How Does The HBDI® Compare To Other Psychometric Assessments?

Chances are, in the modern workplace, every individual has at some point taken part in some kind of personal assessment designed to give insight into personality, thinking, and behavioural preferences—essentially, who we are and how we do things. At a minimum, these assessments provide entertaining discussions on a team day, but at their most impactful, they can lay the foundational framework for excelling personally and professionally, enabling ongoing success individually, as a team, and as an organisation.

Our preferred assessment at Cerebration, a subsidiary of Bykov-Brett Enterprises, is The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument® (HBDI®). HBDI® is a powerful psychometric assessment that defines and describes the way people think and process information. Click here if you would like to get more information on Whole Brain® Thinking and the HBDI®.

The HBDI® assessment is a key aspect of our Whole Brain® Thinking workshops, in which we focus on how to apply the information from the assessment to solve organisational challenges. These workshops are met with anticipation and excitement; however, understandably, any assessment is met with some degree of critical appraisal, particularly from seasoned staff who have undergone a multitude of professional profiling.

A recurring question that is normally at the front of participants’ minds is: "How does HBDI® differ from other profiles that I have done before?" It can be hard to tell what each assessment is setting out to measure, and what the value is for you and your team by going through these assessments.

In this article, we will explore what the most popular assessments measure and how the HBDI® compares and contrasts with these tools.

Different Assessments Measure Different Traits

Assessments do not measure the same aspects of individuals, though some do overlap more than others. Even those that measure similar aspects might use different methods to obtain or have different interpretations of that data. Here are some examples of what popular assessments set out to measure:

• MBTI®: Measures personality preferences
• DiSC®: Measures behavioural styles
• Insights®: Measures psychological type
• HBDI®: Measures thinking preferences

Understand the Premise

To answer the question of how HBDI® compares to other assessments, we first need to understand the foundation on which profiling assessments are constructed. In the world of assessments, the premise impacts what information people gain from the assessment.

Four commonly used premises for profiling assessments are:

1. A thinking preferences brain-based assessment considers: “How do I process information?” - The HBDI® is a brain-based assessment.
2. A talent/interest/career assessment considers: “What are my natural talents and interests?” - StrengthsFinders is an example of a talent/interest/career assessment.
3. A psychologically based assessment considers: “What does this mean about me?” - The MBTI® is an example of a psychologically based assessment.
4. A behaviour-based assessment considers: “How do others perceive me?” - DiSC® and 360s are examples of behaviour-based assessments.

While each type of assessment provides unique information about people, there are some similarities in the information provided and what the person can learn. However, because each assessment provides information that describes the person in the language and terminology of its premise, assessments based on different premises will have limited compatibility with each other.

The Premise for HBDI® & Its Validation

Any understanding of the brain relies heavily on metaphors and analogies because they are integral parts of science communication. It is essential that we have effective tools for thinking about the brain, as it helps us solve the problems we encounter in life.

HBDI® utilises a brain metaphor as the basis for exploring our thinking preferences, with the premise being that we all have a brain, we just each use ours differently.

The HBDI® is a validated assessment; a number of assessments are not. Key areas of validation include test/retest reliability, face validity, and internal construct reliability.

"By understanding yourself, you can learn to understand and value others."

– Ned Herrmann (Creator of HBDI® and Whole Brain® Thinking)

HBDI® Profiles can also combine the results of two or more individuals to provide insights into how those who have undertaken the assessment compare, contrast, and collaborate together. The Team Profile™ provides a composite view of the similarities and differences in team members' thinking preferences. Using this information, the group can make adjustments to greatly improve processes, outputs, and outcomes in a range of different applications.

HBDI® is Designed for Business Application

One of the unique aspects of The HBDI® is that it’s not just an assessment that exists in isolation from application. The assessment is partnered with a practical, solutions-focused application model called The Whole Brain® Thinking model. The Whole Brain® Thinking model is an approach to understanding what our preferences mean for the way we interpret our work and the world. This understanding is a powerful way of thinking that equips individuals with a shared understanding of individual preferences.

The Whole Brain® Model serves as a “meta-model” that can describe a wide variety of mental processes and can be universally applied to many different contexts, such as:

• Decision making
• Working in teams
• Communication
• Mitigating bias
• Strategic planning
• Customer viewpoints
• Corporate culture
• Difficult conversations

Got You Thinking?

So, now that you know a bit about Whole Brain® Thinking, perhaps you’d like to find out more and explore how this could be helpful to you and your business. Why not book a 30-minute, no-obligation virtual meeting with one of our Herrmann Certified Practitioners who can give you more information and answer any questions you might have?