themselves differently.
This process connects closely with the development of Psychological Capital (PsyCap), as conceptualised by Fred Luthans and colleagues. Luthans’ team explains the concept of PsyCap as a set of positive psychological resources, including hope, efficacy, resilience, and optimism, which enable individuals to navigate challenge, uncertainty and growth (Luthans et al., 2007). What I have encountered is that as students deepen their self-awareness through the Enneagram, they also begin to strengthen their inner capacities. They become more reflective in how they respond to setbacks (resilience), more intentional in setting and pursuing goals (hope), more confident in their abilities (efficacy), and more open to possibilities (optimism). In this sense, self-awareness and psychological capital are not separate processes, but rather mutually reinforcing resources.
A moment from one of my recent coaching sessions illustrates this shift. As we explored a student’s Enneagram profile, she arrived at a realisation that was both simple and profound: for her, a sense of happiness was closely linked to authenticity. Not to achievement or recognition, but to the experience of being real, of no longer needing to perform a version of herself that met external expectations. In that moment, the conversation shifted from “Who should I be?” to a more grounded and powerful question: “Who am I, really?” This is how meaningful development unfolds. Not through dramatic transformation, but through subtle shifts in awareness. As students begin to observe themselves with curiosity rather than judgement, they start to recognise where they may be over-identifying with roles, expectations, or success narratives. Then, space opens up for choice, for growth, and for change.
From a higher education perspective, this process is closely aligned with the concept of self-authorship. The prominent researcher in adult development and specifically, the evolution of self-authorship, Marcia Baxter Magolda (1999), suggests that when individuals begin to construct their own internal narratives, integrating their lived experiences, they become more open to new challenges and ways of knowing. Similarly, Lee Hopkins (1994) highlights the role of narrative in personal development, pointing to the idea that ‘constructing oneself’ is central to growth.
Within the MBA context, this becomes particularly significant. Students often enter the programme with well-established personal and professional stories about what success looks like, how leadership should be enacted, and what is expected of them. These narratives are not inherently problematic, but they can be limiting if they remain unquestioned. The Enneagram creates an opportunity to surface these internal stories and to re-examine them. As their academic journey unfolds, students begin to realise that the stories they hold onto are not fixed. They can be reinterpreted and reshaped. A narrative centered on constant achievement may evolve into one that includes balance and meaning (as in the example of Enneagram type 3). A story grounded in control (as in Enneagram type 8) may open into trust and a sense of worth. This is where the Enneagram becomes more than a diagnostic tool. It becomes a catalyst for narrative transformation.
Importantly, this development does not happen in isolation. As Desmond Tutu reminds us, “a person is a person through other persons”. In MBA coaching conversations and peer interactions, students begin to see themselves not only as individuals but as part of a relational ecosystem. As their self-understanding deepens, so too does their capacity to understand others, often with greater empathy, patience, and compassion.
As a result, leadership itself begins to shift. It becomes less about control, power, performance, or maintaining an image, and more about presence, awareness, and connection. I am often reminded of the words of Margaret Mead: “Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world. For indeed, that’s all who ever have”. I see this potential in MBA students when they begin to engage with themselves more honestly and lead from a place of authenticity. Enneagram-informed coaching, in this context, is an invitation to pause, to reflect, and consciously rewrite one’s narrative. It supports the development of leaders who are self-aware, relationally attuned, and able to navigate complexity with both competence and compassion.
Note: As part of the Boston City Campus MBA programme, students have the opportunity to work with a dedicated, certified Enneagram coach who walks alongside them in their transformational journey, supporting both their professional and personal development over time.
References:
- Baxter Magolda, M.B. (1999). Creating contexts for learning and self-authorship: Constructive-developmental pedagogy. Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press.
- Hopkins, R. (1994). Narrative schooling: Experiential learning and the transformation of American education. New York: Teachers College Press.
- Luthans, F., Youssef, C.M. and Avolio, B.J. (2007). Psychological capital: Developing the human competitive edge. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Sutton, A., Allinson, C.W. and Williams, H.M. (2013). Personality type and work-related outcomes: An exploratory application of the Enneagram model. European Management Journal, 31(3), pp. 234–249. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.emj.2012.12.004
- Chestnut, B., Paes, U. (2013). The Enneagram: Guide to Waking Up. Charlottesville: Hampton Roads Publishing Company, Inc.
About the author:
Dr Larysa Botha is an MBA educator at Boston City Campus, where she teaches Management Philosophy and Ethics and Corporate Governance for Sustainability Practice. She holds a Doctorate in Business Leadership, an MBA, a Master’s degree in music (MMus) and Honours in Industrial and Organisational Psychology. Dr Botha is also an HPCSA-registered Psychometrist and a certified NLP and Enneagram practitioner, integrating self-awareness and reflective development into leadership education. Her work focuses on psychological capital, ethical leadership, and the development of self-authored, human-centred leaders in complex organisational contexts.