William Edward Herrmann (1922 – December 24, 1999) was an American creativity researcher and author, known for his

research Research is "creativity, creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular att ...

in creative thinking. at ''hbdi.com'', 2005. and whole-brain methods. He is considered the "father of brain dominance technology."Rick Crandall (1999) ''Celebrate Customer Service.'' p. 157

Biography

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...

, Herrmann majored in both

physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which r ...

and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

in the Class of 1943. He continued to study at the Graduate Studies R.P.I., New York University. After graduation Hermann became manager of

Management Education Business education is a branch of education that involves teaching the skills and operations of the business industry. This field of education occurs at multiple levels, including secondary and higher education Secondary education At secondary l ...

for

General Electric General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...

(GE) in 1970. His primary responsibility was to oversee training program design; specifically, maintaining or increasing an individual's

productivity Productivity is the efficiency of production of goods or services expressed by some measure. Measurements of productivity are often expressed as a ratio of an aggregate output to a single input or an aggregate input used in a production proces ...

motivation Motivation is the reason for which humans and other animals initiate, continue, or terminate a behavior at a given time. Motivational states are commonly understood as forces acting within the agent that create a disposition to engage in goal-dire ...

, and

creativity Creativity is a phenomenon whereby something new and valuable is formed. The created item may be intangible (such as an idea, a scientific theory, a musical composition, or a joke) or a physical object (such as an invention, a printed literary w ...

. In 1978, Herrmann created the "Herrmann Participant Survey Form." He profiled workshop participant's thinking styles and learning preferences in accord with brain dominance theory. This quickly evolved into a theory of stable brain quadrants, independent of brain anatomy facts, each with its own characteristic “genius.” He developed the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI), the scored and analyzed Participant Survey, and designed the Applied Creative Thinking Workshop (ACT), which remains a leading personality assessment instrument and workshop topic in corporate training. Herrmann's contributions brought him worldwide recognition. In 1992, he received the Distinguished Contribution to Human Resource Development Award from the

American Society for Training & Development American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

(ASTD). In 1993, he was elected

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...

of The American Creativity Association.

Work

Herrmann was a pioneer in exploring, explicating and expanding understanding of the brain in close-up view as a four quadrant system. He was one of the first to ascertain, through testing, how individuals use or prefer one, two, three or all four possible brain quadrants. His approach to brain balance was to encourage experiments, use and exercise of weaker quadrants through live, in-person games, small group processes and discussion. This evolved into more and better ideas about whole-brainedness. He spent 30 years from approximately 1964-1996, exploring and explicating Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument to

teaching Teaching is the practice implemented by a ''teacher'' aimed at transmitting skills (knowledge, know-how, and interpersonal skills) to a learner, a student, or any other audience in the context of an educational institution. Teaching is closely re ...

learning Learning is the process of acquiring new understanding, knowledge, behaviors, skills, value (personal and cultural), values, attitudes, and preferences. The ability to learn is possessed by humans, animals, and some machine learning, machines ...

, increased self-understanding and enhanced creative thinking capabilities, on both an individual and corporate level.

Selected publications

Books: * Herrmann, Ned. ''The whole brain business book''. Vol. 334. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996. * Herrmann, Ned. ''The Creative Brain", First Edition, Lake Lure, NC: Brain Books, 1988. Articles, a selection: * Herrmann, Ned. "The Creative Brain." ''Training and Development Journal'' 35.10 (1981): 10-16. * Herrmann, Ned. "The Creative Brain*." ''The Journal of Creative Behavior'' 25.4 (1991): 275-295. * Herrmann, Ned. "What is the function of the various brainwaves?" ''Scientific American'' 22.12 (1997)

References

External links

Herrmann International Web Site

Herrmann International Europe Web Site

Herrmann International Asia Web Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herrmann, Ned 1922 births 1999 deaths American business theorists Creativity researchers Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute alumni 20th-century American economists 20th-century American male writers Cornell University alumni New York University alumni