WHAT IS HBDI THE WHOLE BRAIN THINKING IN DETAIL DIVERSITY OF THINKING THE POWER OF HBDI THE USE OF HBDI AT WORK

1. By Rida Zaman

2. The HBDI is not about what
you think, but it certainly is
about the way you think.
It's about thinking preference
and how that varies in
individuals.

3. Let's start with the “H,” which stands for Herrmann.
Ned Herrmann is the man who developed The
Whole Brain® concept and created the instrument,
the HBDI®.
Ned was the first person who pioneered the study
of the brain in terms of its application in the field of
business. It was actually born to solve a very
specific business issue. Ned Herrmann was in
charge of the Management Development section
of GE's University. Ned was given the job of
making GE managers more creative. It was in
doing this that Ned developed what has become
known as The Whole Brain® Model and Whole
Brain® Thinking.

4. The “B” In HBDI® Stands For Brain.
• Ned Herrmann's work was based on the brain and its
application to business.
• In the last 30 years, our understanding of the brain has
exploded as technology has allowed us to look inside
the brain to see how it works. Neuroscience is beginning
to have a huge impact on business and education, as
well as our health and well-being.
• The work Ned Herrmann did was about looking at the
brain in terms of its application and what it does, which
is thinking. Ned was able to come up and develop what
is known as The Whole Brain® Model.
• The Whole Brain® Model is a four-quadrant model,
which represents the four major thinking styles. It helps
you make sense of people and the way they think.
• The four quadrants are blue, green, red, and yellow.

5. Whole Brain Thinking
Here’s what it is, how it works, where it came from.
01
04
03
02
Interpersonal, Feeling Based, Kinesthetic,
Emotional
Organized, Sequential, Planned, Detailed
Logical, Analytical, Fact Based, Quantitative
Holistic, Intuitive, Integrating, Synthesizing

6. Diversity of Thinking
7% of people have a
preference in 1 quadrant7%
30% people have a
preference in 3 quadrants
30%
60% of people have a
preference in 2 quadrants
60%
3% of people have a
preference in all 4 quadrants3%
Jupiter is a gas giant
and the biggest planet

7. The “D” in HBDI® stands for dominance.
Like any personality assessment, the
HBDI® places you in the categories that
have your dominant characteristics. We
develop dominant thought patterns. We
develop preferences for certain ways of
thinking. It's that preference that the HBDI®
measures.

8. The Whole Brain Model
01
Blue The HBDI® blue quadrant is the fact-based area
of the brain. Those with a high preference here
have a strong logical and rational side. They are
analyzers and often find mathematical, technical
and problem solving thought processes more
natural.
• A famous blue is Bill Gates.
• A typical blue profession is an engineer.
Blues are interested in the what of given
situations.

9. The Whole Brain Model
02
Green The HBDI® green quadrant is the form-based area of
the brain. Those were the high preference here, have
a strong organized and sequential side. They are
planned and detailed in their approach, often wanting
a plan of how we get there and the desire to know the
next steps.
• A famous green is Queen Elizabeth II.
• A typical green is a project manager.
Greens are interested in the when of any given
situation.

10. The Whole Brain Model
03
Red The HBDI® red quadrant is the feelings-based area
of the brain. Those with a high preference here can
be great communicators. They have a fantastic
interpersonal skill and are often musical with a
spiritual side to their thinking.
• A famous red was Mother Theresa.
• A typical red profession is a teacher.
Reds are interested in the who of given situations
and bothered about relationships.

11. The Whole Brain Model
04
yellow
The HBDI® Yellow Quadrant is the future-based area of the brain.
Those with a high preference here are the ideas people. They are
imaginative, holistic, and conceptual thinkers.
• A famous yellow was Einstein.
• A typical yellow profession is an entrepreneur.
Yellows are interested in the why of any given situation.

12. Blue Green Red Yellow
Bear in mind that you can be a mixture of all of these. Or sometimes you're just one of
them. We can all use each quadrant, but we have preferences, and these preferences can
change depending on the situation we are in.

13. The “I” in HBDI® stands for Instrument.
• The instrument was developed by Ned
Herrmann to give people an
understanding of their thinking preference
in terms of The Whole Brain Model.
• The HBDI asks you 120 questions. These
questions come from a range of different
areas of life: work, home, hobbies, outside
interests, school, education, problem-
solving, creativity.
That information makes up your HBDI®
profile.

14. The Power of the HBDI
• It’s valid, research-based, and clear. 99% of people when they get
their HBDI® look at it and go, “Ah yes. Ah, that makes sense. That
explains it. Now I understand why.” People walk away with a
working understanding of their thinking preference, without
spending a ton of time on it.
• It’s highly actionable, able to be applied to all contexts and
implemented quickly. Once you understand your thinking, it doesn't
matter what you're doing, your understanding of your thinking
preferences applies to all those contexts. One model, one
instrument, multiple applications.
• It’s non-judgmental, simple, and gives you the capacity to develop.

15. The Power of the HBDI
• It’s positive, personally memorable, and about people. The HBDI® is designed
that there is no good, there is no bad, there is no right, there is no wrong.
Each quadrant is just as valid as another. Sometimes one is more appropriate,
but all are good. It's all about people. Not only you but the people you work
with and interact with.
• The instrument is not so much an assessment, but a self-development
instrument. So you can say, “Okay, I want to do this, therefore I can now look
at my HBDI® Profile and know how I need to move and grow to achieve that.”
• So how do organizations use the HBDI®? They really start at an individual
level. Businesses love HDMI® because you don't have to spend days creating
that deep understanding. You get it very quickly, and then you can develop a
deeper understanding.

16. The Power of the HBDI
• A lot of people use this technology for executive coaching as well.
It’s great for teamwork and as a way to look at the way an
organization thinks as a whole. Obviously the more you use it, the
greater the impact. But again, it all starts with you.

17. Use Of HBDI At Work
01
Presenting
Make sure that
there is something
for everyone in
your presentation.
Facts for the blues,
shopper insight for
the reds, the future
for the yellows, and
next steps for the
greens.
Emailing
When you reply to
an email, try to
guess first from
their email, which
color they are, and
then tailor your next
email to them to be
more like them.
02
Meetings
In your next
meeting, look at the
presentation and
try to guess which
color wrote it. Then
ask yourself, which
color would this
appeal to most and
least?
03
Teams
03
At your next team
meeting use HBDI® to
solve a problem. Take
each color in order
and ask, “Blue, what
facts do we
know about this
problem and still need
to know to solve this
problem?” And then
move onto the next
color.

18. The E N D