Whole Brain Model - Explained
What is the Whole Brain Model?
Written by J. Mance Gordon
Updated at April 22nd, 2024
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What is the Whole Brain Model?
The Whole Brain Model, proposed by Ned Herrmann, is a technique that can be used for analyzing personal and organizational thinking preferences.
What is the Whole Brain Model?
The Whole Brain Model is a mental model that describes thinking preferences based upon what is comes naturally to the individual in a situation.
Thinking preferences describe the patterns of what we observe and given weight in the thinking process.
Our preferences or ways of thinking often change based upon emotional experience or life transition.
When we think are behave in a manner that is not consistent with our preferences, it can be more taxing.
What are the Thinking Styles?
The four thinking styles in the Whole Brain Model are:
- Logician. Analytical, mathematical, technical and problem solving.
- Organizer. Controlled, conservative, planned, organized and administrative in nature.
- Communicator. Interpersonal, emotional, musical, spiritual and the "talker" modes.
- Visionary. Imaginative, synthesizing, artistic, holistic and conceptual modes.
Dominant thinking in one of the four thinking styles, causes the development of thinking preferences.
The human brain is driven by a four-quadrant interconnected set of mental processing modes.
Why is the Whole Brain Model Useful?
The whole brain model is an alternative view to the left-brain and right-brain models of thinking.
These four thinking styles originate in the brain's left and right cerebral hemispheres, and in the left and right half limbic systems, each resulting in significantly different and distinct behavioral characteristics in human beings.
Individuals and organizations can benefit from understanding how this complex brain interaction determines thinking mode dominance and thinking style preferences.
The thinking preferences establish our interests, foster the development of competencies, and influence our career choices and ultimately our work.