BG5 Business Institute

  office@bg5businessinstitute.com

Creating Human Centered Workplaces



When Ra Uru Hu began his experience with Human Design, he first received information about how the larger group mechanics of humanity function. It is obviously very complex information and he felt that first people needed to know who they are so they can then see how they are affected by others and the group dynamics. The focus in Human Design is on the individual understanding who they are and while this is also the goal in BG5 in the context of career or business, in BG5, we study further to see how the dynamics of working together impacts each of us.

We are all born into Pentas, we go to school in them, we work in them – Penta is very much a part of the nature of being. The trans-auric form is something that almost smacks of science fiction until you actually see the analysis of how it operates, and only then do you begin to understand how powerful a force this is in our lives. ~ Ra Uru Hu

Helping you understand the way that you can find the greatest satisfaction and success by seeing how the mechanics of working solo, being in a partnership, working in a small group or team or in a large group helps you see where you can best fulfill your potential. More than that, it makes you aware of what is really going on when you are in each of these situations.

Nature Shows Us

I was watching a special on the unique collaborative relationships in the animal kingdom and how much they are discovering about what we don’t see when looking at nature. Animals have very sophisticated communication systems and built-in super-powers that allow them to survive. What may have appeared to us as chaotic patterns in groups of animals, upon closer study, we discover they have an incredible innate intelligence that allows them to help each other survive.

Well, we as humans have this too and we’re only discovering the intricacies of how we interact through the study of Human Design and BG5. The BG5® System allows us to see exactly what happens when there are two or more of us interacting together. While we may be aware of what we can observe in others, if we don’t know what we’re looking for, things can look chaotic or not make any sense.

Birds flock together, fish form schools, bees swarm and as humans, we Penta (BG5) and Wa (OC16). That is, we form into partnerships, small and large groups and once you see how this works, it’s impossible to not see it. Like fish swimming in water, unaware of what water is because it is just always there, we are largely unaware of these human dynamics, because they are always at play beyond our conscious awareness. BG5 brings what we are unaware of to our conscious awareness.

BG5 refers to ‘Base Group 5’

This is the foundational building block, like a Lego® block that forms the basis of anything larger. From families to communities to society to humanity, every grouping is based on this first structure. The next time you are in a crowd, watch to see how people are constantly rearranging themselves in small groups of 2-5 people. Larger groups can form when you have three Pentas and a leader together. This natural mechanical structure forms and once it reaches 16 people, it can continue to grow organically adding more Pentas as needed.

The mechanics between people are what draw us together to form partnerships and small or larger groups. We’ve been conditioned to get along, be nice and while this is a great skill to treat others with respect even when you don’t see eye-to-eye, there is a good reason that you don’t get along. Once you discover the mechanics in your relationships, it’s easier to see that people may not be intentionally trying to cause you harm or rub you the wrong way. They are simply being themselves and something in their design doesn’t jive with your design. Neither party are wrong – you’re just not designed to work together or need to work in a very specific way!

We’re all designed to attract those we are in alignment with IF we are aligned within ourselves. When we are not following our own design and decision-making strategy (each career type has a specific one), we can end up attracting others who are not aligned with us creating a chaotic experience for everyone involved. As Ra realized, the first step in having a better life is to first align with your unique nature and then become aware of how you are affected when working with others. First love yourself then attract those you are meant to work with.

How the Career Types Work Best Together

In an ideal world or as a model we can look at to understand how things work, we have the different Career Types and when they come together, this is how things work best for each type:

  • Initiators get things going
  • Builders respond to the initiation and have the energy to get the work done.
  • Advisors are here to lead and guide the energy of the Builders
  • Evaluators are here to evaluate how it is going overall

When we can first align with our Career Type, we can start to realize and play our unique role in the larger group of humanity. In the National Geographic special, they focused on a group of tiny shrimp living in a sea sponge and how each type of shrimp had specific super-powers that helped them take care or defend the community allowing it to survive and thrive. We as humans have similar super-powers and discovering what those are is really helpful to make sense of what often looks or feels chaotic or random.

BG5® & OC16® Systems

The BG5® & OC16® Systems give us the tools we need to create work environments that are regenerative, where everyone gets to use their energy wisely based on their Career Type. When people use their energy correctly, a day’s work is effortless leaving them feeling lighter or deeply satisfied or successful at what has been accomplished. When we each begin to understand how we all do things differently (we’ve known this for a while) – but differently ‘how’ is what BG5 can answer.

How can we work better together?

Business leaders and communicators, and each of us really, can speak to all types by:

  • Acknowledging everyones' uniqueness
  • Keeping everyone informed about what is happening
  • Recognizing and inviting others to share their opinions, skills, ideas
  • Asking ‘Yes/No’ questions to get a clear response for the majority of people
  • Ask “how are we doing” - what’s working and what isn’t working
  • Allow people to reflect over time on what is really important

A BG5® Professional can help individuals, business owners and entrepreneurs understand who they really are and what kind of environment will draw out their full potential. They provide tools to problem solve when partnerships or small teams are not functioning at their best.

An OC16® Business Consultant can provide solutions over time in a larger group or organization with tools to see the underlying dynamics of presenting issues and make suggestions for improving the situation. They can also help engineer teams as a business is growing to ensure you have the right people in the right roles to help everyone flourish.

Case Example: Read Karen’s experience helping a team solve an issue

How to See the Underlying Chemistry of Group Dynamics

Find out more about yourself:

  • Get your Career Design Report and work with a BG5 Certified Professional to understand your design.
  • Want to know more about how your design works? Start with our Foundations course.
  • Taken either BG5 Foundations or Human Design Foundation and ready to become a Certified BG5 Consultant
  • Certified already and want to understand how the large group impacts us all? Watch for our next OC16 Certification.

Shelley Finerty is a Certified BG5 Professional and has 30+ years of experience working in the areas of IT, Sales & Marketing, Business Analysis, Project Management and Business Development along with an avid interest in what makes us human having studied NLP, Leadership, Mindfulness, Yoga, energy work, plant medicine, natural healing methods, trauma and recovery. She now works with the BG5 Business Institute managing Marketing and Innovation.