Overview Of The HBDI®

The world’s leading thinking styles assessment tool, the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument® (HBDI®) is the assessment at the core of Herrmann International’s Whole Brain® Thinking approach. Developed in the 1970s by Ned Herrmann, then a manager at General Electric, more than thirty years of research and innovation stand behind the validity of the HBDI®.

The basis of Whole Brain® Thinking and all Herrmann International learning modules, the HBDI® teaches you how to communicate with those who think the same as you and those who think differently than you. Once an individual understands his or her thinking style preferences, the door is open to improved teamwork, leadership, customer relationships, creativity, problem solving, and other aspects of personal and interpersonal development.

Download a detailed description (PDF) of The Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument® (HBDI®.

The HBDI® Profile

After completing the assessment, an individual receives a comprehensive Profile Package containing his or her HBDI® Profile results along with in-depth interpretation of the results, reference material about the Whole Brain® Model, comparison data, and activities for further exploration and development.

The Profile Package and results can be debriefed by an HBDI® Certified Practitioner as part of a facilitated workshop, coaching session or the HBDI® Fundamentals e-learning program, or they can be delivered via the online simulation program, The Thinking Accelerator™ featuring HBDIinteractive™.

• Learn more about HBDI® Profile Packages and Reports.
• Learn more about the HBDI® Fundamentals E-Learning Program.
• Learn more about The Thinking Accelerator™ featuring HBDIinteractive™. 

Genesis of the HBDI®

In 1976, while researching the brain as the source of creativity, Ned Herrmann learned of the pioneering brain research of Roger Sperry, Paul MacLean, Joseph Bogen and Michael Gazzanaga. From their work it is clear that the brain has four distinct and specialized structures.

Inspired by this research, Herrmann worked with EEG scans and, later, paper-and-pencil questionnaires to identify four distinct types of thinking, each roughly corresponding to one of the brain structures. The result of this research is the Herrmann Whole Brain® Model.

In August 1979, after many tests, in-depth research, and mountains of data, Herrmann had developed a valid self-assessment that enables individuals to understand their own thinking style preferences—the HBDI®.

Theory Behind The HBDI® and Whole Brain® Technology

The asymmetry of the human body leads to the concept of dominance and, in turn, led Ned Herrmann to create the HBDI® and Whole Brain® Technology. Read more on the theory behind the HBDI®. 

The 120-question HBDI® assessment, which is administered by an HBDI® Certified Practitioner, evaluates and describes the degree of preference individuals have for thinking in each of the four brain quadrants, as depicted by the Herrmann Whole Brain® Model.