William Edward "Ned" Herrmann (1922 - December 24, 1999) is known for his research in creative thinking[1] and whole-brain methods. He spent the last 20 years dedicating his life to applying brain dominance theory to teaching, learning, increasing self-understanding and enhancing creative thinking capabilities on both an individual and corporate level. Herrmann's contribution to the application of brain dominance brought him worldwide recognition. In 1992, he received the Distinguished Contribution to Human Resource Development Award from ASTD. In 1993, he was elected President of The American Creativity Association.
At Cornell University, he majored in both physics and music. He became Manager of Management Education for General Electric (GE) in 1970. His primary responsibility was to oversee training program design, covering topics like how to maintain or increase an individual's productivity, motivation, and creativity.
In 1978, Ned Herrmann created the Herrmann Participant Survey Form to profile workshop participant's thinking styles and learning preferences in accordance with brain dominance theory. Sponsored by GE, he developed and validated the Herrmann Brain Dominance Instrument (HBDI), the scored and analyzed Participant Survey, and designed the Applied Creative Thinking Workshop (ACT), which has been recognized as a leading workshop on creative thinking.