Personalysis Corporation | We Know People.
Personalysis Corporation | We Know People.
client log on | blog | contact

Founder James R. Noland's Biography

James Russell Noland, Jr. (born January 10, 1924) is an American behavioral scientist, professor, entrepreneur, developer of the Personalysis assessment, and founder of Personalysis Corporation. Since its introduction in 1975, the Personalysis technology has been used worldwide by businesses in a variety of industries. During World War II, Noland served in the United States Navy. Holding degrees from Emory University, Yale University, and New York University, he taught at several universities. In addition to his career in education, Noland served as Executive Director of a United Way of Greater Houston agency and was Public Employment Administrator for the City of Houston.

Early Life and Higher Education

Noland was born in Paris, Kentucky, where his father was a Methodist minister. He grew up in Lebanon, Kentucky, where he met his high school sweetheart and future wife, Mary Richerson. He attended Vanderbilt University on an Honor Scholarship and at the outset of World War II, joined the U. S. Navy and served three years. He received his B.A. degree from Emory University as well as advanced degrees from Yale University and New York University.

Career

After completing graduate work, Noland taught Sociology at Drew University and Rice University. At the University of Houston, he taught Organizational Behavior, the study of people as individuals and groups in organizations. Starting in 1964, Noland also served as Associate Professor of Sociology and Director of the Teacher Training Institute at the University of St. Thomas. At Houston Baptist University, he held the position of Associate Professor of Research Sociology; at Prairie View University, he was Associate Professor of Education and Assistant to the President.

In addition to his career in education, Noland worked in the field of community organization and public service. From 1951 to 1955, he was a researcher for the New York Institute for Psychological Research of New York University, for the Philadelphia Metropolitan Christian Council, and for the National Council of Churches. From 1955 to 1967, he was the Executive Director of an agency supported by the United Way of Greater Houston. Following this, Noland served as an executive assistant to the Mayor of the City of Houston with the responsibility of Public Employment Administer.

At the University of Houston, he conducted research to discover why the most able students often were not as successful as less academically inclined students in rising to leadership roles within organizations. The upshot of this investigation was that personality can be more important than education for upward mobility in corporations. This research led to a computerized assessment for students to ascertain their strengths and weaknesses in organizational behaviors. The test queried them as to how they set goals, related to peers, related to authority, planned, organized, made decisions, and used feedback to change and achieve their pursuits. Each student received a lengthy individualized report as a guide for personal improvement.

In 1970, Noland employed a different version of this assessment to train executives for the Harris County Community Action Association and continued to work on a research instrument that could be used in business. In doing so, he developed a new short-form questionnaire using personal preference scales. This enabled him to test for four families of personality traits in multiple dimensions of human behavior.

In 1975, Noland launched Personalysis Corporation to market Personalysis and the Personalysis Management System. Developed specifically for business, the Personalysis Questionnaire and Report are designed to help corporations identify basic needs, communication expectations, and aspirations of their people so they can link individual styles, values, and personal potential with organizational goals.

Personalysis

Personalysis is a scientific instrument based upon the theories of Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, Abraham Maslow, and empirical studies that update and integrate the ideas of these pioneers. To make these complex concepts easier to comprehend and apply, the information to understand human behavior is simplified and enhanced by using colors, numbers, shapes, clusters, and dimensions. This color-coded behavioral shorthand of personality characteristics captures the essential themes of each individual and quantifies how he or she feels, thinks, and acts at five stress levels.

The Personalysis Questionnaire is unique in that it only takes about fifteen minutes to complete. When scored, a thirteen-page Personalysis Report details how the individual learns, makes decisions, develops trust, interacts with others, and enjoys work.

Personalysis has been translated into Danish, Dutch, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, Portuguese, and Spanish and is used by corporations throughout the world to improve personal and team effectiveness, interpersonal communication, and corporate productivity.

Current Activities

Noland retired in 2000 and continues to consult with Personalysis Corporation. He remains active in the field, exploring the innovative science of personality as shared by science of the natural world.

Selected Works
Honors
References