Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument

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The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument was developed by the late William "Ned" Herrmann (1922-1999) while the manager of management education at GE's Crotonville, and involves a Four Quadrant Model of Thinking Preferences. In this model, Herrmann identifies four different modes of thinking summarized by:

A. Analytical thinking.
- Key word: logical, factual, critical, technical and quantitative.
- Preferred activities: collecting data, analysis, understanding how things work, judging ideas based on facts, criteria and logical reasoning.
B. Sequential thinking.
- Key word: safekeeping, structured, organized, complexity or detailed, planned.
- Preferred activities: following directions, detail oriented work, step-by-step problem solving, organization and implementation.
C. Interpersonal thinking.
- Key word: kinesthetic, emotional, spiritual, sensory, feeling.
- Preferred activities: listening to and expressing ideas, looking for personal meaning, sensory input, and group interaction.
D. Imaginative thinking.
- Key word: Visual, holistic, intuitive, innovative, and conceptual.
- Preferred activities: Looking at the big picture, taking initiative, challenging assumptions, visuals, metaphoric thinking, creative problem solving, long term thinking.

Herrmann also developed the concept of whole brain thinking, characterised by the situational use of all four quadrants as needed.

The theory was inspired by the research into left-right brain laterilisation during the 1970s, and further developed to reflect a metaphor for how individuals think and learn.

To date nearly 1 million people have had their profiles analyzed worldwide using the HBDI and it has been used globally by corporations, government, education and independent consultants. The instrument has been translated into 20 languages and is used extensively in the US and Canada, Western Europe, Australia and Asia.

Two authors have challenged the validity of the HBDI. It should be noted however that Allinson & Haynes are authors of a competing assessment, and Hines is a critic of all sciences he considers "irrational" (Allinson & Hayes, 1996 ; Hines,1987). Herrmann International offers the original validation on their website [1]. The HDBI is currently updating the validation with Edumetrics Inc. which will provide further evidence to refute any such claims. Ongoing research is led by Herrmann's daughter, Ann Herrmann-Nehdi, who is currently CEO of Herrmann International.

Several unvalidated instruments based on basic left brain/right brain dominance exist, including several online surveys and a non-proprietary assessment developed by Eugene Raudsepp. These simplistic surveys are not validated or comparable to the HBDI in terms of research or scope.

The HBDI instrument shows some similarities with the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and Big five personality traits. Many correlation studies and articles have been written discussing similarities and differences between them, however it should be noted that the HBDI measures thinking preferences and is a brain-based construct, while the MBTI is a psychological construct and the Big Five are based on personality.

[edit] References

Allinson, C.W., & Hayes, J. (1996). The Cognitive Style Index: A measure of intuition-analysis for organizational research. Journal of Management Studies, 33, 119-135.
Ned Herrmann, The Creative Brain, Brain Books, Lake Lure, North Carolina, 1990.
Ned Herrmann, The Whole Brain Business Book, McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, 1996.
Hines, T. (1987). Left brain/right brain mythology and implications for management and training. Academy of Management Review, 12, 600-606
Edward Lumsdaine, M Lumsdanine, Creative Problem Solving, McGraw-Hill, 1995.
Sala, Sergio Della, editor. (1999). Mind myths: Exploring popular assumptions about the mind and brain, J. Wiley & Sons, New York. ISBN 0-471-98303-9.