Question: “I’ve got a client with a (insert color here) Usual symbol on the Birkman Map, but their (insert Component here) score says the opposite! How can that be?”

Question: “I’ve got a client with a (insert color here) Usual symbol on the Birkman Map, but their (insert Component here) score says the opposite! How can that be?”

Answer:

From a psychometric point of view, you can’t directly compare the Component scores to the Colors on the Birkman Map. This is because the Birkman Map and Components are not calculated using the exact same questions from the questionnaire.

It’s important to keep in mind that the Birkman Map measures two unique continuums: extroversion/introversion and task-orientation/people-orientation. These two continuums use specific questions from the questionnaire to plot one’s Usual Behavior and Needs onto the Birkman Map.

The Components measure nine constructs of personality, and these constructs align to the Birkman Map in varying degrees. This is why, while there are shared questions across the calculations for the Map and nine Components, the questions used are not exactly the same—essentially, they are measuring different characteristics.

The Birkman Map is best used to provide a high-level view of someone’s personality, while the Components provide deep dives into specific behavioral areas. So, what can you say when a respondent has a Green Usual Behavior on the Birkman Map but also has an Insistence Component score of 99 (a Yellow behavior that is “opposite” of Green)?

“Overall, you tend to demonstrate the strengths associated with Greens, which is taking a more extroverted, people-oriented approach. A unique layer that your Insistent Component score adds onto this is that, in addition to being extroverted and people-oriented, you also tend to be insistent, methodical, and like to do things the right way. While this characteristic is actually opposite from what the Green archetype represents, it’s a unique quality that likely really adds to your strengths at work.”

It’s common for respondents to have at least one Component score that is opposite from the color of their Birkman symbols. Instead of worrying about this discrepancy, celebrate and dig into it—they provide different information that allow us to discuss the nuances that make each respondent the unique person they are. After all, this is exactly why Birkman provides both the Map and Components—people are too complex to be understood by only four Colors, and yet sometimes we still need a simple way to talk about ourselves to those around us.