William C. Byham, Bill Ph.D., Co-Founder and serves as Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer of Development Dimensions International, Inc. Dr. Byham can provide new ideas, quotes, commentaries, and an expert opinion on succession management, empowerment, multirater (360? feedback, assessment centers, selection, training, workforce motivation, and other trends in human resources. Prior to the founding of DDI in 1970, Dr. Byham served as Manager of Selection, Appraisal ... and General Management Development for J.C. Penney. At both J.C. Penney and DDI, Dr. Byham pioneered important human resource technologies and systems that have had a significant impact on organizations throughout the world. These technologies include: the assessment center method, behavior-based interviewing, behavioral job analysis methodology, results-based employee and management training and development, empowerment, and Acceleration PoolsSM as a method of succession management.

These technologies have been described in 21 books and more than 200 monographs and articles. Dr. Byham works with DDI's executive Operating Committee to establish the vision, values, and strategic direction of it. He supervises major DDI product development and consulting projects. Dr. Byham can provide new ideas, quotes, commentaries, and an expert opinion on succession management (identifying and development high potential individuals), empowerment, multirater (360? feedback, assessment centers, selection, training, workforce motivation, and other trends in human resources. Dr. Byham's professional accomplishments include: Co-founding, with Dr. Douglas Bray, of Development Dimensions International, Inc. in 1970. Championing the application of the assessment center method worldwide. He wrote the first popular article on the assessment center method, which appeared in the Harvard Business Review in 1970. He has been the thought leader of the methodology ever since. He has coauthored two books and has written more than 60 articles, book chapters, and monographs on the subject. He published the first catalog of the assessment center exercises in 1970, and founded the International Congress on Assessment Center Methods in 1973.

Each year DDI assesses more than 5,000 people for organizations. Developing the fist behavior-based interviewing system, Targeted Selection? in 1970. The Targeted Selection?interviewing system, which Dr. Byham has constantly updated and improved, is used by more than 3,000 organizations, including many of the world's largest organizations. It is available in ten languages. He has championed behavior-based interviewing in books such as the Selection Solution: Solving the Mystery of Matching People to Jobs and Landing the Job You Want: How to Have the Best Job Interview of Your Life, and in more than 40 monographs and articles. Writing the first book on the implications on Equal Employment Opportunity law and other legal constraints on personnel testing and selection called The Law and Personnel Testing (co-authored with Morton Spitzer). He has served as an expert witness in several federal court cases involving EEO issues.

Co-authoring of Zapp!?The Lightning of Empowerment, a seminal book about empowerment. It has been a business best seller since its publication in 1988 and has sold more than 4.5 million copies. Zapp! was named the number one business book of the 1990-2000 decade by other Chief Executive Officer readers. Dr. Byham has also adapted this book for educators, health care professionals, and service providers. Helping to make teams and teamwork successful in organizations throughout the world, including co-authoring three books on teams (Empowered Teams: Creating Self-Directed Work Groups that Improve Quality, Productivity, and Participation; Leadership Trapeze: Strategies for Leadership in Team-Based Organizations; and Inside Teams: How 20 World Class Organizations are Winning Through Teamwork). He also helped to develop numerous DDI programs to provide skills to organizations, employees, and leaders as they move toward teams. Dr. Byham has received numerous awards including: 2003 Distinguished Alumni Award from Ohio University, College of Arts and Sciences ,2002 The Excellence 100 Top 50 Award, given to the top 50 trainers, consultants, authors, and speakers by Executive Excellence Magazine , 2002 Instructional Systems Association (ISA) Thought Leadership Award. The award recognizes an individual who advocacy, commitment, or action in support of work-related learning and performance has influenced audiences and organizations , 2001 Golden Achievement Award, Junior Achievement of Southwest Pennsylvania , 2000 Small Business News Pittsburgh Pacesetter, Leaders for the New Millennium and 2000 Liberal Arts Alumni of the Year, Purdue University.

Dr. Byham holds Ph.D. in Industrial/Organizational Psychology from Purdue University, M.S. from Ohio University, B.S. from Ohio University and is a Fellow of American Psychological Association, Member of American Society for Training and Development, Instructional Systems Association (past president) , Member of Society for Human Resource Management and Diplomate in Industrial and Organizational Psychology, American Board of Professional Psychology.

From Publisher

Most managers know that revitalization in their companies must occur from the ground up. But how to get that message to employees without applying the kind of pressure that makes them even less productive? The answer is empowerment. In this motivating book, you will find specific strategies designed to help you encourage responsibility, acknowledgment, and creativity so that employees feel they "own" their jobs. It's all here, in an accessible guide for the successful managers of tomorrow.

Taking the concept of empowerment from theory to practical application, Byham demonstrates that when employees feel they are recognized for personally contributing to an organization's success, then the organization becomes stronger.