Our History
1970
DDI Founded
Development Dimensions, Inc. founded by Douglas W. Bray, Ph.D. and William C. Byham, Ph.D.
1970
Douglas Bray & William Byham
DDI Assessment Center Methodology
introduced to marketplace. The first use of assessment center in retail was at J.C. Penney. Bill Byham with founder, James Cash Penney.
1971
Going global! We become Development Dimensions International and establish a partnership with MSC--the first Japanese company to offer assessment programs in Asia.
1971: The Law and Personnel Testing, by William C. Byham and Morton Spitzer, is the first book explaining EEOC regulations on personnel selection.
1971
Interaction Management®: the first leadership program based on behavior modeling, debuts. IM soon becomes the most widely used leadership development program in the world, with over 1 million leaders trained every year.
Targeted Selection® introduced. Dr. William C. Byham developed the first behavior-based interviewing system with EEO compliance. More than 5 million hiring managers have been trained to conduct TS® interviews. It became the most widely used interviewing skills training program in the world.
1974: DDI develops the S.T.A.R. format to gather accurate candidate data.
1978
DDI conducts assessment centers to staff at the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
1978: DDI continues to expand and launches its first office in Canada.
1983
DDI flagship Europe office opens. Today, DDI partners with clients across 93 countries.
1983
DDI programs available in Spanish, French, Japanese, and Portuguese. Today, they are available in 21 languages, including Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese and Bahasa Indonesian.
1986
Milestone: Over 10,000 client facilitators certified worldwide!
1987
Zapp! The Lightning of Empowerment by William Byham published. This “business novel” has sold more than 4.5 million to date.
1988: DDI associates prove that ZAPP! can help navigate rough waters at Three Rivers Regatta, Pittsburgh!
1988
Managerial Lives in Transition by Ann Howard (left) and Doug Bray (right) of DDI, is published, the result of 30 years of research on the effects of advancing age and changing times on executives.
1988
1988 Service Plus® introduced, the first program to train employees and leaders to strengthen customer service skills and culture.
1990
Milestone: DDI celebrates 20th Anniversary
1990: DDI commences China and Asia / Pacific operations.
1991
Launched Techniques for an Empowered Workforce® , the first and most comprehensive training program for front-line employees and teams. Forerunner to today's IM: ExP.
1991: Empowered Teams, by Richard Wellins, William Byham, and Jeanne Wilson is published.
1992
DDI's Health Care practice formed.
1993
DDI starts up in Latin America.
1993
1994: We continue to lead the charge for empowered teams. Inside Teams, Team Leader's Survival Guide, and Leadership Trapeze, are published.
1997
DDI launches OPAL, its first online learning platform for competency development.
1999
The Leadership Forecast launched for the first time. Included data from over 2,000 leaders, associates, and HR executives from 50+ organizations.
2000
DDI opens Executive Assessment Centers in Singapore and Melbourne, Australia. Today DDI operates 27 centers around the world, including Hong Kong, France, Montreal, South Africa, Australia, China, United Kingdom, and across the United States.
2000
2000: DDI creates suite of Web-enabled hiring tools. Today, DDI screens job applicants daily for clients.
2000: Strategic Leadership Experience®, an intense immersion program to prepare operational leaders for their unique challenges, debuts.
2001
Grow Your Own Leaders® by William Byham, Audrey Smith, Matt Paese, published.
2001: Second Leadership Forecast research is completed.
2004
DDI in Asia selected to assess leaders for CNBC’s “Asia Business Leaders Awards.”
2004
2004: DDI Australia assesses leaders for "Young Executive of the Year Award" in conjunction with The Australian Financial Review BOSS.
Realizing the Promise of Performance Management: by Robert W. Rogers published.
2005
DDI is named one of the "Top Ten UK HR Consultancies" by Human Resource magazine.
2005: Fourth Leadership Forecast research completed.
2006
DDI named "Best Human Resources Provider in China" by HRoot.com.
2007
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., conducts its 10,000,000th DDI-created pre-hire and promotional assessment test.
2007
Speaking of assessment: In 1972, Bill Byham founded the International Congress on the Assessment Center Method.
2007: 70 The New 50 by William Byham is published
2007: DDI opens office in India
2008
Leadership Success in China: An Expatriate's Guide, by William Byham, Erik Duerring and Yue-er Luo is published.
2008: New Targeted Selection unveiled, includes a one-day training option. Increases quality of hires 200%, reduces turnover by 18%
2009
Interaction Management®: Exceptional Performers Series debuts. A competency-based learning solution designed for individual contributors.
2009: DDI launches Business Impact Leadership®, a development system for mid-level and senior-level leaders.
2010
The CEO’s Guide to: Talent Management completed.
2010: Time for a Leadership Revolution, the sixth Global Leadership Forecast is completed.
2011
DDI named one of the “Best Medium-size Workplaces” in the United States by The Great Place to Work Institute (2009, 2010, and 2011).
2011
2011: DDI creates Manager Ready® to assess frontline leaders in real-world situations.
2011: DDI receives Chief Learning Officer’s Excellence in E-Learning Silver Award for work with Nissan.
2012
Interaction Management: Exceptional Leaders (IM: ExL): DDI launches next-generation leadership development series, ensuring that managers have the skills to be effective. (Pictured) 1974 Interaction Management.
2012
2012
2012: DDI coins the term, “Frontline Leaders,” dedicating a major effort to addressing the unique needs of this leadership level.
2012: Third Global Selection Forecast research completed.
2012: DDI launches its Adaptive Reasoning TestSM, an online figural assessment of cognitive ability that ensures global testing consistency as well as improved test security.
2013
SPARK launched! A grant for clients and DDI associates to use DDI training materials free of charge, with a non-profit of their choice. (Pictured) U-SPARK Partner the YMCA.
2013
2014
Seventh Global Selection Forecast research completed.
2014: Leader3 Ready®, a breakthrough virtual assessment for mid-level and emerging executives used globally.
2014: Shenzhen office opens. DDI now has 5 offices with full-service teams in Greater China.
2015
William C. Byham, Ph.D., named DDI Executive Chairman; Tacy M. Byham, Ph.D., named CEO.
2015
Your First Leadership Job: How Catalyst Leaders Bring out the Best in Others by Tacy M. Byham and Richard Wellins published. Over 30,000 in print, 1,000 eBooks, 6 different languages.
2015: DDI India named Training Provider of the Year by World HRD Congress.
2016
Leaders Ready Now® by Matt Paese, Audrey Smith, and William Byham published.
2016: Third High-Resolution Leadership Study published with powerful data on how leaders impact financial growth and execute economic turnaround.
2016: Top analyst firm Kennedy Consulting Research & Advisory rates DDI number 1 as a Top Leadership Development Consultant. DDI’s innovation engine is just one reason we remain the world’s largest provider of leadership development services with an unparalleled capacity to deliver integrated, customized, and globally consistent programs.
2016: DDI Malaysia named the Best Succession Planning Consultant by Human Resource Magazine Malaysia.
2017
PROOF That DDI's Leadership Development Pays Off is published. 40+ years of research on Interaction Management®. (Pictured) 1974, DDI’s Key Principles are at the heart of IM. “Maintain or Enhance Self-esteem” is just one of our KP’s that have been impacting leaders since televisions were square.
2017
2017: DDI Pinpoint digital assets delivers an engaging, mobile-ready, and personalized learning experience.
2017: Launched DDI LEAF, a joint venture with our DDI China associates focusing on innovative digital solutions in the China market.
2017: Eighth Global Leadership Forecast research published.
2018
Awarded the Top 20 Leadership Training Company Award for over 10 years, and the Top 20 Assessment and Evaluation Companies award for the second year.
2018: DDI wins CSTD’s Awards for the Innovation of Talent Development Products. This includes Transtalent, Cool Leader, and Digital Leadership Quotient Test.
2019
DDI launches virtual reality solutions for leadership. Its Virtual Reality Inclusion Experience is named a Top HR Product of the Year by Human Resource Executive magazine.
2019
2019
Launched Leadership 480 framework to help hire, promote, and develop exceptional leaders.
2019: Third year running: DDI named to Top 20 List for Assessment.
2019: DDI Malaysia wins HR Vendor of the Year Award for Best Management Training Provider Award, and bronze for Best Leadership Development Consultancy Award.
2020
2020
2020: Creating value for our clients with DDI’s leadership development subscriptions, everything you need for personalized blended learning experiences.
2020: By Your Side. The word for 2020 was pivot and that we did, right along with you. Thank you for your trust as we learned to navigate our new normal together.
2020: Human Resources Director Australia named DDI as the top Learning and Development provider as part of its fourth annual Service Provider Awards.
2021
Awarded the Top 20 Leadership Training Company Award for over 12 years, and the Top 20 Assessment and Evaluation Companies award for the fourth year.
2021
2021: Winner of Human Resources Director’s 5-Star Learning and Development Awards in the L&D Training Provider category.
2021: 9th Global Leadership Forecast published.
2021: Leadership Snapshot. A leadership test to quickly identify development needs and predict performance of first-level leaders.
2021: Developed new Facilitator Boosters to help facilitators adapt and excel in changing times.
2022
2020
Say hello to “myDDI,” a personalized self-serve digital experience.
2022: Learning and Development winner, Human Resources Director magazine.
2022: Awarded the Top 20 Leadership Training Company Award every year since 2010, and the Top 20 Assessment and Evaluation Companies award for the sixth consecutive year.
2023: Tenth Global Leadership Forecast research published.
