Glossary

Accommodate

Having from 4 -6 units of mental energy in an Action Mode, indicating a drive to ReAct in the mode as needed. Accommodations/ReActions are just as powerful as Initiating Actions. Those who have strengths in this zone Accommodate action, or Respond as needed in this area, building a bridge between those whose strengths fall on either end of the continuum.

Action Modes^®

As identified by Kathy Kolbe, four distinct, measurable clusters of behavior which result from engaging our striving instincts: Fact Finder, Follow Thru, Quick Start, and Implementor.

Affective/Affect

The affective part of the mind relates to emotions, feelings, and moods, influencing how we react to situations and interact with others. It is one of the three main components of the mind, alongside the cognitive (thinking) and conative (doing) parts. Often measured on “personality tests” or social style instruments.

CoAct/CoAction

Initiating Action in one of the Action Modes combined with another insistent (or highly responding) mode. The Initiating Actions will have a duality of expression in those two modes.

Cognitive/Cognition

Cognition refers to the mental processes involved in acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. It includes functions such as thinking, memory, attention, and perception. It is one of the three main components of the mind, alongside the affective (feeling) and conative (doing) parts. Often measured by intelligence tests.

Commitment

Guarantee that the necessary mental energy will be allocated to accomplish a goal.

Conative/Conation

Conation refers to action derived from instinct; purposeful mode of striving, volition; the mental processes that drive intentional, goal-directed behavior, encompassing aspects like impulse, desire, volition, and striving. Measured by the Kolbe A Index. It is one of the three main components of the mind, alongside the affective (feeling) and cognitive (thinking).

Conative Clones

People whose instinctive way of taking action is so similar that they replicate each other’s performance.

Conative Cloning

Replication of Kolbe Strengths; too much of a good a thing.

Conative Stress

The result of a compelling need being denied when one’s natural drive is thwarted, creating unproductive pressure on the individual.

Conflict – Conative

Conative stress that results from differences between two people in any Action Mode. The result of two people with significantly different conative strengths working closely together in a way that makes their differing strengths oppose, rather than compliment each other.

CounterAct

Having from 1-3 units of mental energy in an Action Mode, indicating a drive to resist action or prevent problems related to that Action Mode. CounterAct strengths are just as powerful as Initiating strengths.

Facilitator

A person with three or four Action Modes in the ReAct Zone of Operation and no mode of Initiating Action. Also termed Mediator.

Fact Finder

The instinctive way we gather and share information. Behavior ranges from striving to be a specialist by gathering detailed information to someone who will naturally simplify by generalizing.

Follow Thru

The instinctive way we organize. Behavior ranges from being systematic and structured to someone who will be more adaptable by varying the approach.

Implementor

The instinctive way we handle space and tangibles. Behavior ranges from making things more concrete by building solutions to someone who will be more abstract by imagining a solution.

Inertia

Loss of productivity caused by the uniformity of action among people in an organization.

Initiating Actions

Having from 7-10 units of mental energy in an Action Mode, indicating a drive to take action related to that Action Mode. One of three equal Zones of Operation. When free to be themselves, people with this strength begin the problem-solving process in this Mode.

Instincts

Occurring below the conscious level, a natural or inherent impulse resulting in a pattern of behaviors.

Instinct – Conative

Mental energies which are: universal, intrinsic, individual talents, seminal, valid across cultures, needs, innate, natural, authentic, inborn tendencies to strive or initiate action through probing, patterning, innovating, and demonstrating.

Kolbe Career Advantage™

An instinct-based career matching program that identifies how you naturally take action and connects you with careers that fit your innate way of doing so.

Kolbe Concept^®

Kathy Kolbe’s description of the human mental process involving the Cognitive, Conative and Affective parts of the mind that results in the development of something that has not previously existed or the process that naturally takes place when the mind is focused on solving a particular problem.

Kolbe Creative Process™

The mental process that results in the development of something that has not previously existed; also the mental process that naturally takes place when the mind is focused on solving a particular problem.

Kolbe Hierarchy of Human Effort

Kathy Kolbe’s five-tier model of the graduated, sequential steps that lead to higher levels of thinking, feeling and taking action in the creative problem-solving process.

Kolbe Indexes

Kolbe A™ Index

An instrument designed by Kathy Kolbe that quantifies the degree of natural talent an individual possesses in each Action Mode.

Kolbe B™ Index

An instrument designed by Kathy Kolbe that measures self-perceptions of job requirements.

Kolbe C™ Index

An instrument designed by Kathy Kolbe that indicates the conative requirements for success in a job as described by any third party, frequently a supervisor.

Kolbe R™ Index

An instrument designed by Kathy Kolbe to identify how one person wishes the other person would take action in a personal relationship.

Kolbe Y™ Index

An instrument designed by Kathy Kolbe for a 5th grade reading level to age 17 and is the youth version of the Kolbe A Index.

Kolbe Strengths™

The twelve ways of taking instinctive action when problem-solving. Each of us takes action in each of the four Action Modes and our uniqueness derives from the combinations.

Kolbe Theory of Conation

The theory of individual performance driven by instinctive behaviors originated by Kathy Kolbe. It includes psychometric measurements identifying natural talents and providing a pathway to higher productivity and greater satisfaction. Details of the Theory are described in the Kolbe Axioms

Kolbe Wisdom™

Creating solutions through intelligence, integrity and trusting your instincts.

Mediator

See Facilitator.

Mental Energy

Internal power sources available to drive one’s instincts toward goal-directed activity.

MO/Modus Operandi/Method of Operation

Numerical representation of one’s instinctive way of taking action as measured across the four Action Modes.

Natural Advantage™

A brief introduction to a person’s conative strengths, focusing on their strength in one of the Action Modes, and derived from the questions for the Kolbe A Index.

Prevent

Having from 1-3 units of mental energy in an Action Mode, indicating a drive to CounterAct or resist action related to that Action Mode. CounterAct strengths are just as powerful as Initiating strengths.

Quick Start

The instinctive way we deal with risk and uncertainty. Behavior ranges from driving change and innovation to someone who will stabilize by preventing chaos.

ReAct

Having from 4 -6 units of mental energy in an Action Mode, indicating a drive to accommodate in the mode as needed. ReActions are just as powerful as Initiating Actions. Those who have strengths in this zone Accommodate action, or Respond as needed in this area, building a bridge between those whose strengths fall on either end of the continuum.

Resistance

See CounterAct.

Respond

See ReAct.

Strain – Conative

Striving Instincts

Mental energies that are universal, intrinsic, individual talents, seminal, valid across cultures, needs, innate, natural, authentic and inborn tendencies to strive or Initiate action through probing, patterning, innovating, and demonstrating. See also Instinct – Conative.

Striving Zones

Three equal conative Zones of Operation as measured by the Kolbe A Index.

Synergy

Kathy Kolbe defines Synergy as a productive balance of complementary conative talents. The ideal distribution of conative energy is 25 percent CounterActing problems, 50 percent ReActing to problems, and 25 percent Initiating solutions.

Tension – Conative

Three Parts of the Mind (3-Dimensional mind) 

The mind controls the actions stimulated by the Will and transmitted by the Striving Instincts. Every individual has three mental faculties: Cognitive or intellectual, which controls thought Affective or emotional, which controls feelings Conative or functional, which controls actions

Think-ercise!^®

Exercises that involve the use of all three parts of the mind to do creative problem-solving.

Transition Result

Transition, or Conative Transition is a result on the Kolbe A™ Index that indicates the result is not indicative of the person true, permanent conative strengths. This is often caused by significant, but transitory factors in someone’s life that make it difficult for the person to identify and tap into their instinctive conative strengths. These factors can be both personal and professional – things like a new job, a new marriage, a serious health issue, or moving. The Index taker often feels a tug of war between how they are being told to or think they should operate, and how they naturally take action when free to be themselves. Kolbe Corp’s research shows that approximately 6-9% of the population is in Transition at any given time.

Will

The power of control the mind has over whether, or to what degree, to engage the striving instincts. Although an intellectual awareness of the need to employ these instincts or an affective concern for their use may exist, free will makes that determination.

Zones of Operation

The perspective through which people naturally use a Striving Instinct—what they will do, won’t do, or are willing to do. In Kathy Kolbe’s expression, the zones include Initiate (insistence, 7-10), CounterAct (prevention or resistance, 1-3), and ReAct (response or accommodation, 4-6)

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