profile updated Apr 14, 2008, 9:33 AM
Founded in 1967 by Dr. Marvin Dunnette, an industrial and organizational psychology pioneer, Personnel Decisions International (PDI) offers a wide range of HR and organizational consulting, designed to help companies understand the talent implications of their strategy. As well, PDI offers a varity of services such as pre-employment screening and leadership assessment, leadership development, coaching programs, and succession planning.
The company claims some three-quarters of the Forbes Global 100 as clients, as well as a sizeable part of the Forbes 500.
Founder Dunnette is widely know for his writing and research on industrial and organizational psychology. In 1976 he published his seminal work, Handbook of Industrial and Organizational Psychology. The book is still recognized as the leading work in the field. By the time of its first release, Dunnette and his associate, Dr. Lowell Hellervik, had taken the company’s early focus on assessments and developed first generation employee opinion surveys and behavioral description interview programs. PDI became the first to offer executive and managerial development centers utilizing assessment-based technology.
In 1975, the company was split into the for-profit PDI, headed by Hellervik who is today the chairman, and non-profit Personnel Decisions Research Institutes, Inc., headed by Dunnette.
PDRI, still based in Minneapolis, went through a series of business changes, becoming a for-profit company in 1988. Today, it is a research subsidiary of Previsor.
PDI, meanwhile, grew rapidly, broadening its product lines offering assessment tools measuring pre-employment fit, promotional readiness, managerial capabilities, and providing companies help with aligning their human capital strategy with corporate goals.
PDI now has 29 locations throughout the Americas, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. Its products and services are offered in multiple languages and tailored to fit the local culture.
News & Updates 
Products & Services
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Strategy Consulting
The firm offers a wide range of personnel and organizational strategy consulting services that focus on aligning a company's talent management practices with business objectives to develop an integrated talent strategy. Specific services are offered in Human Capital Strategy, M&A Talent Integration and Talent Management Consulting. -
Hiring Assessments and Hiring Tools
Assessments for selecting the right candidates and identifying which will have the greatest likelihood of moving up in the organization. Tools also available for assessing readiness of line managers for promotion. -
Management Tools
Consulting services and tools for assessing, evaluating and developing the management talents and needs of a company. "TalentView of Performance," a web-based, multi-rater feedback tool won HR Executive Magazine's Product of the Year. Time2Change is a tool to measure employees progress toward meeting individual goals. -
Leadership development
Offerings include executive coaching, 360 feedback and leadership development training programs.