Emergenetics

Generalities

The system Emergenetics was created by Geil Browning in 1991. The company that publishes the system is based in Centennial Colorado. Emergenetics is distributed by a network of distributors in the USA and abroad.

The survey comprises 100 items that may take up to one hour to complete. It measures seven dimensions in two groups. The first group is said to be about how people think: analytical, conceptual, structural, and social. The second group is said to be about how people behave: expressiveness, assertiveness, flexibility.

The Emergenetics model is proposed for use in communication, motivation, group dynamics, dialogue, and understanding personal preferences to heighten strength, interest, and performance. It’s not explicitly proposed for recruitment.

Emergenetics Model

The Emergenetics model is said to be nomological, practical, and also robust. But so are all the other systems that provide a framework and results in a simple way so as to help people think about themselves and others. There is nothing specific to the Emergenetics model that makes it more simple and more valuable than any other model that can be presented in a simple way.

The model seems to borrow from the socio-analytic framework that provides more actionable information than if it were only built on the FFM (Five-Factor Model of personality) traits analysis.

There are different ways to depart from the FFM, but mixing thinking traits and behavioral traits doesn’t help. Ultimately, the test measures traits, which can eventually be observed by how people act, whatever their origin. The long-standing dichotomy between body and mind doesn’t help to better understand how people interact with each other.

The FFM is a test that assesses five factors of the Big-5 theory. The theory has evolved since the 1990s, and the consensus on replicable dimensions of personality across cultures is closer to three nowadays. The research on a reduced number of personality dimensions has helped evidence the potential overlap existing between traits, as they were typically measured with personality questionnaires. Most systems have now been revisited to remove these overlaps, reducing the number of dimensions being measured.

The seven dimensions of Emergenetics are not exempt from major overlaps, even if they claim that the traits come in two distinct groups of thinking and behaving.

Emergenetics says that the two groups help implement a simple and practical approach to their understanding of people and services to their clients. But again, so does any model that may claim to be scientific because it relates to some research studies.

Work Relatedness and Use in Recruitment

The work-relatedness of a survey is an important characteristic for its potential use in recruitment. The constructs being measured not only need to be sound, valid, reliable, follow psychometric standards and be practical, but also need to relate to what’s needed in a job.

We could also argue that work-relatedness is important for other applications of measurement in the workplace, as opposed to measuring dimensions in abstract or that are clinical.

The use of Emergenetics in recruitment is nowhere mentioned or at least not in the technical report and website, but only in other use one-on-one dialogue, and team dynamic.

On the contrary, A factor-based approach can be built to match dimensions that can be found on jobs as well.

Internet Platform

It does not seem that Emergenetics has a platform like the GRI does.

Users of Emergenetics are provided with reports like most personality systems do, explaining the results and their context. There is also a report for teams that displays individual results next to each other.

On the other hand, GRI provides a connection to results online, with the capacity to compare everyone’s results with others, jobs, as well as print reports and learn about the results.

GRI provides tools to analyze people, positions, and teams. Advanced users are provided with tools to manage surveys and their results.

The platform is also used for learning about the GRI model and scaling it within the organization.

Key Dimensions - Broad Understanding of Talent The GRI focuses on a limited number of key, work-related, replicable factors among individuals that remain consistent across age, culture, and gender. We analyze how these factors influence each other and define a person’s unique behavior patterns.

Other components of one’s personality need to be assessed in addition to the GRI behavior profiles. But those other components such as experience, skills, intellectual abilities, or values, are easier to obtain from the Internet or other techniques. Emergenetics is not specific on the other components not assessed by their test.

GRI’s way of measuring the four dimensions brings additional nuances to the understanding of people’s behaviors. GRI scales are standard deviations. Emergenetics’ are percentiles. We measure the dimensions along a Gauss curve, with extremes to the low and high sides. They measure traits from left to right. We combine the four factors for understanding even more nuances. Emergenetics doesn’t not seem to go that far.

Dynamic Model of Personality

The GRI not only measures an individual’s predictable, repeatable patterns of behavior but also how they adapt to their environment.

We call our model “dynamic,” which refers to the elastic nature of our personality’s ability to adapt and evolve. We measure the emotional labor it may take to perform distantly from where we have more strengths.

The GRI assesses how employees perceive to adapt to their job—or whatever other situation for candidates—and if they feel stimulated. Emergenetics does not provide this assessment.

Time to Collect Information

With 100 questions for Emergenetics’ test, the time to collect information is much longer than with the two-question GRI survey.

We can argue that 1) Only up to 10 minutes is sufficient to measure what we like to measure 2) We can collect more useful information with our two questions and statistics than with a questionnaire such as the one of Emergenetics.

Job Focus

It does not look like Emergenetics provides any tools and methodologies to consider jobs, before looking at candidates.

We have developed tools and techniques for executives and recruiters to more easily assess jobs and create a consensus on the behavior required.

We have gathered data on hundreds of jobs, such as sales or client services, to assist in analyzing a wide variety of positions within a company.

Team Focus

With a factor-based approach, individuals can be understood within the context of their teams.

How people complement each other in order to reach common goals and how a manager’s style impacts team members are important information for understanding the path to team success.

Although Emergenetics produces a team report, It does not look like it has gone as far as the GRI in analyzing teams.

Transformative Learning

The lessons taught at management and leadership development training most often vanish in a few weeks. Not with the GRI.

Our GRI seminar and coaching series are the most stimulating experience provided to our clients. The knowledge of the GRI starts to grow and stick from the first minutes of our sessions.

Scalable The GRI scales within an organization, providing executives, managers, and employees alike with a unique language to address complex people issues. Online learning speeds up integration and usage within a company. Most other systems stay in the hands of a few experts.

A company that starts the GRI in recruitment can seamlessly move the information to candidates themselves employees and managers.

Candidates can feel better understood and engaged from the beginning. Managers can better understand their teammates as soon as they start their job. Other teammates who went through the GRI’s experience can better relate and work with their new colleagues.