ABOUT BIRKMAN

ABOUT BIRKMAN

THE BIRKMAN METHOD

The powerful data of The Birkman develops actions that empower our clients to succeed in some of the greatest feats in human achievement. That’s why Birkman is the trusted partner for the biggest brands in industries ranging from technology to space exploration, aeronautics to oil and gas exploration, and nonprofits to championship-winning sports teams. 

“The Birkman Method offers such an articulate way of understanding myself and my fellow humans that I would say that before I learned this information I was grunting and groping in the dark. It provides language and structure where, really, for me, none truly existed before. For savants of human understanding perhaps, but not for mere mortals.”
Alexis T.

Atlanta, GA

“The Birkman is a tool to help understand how people are wired. Knowing these things up front has proven incredibly valuable– I’ve used it both personally and professionally. I’m the father of 4 children, 3 of whom are married. I strongly encouraged each of them to take the Birkman along with their spouse and since that time, they have all made comments to me about how it’s one of the best investments they’ve ever made.

Professionally, I’ve hired hundreds of people and use the Birkman in making every hiring decision. It has proven consistently accurate in aligning the career opportunity with the candidate best suited for the job, and then to help that employee achieve their personal and career goals as well.”

Mark D.

Dayton, OH

THE BIRKMAN METHOD

The powerful data of The Birkman develops actions that empower our clients to succeed in some of the greatest feats in human achievement. That’s why Birkman is the trusted partner for the biggest brands in industries ranging from technology to space exploration, aeronautics to oil and gas exploration, and nonprofits to championship-winning sports teams. 

“The Birkman Method offers such an articulate way of understanding myself and my fellow humans that I would say that before I learned this information I was grunting and groping in the dark. It provides language and structure where, really, for me, none truly existed before. For savants of human understanding perhaps, but not for mere mortals.”
Alexis T.

Atlanta, GA

“The Birkman is a tool to help understand how people are wired. Knowing these things up front has proven incredibly valuable– I’ve used it both personally and professionally. I’m the father of 4 children, 3 of whom are married. I strongly encouraged each of them to take the Birkman along with their spouse and since that time, they have all made comments to me about how it’s one of the best investments they’ve ever made.

Professionally, I’ve hired hundreds of people and use the Birkman in making every hiring decision. It has proven consistently accurate in aligning the career opportunity with the candidate best suited for the job, and then to help that employee achieve their personal and career goals as well.”

Mark D.

Dayton, OH

The reality of life is that your perceptions– right or wrong – influence everything else you do.

~Roger Birkman

The reality of life is that your perceptions– right or wrong – influence everything else you do.

~Roger Birkman

Four Perspectives of Personality:

The Birkman Method reveals four key perspectives of every person: Motivation, Self-Perception, Social Perception, and Mindset. In understanding these perceptions and how they influence each other, individuals can better understand the emotions and actions that drive their life.

1 | Motivation

Birkman’s data on Motivation measures passion and interest for different roles and initiatives in the workplace, and is described through the Birkman Interests. This aspect of The Birkman Method measures broad interest themes that are characteristic of many occupations. Birkman Interests provide awareness into the activities that foster greater engagement and enjoyment and those which can drain one’s energy and result in fatigue. Motivation is a critical factor in finding a fulfilling career path, being engaged in the workplace, and ensuring long-term workplace satisfaction.

2 | Self-Perception

Self-Perception reveals how we see ourselves and drives much of how we show up in the world around us. It’s driven largely by how we have learned to use certain styles to get positive results in past situations. We report this as Usual Behavior, and what is measured on the assessment is typically how a person feels they approach tasks, manage relationships, and contribute to their community.

3 | Social Perception

Social Perception is an individual’s underlying context or filter used to determine if a current situation or environment feels comfortable for the individual. Because this is a measure of an internal state, it is not always apparent to others how someone will act (or react) when circumstances change. Reported as Needs, this information allows a person to anticipate their reaction to new or changing situations in their lives, and thus avoiding the resulting Stress Behavior that might result if they do not manage these expectations. These Needs and expectations are an invisible driving force behind an individual’s behavior.

4 | Mindset

Birkman Mindset data provides insights into an individual’s belief system concerning themselves and others. Birkman addresses specific aspects of Mindset that address interpersonal, intrapersonal, and work alignment of individuals. On a macro-level, these meta-scales allow individuals to see new ways of thinking and confront the pros and cons of their perspectives. These perspectives dive deep into an individual’s subconscious and help explain the why behind one’s actions and behavior patterns.

Myths
About
People

“I’m normal. It’s the other person who is not normal.”

“Behavior is generally predictable when we know how the person perceived the situation and what is important to him or her. While people’s behavior may not appear rational to an outside observer, there is reason to believe it usually is intended to be rational and it is perceived as rational by the person. An outside observer often sees behavior as non-rational because the outside observer does not have access to the same information or does not perceive the environment in the same way.” – Dr. Ed Lawler III, USC Marshall School of Business

The definition of normal, or not normal, is defined by the observer and their unique perspective.

“The best way is my way.”

There is more than one way to accomplish a task or solve a challenge. When the focus becomes too much on our own personal way of doing things we can create barriers for ourselves and others. These barriers close us off to other approaches that may be potentially better. They also can limit our access to information that may be valuable for developing better approaches to work and relationships.

“The way a person behaves is the way you should treat them.”

The way a person acts is not necessarily the way they expect and prefer to be treated. One of the defining features of Birkman, called Needs, reports the unique expectations and preferences we each have. The behavior we observe another person using may not send accurate clues to us for relating to and motivating them. Needs provide key understanding for what drives a person’s behavior.

“Other people feel the way I do.”

People have their own set of unique expectations and preferences that are not easily observed by others. In Birkman we call these Needs. These Needs create a unique perspective from which the person observes, experiences, and judges the environment and people around them. This perspective generates personal thoughts, feelings, and ultimately actions. It is reasonable to assume, then, that others do not necessarily think or feel exactly the way we do about a situation or relationship.

“There is an ideal profile.”

Perhaps life would be easier if we could aspire to an ideal profile. However, ideal profiles simply aren’t practical in the real world. One thing we can count on is change. As situations around us change they call on different behavioral approaches. In part, this is why a person can be effective in one situation, while becoming less effective in another. The person did not change, the situation changed.

The Birkman Method

The results in your preview report are created from your responses to The Birkman Method® Questionnaire. The method was developed empirically by Roger Birkman Ph.D. The assessment is based on scientific study not theory.

Distinguishing Characteristics

Our method produces a comprehensive measure of personality, motivation and interest, achieving what typically requires multiple assessments. With any assessment, the more it measures the more predictive it becomes and the greater level of understanding it provides.

The literature (Colbert, Mount, Harter, Witt, & Barrick, 2004; Terborg, Richardson, & Pritchard, 1980; Tett & Burnett, 2003; Zaccaro, 2007) demonstrates that three distinct factors account for the majority of variance in job performance and job satisfaction:

  1. Characteristics of the individual,
  2. Characteristics of the situation, and
  3. Interaction between the individual and the situation.

The Birkman Method measures all three of the above factors in detail to maximize prediction and understanding. Additionally, Birkman distinguishes between differences of kind and differences of degree, meaning the assessment is capable of identifying the characteristics and the intensity of the characteristic. Through this capability Birkman is able to describe the individual within a variety of situations to deliver practical, actionable information for understanding and managing self, relationships, and careers.

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