William C. Byham is chairman, CEO, and cofounder of Development Dimensions International (DDI), a global human resource consulting firm specializing in leadership development and selection system design and implementation. Before founding DDI in 1970, Dr. Byham was manager of selection, appraisal, and general management development for J.C. Penney Company.
At both J.C. Penney and DDI, Dr. Byham pioneered a number of important human resource technologies that have had a significant impact on how people are managed. These technologies include the assessment center method, behavior-based interviewing, behavior modeling, behavioral job analysis methodology, and Acceleration Pools. These technologies have been described in 20 books and 170 monographs and articles written by Dr. Byham.
Dr. Byham is particularly well known for his work with the assessment center method. For more than 30 years, he has been the principal researcher and developer of the technology. He has written and edited two books discussing research and application, Assessment Centers and Managerial Performance (coauthored with George Thornton) and Applying the Assessment Center Method (coedited with Joseph Moses).
Dr. Byham is also well known for his work on improving organizational effectiveness. He has coauthored three books on teams and five books on empowerment, including Zapp!® The Lightning of Empowerment, a worldwide best-seller.
Dr. Byham and his DDI colleagues have developed executive development programs to diagnose leadership deficiencies as well as programs to fill leadership gaps in thousands of organizations around the world. He has published 17 articles on the upcoming shortage of skilled and experienced executives and steps that organizations can take to prevent the problem.
An internationally renowned educator, consultant, and speaker, Dr. Byham has received numerous honors. A few of these include the Distinguished Contribution to Human Resource Development award from the American Society for Training & Development, the Distinguished Professional Contributor award from the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology, and the Distinguished Contributions to the Practice of Psychology award from the Society of Psychologists in Management.
Audrey B. Smith is consulting vice president of the Staffing and Assessment Consulting group and Executive Succession Management group at DDI. Dr. Smith directs the activities of consulting teams that deliver executive development and succession management consulting services and leadership assessment center technology. Her work has focused on the design, implementation, and validation of Acceleration Pool systems; selection systems, including executive team reengineering applications; developmental assessment; and executive coaching.
Dr. Smith has worked with many clients throughout the world, including General Motors, Northern Telecom, BMW, PPG Industries, the U.S. Postal Service, Steelcase, Whirlpool, the United Nations, United Airlines, Toyota, and Unisys Corporation.
Dr. Smith earned her doctorate and master’s degrees in industrial/organizational psychology from Colorado State University, where she taught courses in psychometrics and industrial and organizational psychology. Her bachelor’s degree is from Pennsylvania State University. Before joining DDI in 1989, Dr. Smith worked for Rockwell International as a training and management development specialist.
Matthew J. Paese is practice leader of Executive Succession Management at DDI. He is responsible for the development, research, sales, and delivery of DDI’s executive succession management methodologies. Dr. Paese directs consultants, executive coaches, and senior assessors in implementing assessment, selection, and development initiatives that are aimed at senior-level populations in major corporations throughout the world. Dr. Paese has designed and implemented many large-scale succession management initiatives, ranging from Acceleration Pool implementations to executive assessments and coaching. He has also led strategic consulting services to support succession management design efforts. Dr. Paese also maintains a number of executive coaching relationships with senior executives in a variety of industries.
Dr. Paese has consulted extensively with General Motors, Steelcase, Cisco Systems, Toyota, Eastman Chemical, Quest Diagnostics, United Airlines, and many other global clients.
Dr. Paese earned his doctorate and master’s degrees in industrial/organizational psychology from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, where he also taught courses in industrial and organizational psychology and organizational behavior. He earned his bachelor’s degree at St. Norbert College in De Pere, WI. Before joining DDI in 1994, Dr. Paese was with Anheuser-Busch, where he managed executive assessment and development programs and implemented organizational development initiatives throughout the corporation.