The Preferences Model

Revealing The Hidden Patterns Behind How People Think In Real Time

Built for fast-moving founders and teams scaling up in a demanding environment.
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Most teams don’t struggle due to a lack of intent or talent. They struggle because people think differently and don’t know how to work with those differences. This becomes especially visible in scale-ups, where fast pace and pressure amplify the gaps.

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framework

Where Most Models Stop, The Preferences Model Starts

4.9 of 800 reviews on Clutch

Most frameworks simplify people into types or categories. But teamwork doesn’t happen in isolation. It happens in interaction. Each person brings a uniquely dynamic way of thinking, deciding, and working, especially under pressure.

The Preferences Model doesn’t just explain how individuals operate. It reveals what happens when different ways of thinking converge. This is where tension, misfires, and missed expectations often begin. And it’s precisely what makes the model so effective. It focuses on the space between people and how to work with it. The clarity it creates makes it easier to build trust, solve challenges, and lead confidently, without needing everyone to think alike.

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From Misfires to Momentum

The Preferences Model doesn’t tell you who people are. It shows you how they tend to think and operate when it matters most, turning invisible tension into clarity and differences into practical advantage.

That’s why we use it: to transform friction into fast alignment and scalable growth.

applications

Apply It From Teams to Strategy

The Preferences Model is designed to be practical. It can be applied wherever people need to align, make decisions, perform tasks, or grow. It is especially valuable in fast-paced, high-stakes environments, and its strength lies in its versatility.
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At InnerEdge, we use the Preferences Model as a core tool in our coaching, team development sessions, and leadership off-sites.

Organizational Growth & Transformation

Organizational design and scaling
Leading change and communicating through transitions
Building high-performance cultures
Embedding inclusion through thinking diversity

Leadership & Team Development

Team building and alignment
Coaching and personal development
Communication & feedback
Engaging and leading remote teams
Resolving conflict

Customer-Facing Strategy & Execution

Strategic planning
Operations & people management
Product strategy & Marketing
User onboarding and product design
Customer service and sales

Practice

What It Looks Like In Practice

4.9 of 800 reviews on Clutch

The Preferences Model is applied through guided observation, structured dialogue, and contextual facilitation. There are no personality tests or fixed categories. Instead, it starts with how people engage in real situations, such as how they tend to learn, process, decide, and lead. These patterns become visible and workable when people notice how their inherent thinking preferences show up in collaboration, in high-stakes situations, and during execution.

This practical awareness leads to immediate outcomes. People begin to name the friction they have been feeling. Decisions become clearer. Feedback gains traction. Teams align faster and work with greater ease, not because they have changed who they are, but because they understand their differences and how to leverage them.
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Whether used in coaching, team development, strategic planning, or leadership transitions, the model serves as a lens for making sense of human dynamics in real time. That clarity continues to support alignment and execution long after the conversation ends.

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Practice

Making Conflict Work for You, Not Against You

Most Frictions
aren't Personal

Teams don’t fall apart because of intentional conflicts. They get stuck in the subtle, repeated tensions they fail to overcome. What feels personal is often just a difference in how people think.

The Preferences Model helps you trace conflict back to its cognitive roots, not just behavior. It makes invisible tension not only visible but also workable in building synergy. Teams learn to navigate disagreements without escalation, and leaders gain the clarity to respond instead of react. That’s when conflict becomes forward motion.

Build High-Performance Teams Without the Guesswork

Super Teams Are Built,
Not Hired

Super teams aren’t formed through hiring methods or personality fit. They are built on a deep understanding of how people work together. That’s what builds trust and drives performance.
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The Preferences Model gives you that clarity. It reveals the strengths and gaps in a team’s thinking, including what gets missed when pressure rises or communication breaks down. This is especially powerful for remote teams, where friction can hide until performance suffers.

A Real-Time Sense-Making Tool

Built on Research,
Proven in Practice

The Preferences Model was developed through a scientific design process, drawing on validated research from cognitive science, team dynamics, and systems thinking. It was not created as a top-down tool based on questionnaires to classify people or promote types. Instead, it synthesizes core patterns found across respected academic frameworks to form a real-time framework, enabling a bottom-up approach where people’s awareness and behavior change lead to greater outcomes naturally and systematically.

The model was first proposed in 2011 and validated through practical application in the years that followed, working with thousands of examples. Its core structure has remained solid, while its applications have continued to evolve through coaching, leadership development, strategy work, and organizational use.
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Ongoing academic collaborations are expanding the reach of the Preferences Model even further. New developments are exploring how it can be applied in education, coaching, and intelligent systems, including AI-supported use in fast-changing environments.
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InnerEdge has been the primary user and facilitator of the model since 2025. We have refined the model’s practical impact through hands-on work with hundreds of leaders navigating real growth challenges.

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FAQ

In case there are questions.

Here are the questions founders ask us most before starting their coaching journey.

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Is the Preferences Model a personality tool?

No. It does not categorize people into types or profiles. The model focuses on thinking preferences and how they manifest in real-world work. It is designed to support awareness, not identity labeling.

Does it involve tests or questionnaires?

No. The model avoids static assessments and scoring. It works through guided observation, structured dialogue, and real-world context to help teams and leaders make sense of how people actually think and interact.

Is it scientific and evidence-based?

Yes. The model is built on decades of academic research across cognitive science, learning and communication theory, systems thinking, and organizational behavior. It continues to evolve through field use and research collaboration.

Can it be used in hiring or candidate selection?

Not directly. The Preferences Model is not a screening tool. However, it can inform recruitment strategy and team design by helping organizations build cognitive diversity with intent.

Does it require a certified coach to use?

No certification is required, but working with a trained facilitator or coach ensures clarity and impact, especially in complex or high-stakes environments.

Can we collaborate to apply or study the model?

Yes. We actively welcome partnerships with researchers, educators, and organizations exploring learning, leadership, systems, or intelligent technologies.

See the Preferences Model in Action

Bring it into your team, leadership session, or strategy work. Contact us to discuss potential collaboration, keynotes, education, or research opportunities.

contact@inneredge.fi

@inneredge

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