Anyone working with personality models knows the balancing act: on the one hand, you want to stay practical (for executives, teams, coaches, HR). On the other hand, especially in assessment-related contexts, you need a strong scientific foundation that leaves no room for doubt.
This is exactly where HEXACO has established itself as a personality model. HEXACO is a model that captures so-called traits, meaning the core personality characteristics of a person, and describes their personality using six overarching factors.
What is the HEXACO Model?
The HEXACO model is a personality model that captures stable core personality traits by measuring a person’s individual scores across six overarching scales (the factors) and four subscales for each factor (the facets or traits). It was developed by the two Canadian psychologists Kibeom Lee and Michael C. Ashton. They first introduced the model in the year 2000 and later also in their joint book “The H Factor of Personality”. HEXACO does not answer the question “How am I behaving right now?” but instead “Why do I behave this way?”
Important for practice:
HEXACO does not define types. The scales and subscales in HEXACO are continua on which a person positions themselves. This means that it is a combination of the scores across factors and facets that shapes the overall picture of an individual’s personality.
Based on the questionnaire developed by Ashton and Lee (HEXACO PI R) and the underlying theory, persolog has developed a pragmatic tool for training and coaching. This resulted in the persolog® CORE SIX model, which focuses on the core personality of a person and enables real growth.
The 6 HEXACO Factors at a Glance
The acronym HEXACO stands for the six factors in their English terms:
- H — Honesty & Humility
- E — Emotionality
- X — Extraversion
- A — Agreeableness
- C — Conscientiousness
- O — Openness to Experience
To use the model, you need two perspectives:
- What do high and low scores mean for the six factors and their facets?
- What consequences do a person’s characteristics have for their private and professional life?
That is exactly what we will now look at factor by factor.
(1) Honesty and Humility: Integrity, Fairness, and Status Orientation
Honesty and Humility is for many people the “aha” factor in the HEXACO model. Unlike the classic Big Five model, the traits of this factor are measured separately in HEXACO. Specifically, the Honesty and Humility factor includes the following traits or facets:
- Sincerity
- Fairness
- Modesty
- Materialistic low greed
Practical relevance in coaching, training, and HR:
- How is trust built or lost?
- How is the pursuit of status and power perceived in the environment?
- How clear or flexible is a person in relation to their values and principles?
One thing is extremely important here: a lower score is not automatically bad. In some contexts, people with high tactical flexibility are perceived as assertive or politically skilled. The key factor is the fit with the respective environment.
(2) Emotionality: Dealing with Anxiety, Needs for Security and Independence
(3) Extraversion: Energy, Presence, and Self Confidence
The Extraversion factor combines the following traits or facets:
- Social self confidence
- Social boldness
- Sociability
- Liveliness
Practical relevance:
- Who generates energy in a team and who needs withdrawal to stay effective?
- How does presence emerge in a social context?
- Where does a person’s unwavering optimism come from?
In teams, misunderstandings often arise here: one person is perceived as “too loud and dominant,” while another is seen as “too passive and quiet.” HEXACO helps explain such tensions as differences in core personality and place them in the right context.
(4) Agreeableness: Conflict Behavior and Willingness to Cooperate
The Agreeableness factor includes the following traits or facets:
- Forgiveness
- Leniency
- Compromising
- Patience
Practical relevance:
- Which conflict patterns repeatedly emerge in teams?
- Why do some people experience clarity as an attack, while others perceive harmony as avoidance?
- How quickly is trust repaired after conflicts?
Important: the tension within this factor is central. High agreeableness can create stability, but may sometimes be perceived as overly mild and conflict avoidant. Lower scores can support clarity and boundary setting, but may also increase the risk of escalation.
(5) Conscientiousness: Structure, Discipline, and Goal Orientation
The Conscientiousness factor includes the following traits or facets:
- Organization
- Diligence
- Perfectionism
- Prudence
Practical relevance:
- Why do some people function “through structure” while others function “despite structure”?
- Where do frictions arise between speed and thoroughness?
- Why is the principle of “think first, then act” sometimes reversed?
The Conscientiousness factor is considered central for professional success and, in the case of a good fit between organization and person, also for long term organizational commitment.
(6) Openness to Experience: Thinking, Culture, Creativity, and Unconventionality
Openness to Experience can include:
- A sense of aesthetics
- Curiosity
- Creativity
- Unconventionality
Practical relevance:
- How easily do learning, perspective shifts, and experimentation come
- How strong is the drive to replace proven approaches with new ones?
- What can tensions in change processes be attributed to?
Openness to Experience is often the factor that explains why some people experience change as an opportunity, while others perceive any form of change as a constant burden.
A common mistake when applying the HEXACO model is to focus only on the six higher order factors and then draw quick interpretations. In practice, the value of HEXACO increases significantly when you also consider the facets:
- Two people can have the same overall score but completely different facet profiles.
- It becomes especially interesting where facets are combined in unusual ways (for example, forgiving but not very willing to compromise).
This is the point at which an abstract model turns into a concrete basis for conversation.
What Is HEXACO Especially Useful For?
The Most Important Takeaway Sentence
At the current state of research, HEXACO provides a differentiated view of a person’s core personality without stigmatizing them.
Nathalie Sonntag is Head of Training at persolog. As a psychologist (M.Sc.), she is passionate about supporting people in their individual development. Through her work in research and training at persolog, she combines scientific insights with practical methods to create well founded and effective approaches for personal and professional development. She has been training executives, trainers, and coaches in the persolog models for over 10 years and has conducted more than 500 workshops.
