Utilize the Power of The Birkman Method
The Birkman Signature is our advanced behavior report that delivers data-rich insights to drive successful organizational development and to help you grow professionally. Our high-level personality data will help you increase emotional intelligence, amplify growth, and strengthen performance.
Highlights of the Signature report include:
- Can be used to coach individuals through each stage of the employee lifecycle
- Covers insights such as strengths and blind spots
- Measure interests, behavior, and motivation
- Data on nine different behavioral Components
- Can be used in any area of your organization to empower performance
What Does Birkman Measure?
Usual Behavior
Usual Behavior drives how people perceive us, both at work and in our personal lives. This facet of our personality represents how we are typically most productive, how others see us, and what we look like when our lives are in balance.
Your Usual Behavior reflects your natural strengths and keeps you motivated when successfully applied in the workplace. When your social expectations are not met, you’re at heightened risk of entering Stress Behaviors and becoming unproductive.
When Usual Behaviors are in contrast with the oppositional workstyles of others, the interpersonal dynamics that result are a common source of misunderstanding, misperception, and conflict.
Needs and Stress Behavior
Our Needs reflect the social expectations we consider truth. Highly individual, Needs can vary greatly among any group of people. They represent how we perceive the world, how others should treat us, and the work environment in which we are at balance, motivated, and effective.
Stress Behavior represents the most ineffective aspects of individual personality. When our Needs go broadly unmet, our reactions to work and social environments are less likely to be productive and more likely to lead to failure and conflict. Understanding the underlying causes and manifestation of Stress behavior helps us self-manage and increase our emotional intelligence to be more effective.

Interests
Interests reflect the activities you naturally gravitate towards and enjoy. At work, engaging your interests can motivate and keep you productive. When you spend time on your interests outside of work, you feel more balanced and energized when you return to your job.
Interests can influence what team members prioritize and the perceptions of how coworkers focus time and energy, leading to behavior consequences. We measure ten Interests including Outdoor, Scientific, Technical, Persuasive, Social Service, Artistic, Literary, Musical, Administrative, and Numerical, helping you connect each of these to occupational data that can increase your success.

Grow With Our Advanced Behavior Insights
The Nine Birkman Behavior Components are:

Social Energy
Your sociability, approachability, and preference for group and team participation

Physical Energy
Your preferred pace for action and physical expression of energy

Emotional Energy
Your openness and comfort with expressing emotion

Self-Consciousness
Your use of sensitivity when communicating with others

Assertiveness
Your tendency to speak up and express opinions openly and forcefully

Insistence
Your approach to detail, structure, follow-through, and routine

Incentives
Your drive for personal rewards or preference to share in group reward

Restlessness
How you choose to focus attention or change focus and seek varied activities

Thought
Your decision-making process and concern for consequences in making the right decisions
Empower Performance with the Birkman Signature
Due to the depth and complexity of data in the Birkman Signature, a Birkman Certified Professional is required to interpret and guide your results. Our worldwide network of Birkman experts is here to help. If you prefer to work within your own organization, you can empower any number of your team members to become Birkman Certified. Check out our training schedule to identify a certification opportunity for you.
Looking for quicker access and not able to commit to certification? You can begin your organizational work with our Birkman Basics, which includes quick access to data in a self-interpreted report. Find what solution best fits your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Why do people choose Signature over Basics or Insights?
A. Our Signature includes access to Birkman Components, the secret sauce that we’re known for. The unparallelled level of insight provided through these scales allows individuals to discover unique behaviors, beliefs, and preferences regarding interpersonal, personal, and organizational situations. While our Basics report offers general personality insights, Signature digs deep into these more deeply-hidden tendencies for more powerful insights.
Q. Can I use both Signature and Basics in my account?
A. Many organizations actually use both. Basics is often used for talent selection or light team building exercises, while Signature is used for management level or solving in-depth issues. Having the common Birkman language throughout the company is beneficial for unifying teams.
Q. Why is certification required to access the Signature report?
A. We never recommend handing someone their Birkman Signature Report and letting them interpret it themselves—the information is too robust and necessitates a conversation about the scales reflected and what the implications of their scores mean for them. It sets the person up to have misconceptions rather than the meaningful experience it is designed to be. If you want information about self-interpretive reports, check out our Basics report.
Q. I’m very experienced with assessments and have extensive training in this field. Why are you requiring that I attend Signature Certification to access these reports?
A. Birkman Certification is about Birkman concepts and how to lead a Birkman Conversation with others. While a background in facilitation is valuable and definitely helps, the concepts reflected by Birkman are complex enough that there is no substitute for in-person training from our experts. If it helps reassure you, most of the attendees to Signature Certification are also very experienced in HR, executive coaching, training, or talent development—the course material is designed with you in mind.
Get the richest personality and behavior data set with the Birkman Signature.
Download Sample Signature Report
Curious to get a feel for the data and insights available? Tell us where to send you a sample copy