What is the Herrmann Model and the HBDI Tool?

In sales training, there are many sales techniques that rely on analyzing prospect profiles to tailor your sales pitch. Ned Herrmann’s brain preference approach highlights four preferred thinking modes that interconnect and explain the diversity and richness of our individual ways of functioning.

What does the Herrmann Model mean?

The theory behind the Whole Brain model and the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI) is supported by over 30 years of scientific research, with reliability and validity proven through a global database of more than a million individuals.

Ned Herrmann, the creator of the Whole Brain® model, aimed to apply brain research to the Business world. This model is based on the neuroscientific principle that the brain works in systems, identifying four systems that help explain both professional and personal success.

In his brain dominance model (HBDI), Herrmann describes four different thinking styles.

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1. Analytical Thinking

Keywords: logical, factual, critical, technical, quantitative

Preferred activities: gathering data, analysis, understanding how things work, judging ideas based on facts, criteria, and logical reasoning.

2. Sequential Thinking

Keywords: cautious, structured, organized, detail-oriented, planning

Preferred activities: following instructions, detail-focused work, step-by-step problem solving, organizing, implementing.

3. Interpersonal Thinking

Keywords: kinesthetic, emotional, spiritual, sensory, feeling

Preferred activities: listening and expressing ideas, seeking personal meaning, sensory input, group interaction.

4. Imaginative Thinking

Keywords: visual, holistic, intuitive, innovative, conceptual

Preferred activities: seeing the big picture, taking initiative, challenging assumptions, visual elements, metaphorical thinking, creative problem solving, long-term reflection.

Learn More About the Herrmann Model

The Herrmann Model is based on theories of modular cognitive functions, including well-documented specializations of the brain’s cortex and limbic systems, as well as research on left-brain/right-brain lateralization by Roger Wolcott Sperry, Robert Ornstein, Henry Montzberg, and Michael Gazzaniga.

These theories were developed to reflect a metaphor for how individuals think and learn. The use of this metaphor has been criticized by brain researchers like Terence Hines for being too simplistic, though supporters argue that the metaphorical framework has been beneficial in organizational contexts, especially in companies and governments.

The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI)

This tool consists of a 116-question assessment that determines your degree of preference for each of the four Herrmann thinking modes. More than one style can be dominant. For example, in the Herrmann model, a person may have strong preferences for analytical and sequential thinking, but lower preferences for interpersonal and imaginative thinking. Herrmann also asserts that everyone uses all styles to varying degrees.

This makes it possible to understand how our career choices, ways of working, learning, managing, and communicating are influenced by our brain preferences.