History and Development
Development of the Forté Interpersonal Communications System

The following time line represents the development of the Forté System by Founder/Chairman C.D. Morgan III.

1978-1981 Research of Existing Instruments and the Research Behind Those Instruments

• Costs ($210.00 national average)
• Processing structure (2 weeks)
• Interpretation of results (little actionable understanding)
• Top management focus

1981 Mission Statement
Develop system to meet interpersonal communication needs of all contributors of an effort.

• The Individual
• Business
• Volunteer Organizations
• The Family Unit

Affordable at all levels. Must cost $10 per unit or less.

Must be administrable by user, at their location.

• Process data quickly; four minutes or less.
• Provide written report.
• Be understandable by respondent with or without Forté certified administrator.
• Build database for continuing monitor of progress.

Must be easy and quick to take, no more than three to five minutes. Must identify primary strengths of Dominance, Extroversion, Patience and Conformity. Also substrengths of non-dominance, Introversion, Impatience and Non-Conformity.

• To determine primary communication style.
• To determine adapting environment profile.
• To determine an individual's stamina.
• To determine logic style.
• To determine goal achievement satisfaction levels every 30 days.

Must be able to track the items in 4, transferring strength movements to respondent's knowledge for future correction or use.

An interaction report must be developed so a written, positive sharing of strengths can occur.

A system showing how to build and maintain a trusting relationship must be included.

Must be executable on the new IBM PC, using the Basic computer language.

Must be the most accurate in the world.

1981-1983 Development of Prototype
First prototype . . . known as Persona . . . was developed and concluded marketable. Submitted to AT&T Corporate Training and accepted.

1983-1986 Market Introductions/Real World Validation
The Primary/Adapting Profile System.

Adapting Update introduced in 1985.

Preliminary database and reports introduced in 1986.

Profile matching (Top Performer Profile) system introduced in 1987.

Growth rate controlled; 14-19%.

1987 Market and Process Expansions
Mission is to establish client relationships that offer significant mutual benefits; training, screening, and empowerment for our target relationship.

Focus on:

• Communicating to Hire
• Team Building
• Personnel Consulting
• Customer Audits
• Attitude/Behavior Market Research (blending people's assets into marketing/business plans, regardless of the size of the business)
• Management Communication System
• Database Management System

Development of vertical market systems:

• The Professional Office Management System
• Bedside Manner
• Chairside Manner

1988 International Relationships Established; Forté R&D Expands System Applications
Through relationships with national and international distribution entities, the Forté system is marketed to businesses across the United States and four other English-speaking foreign countries.

Forté expands into business consulting, offering the Forté Time Line/Schedule 2, an 11-point program to enhance interpersonal communication within a company or organization.

Step 1 - Profile: Primary/Adapting

• Primary Survey

Step 2 - Readbacks (within 7 days of Step 1)

• Completed Survey
• One-on-One Review

Step 3 - 1/2-Day Team Building Session (within 30 days of Step 1)

• How you relate to others (team)
• Perceiver Profile (finalized in 1990, after six years of validation)
• Team Builder Report
• Interactions
• Review of Strengths
• Presentation of Team Building Certificate

Step 4 - 30-Day Adapting/Perceiver (30 days from Step 3)

• Stress Update
• Readback One-on-One

Step 5 - 60-Day Adapting/Perceiver (30 days from Step 4)

• Stress Update
• Readback One-on-One

Step 6 - 90-Day Adapting/Perceiver (30 days from Step 5)

• Stress Update
• Readback One-on-One

Step 7 - 1/2-Day Adapting Update Team Review (within 30 days of Step 6)

• Perceiver Profile
• Composite Perceiver
• Motivation/Adapting Survey
• Job Description Report
• Updated Team Interactions
• Updated Team Builder Report
• Adapting Update

Step 8 - 180-Day Adapting Update/Bi-Annual Review (within 30 days of Step 7)

• Adapting Update
• Readback and Job Description
• Review One-on-One
• Perceiver Profile

Step 9 - 270-Day Adapting Update (within 90 days of Step 8)

• Adapting Survey
• Readback One-on-One
• Perceiver Profile

Step 10 - Forté Sack Lunch (within 45 days of Step 9); meet for three hours at mid-day

• Review Team/Individual Accomplishments Prior to Annual Review
• Adapting Update
• Perceiver Profile

Step 11 - One Year Adapting Update (annual review)

• Composite Adapting Update Review
• Job Description Review
• Motivation/Adapting Survey Review

The Forté interaction report becomes available for applications in team building and other interpersonal relationships.
Composite profiles for:

• Primary Profile
• Adapting Profile
• Logic
• Stamina
• Goal Attainment

Composite graphs for:

• Teams
• Departments
• Entire Organization

The Forté Database Management System adds the ability to sort Forté database information 18 primary ways by eight pre-sort criteria that include a date range, job class, job position, organization, city, state, zip code, and company code.

Upon completion of the Forté Database Management System, Version 8.3 was released with archive upgrade features that offer practical, actionable data for the Forté client.

The Forté Communicating to Hire manual was created to fit the "targeted hiring" market niche.

An advanced Forté Team Building module is started.

1989 Client Service Expanded; the Forté Perceiver Profile Made a Standard Element

Forté becomes recognized as a catalyst to career planning/pathing based on a person's primary profile/strengths, and how they can adapt most effectively.

Forté interpersonal communications in the following communication points - Because you must know who you are to become whom you want to be.

• Core Competency Communication Skills
• Managerial Communication Skills
• Executive Communication Skills
• Supervisory Communication Skills

The Forté Perceiver Profile is standardized and made a part of the Forté system. The profile is a correlation between a person's primary and most recent adapting profile pattern, representing how that person is most likely coming across to others.

The Forté Perceiver Profile
At the base of practical interpersonal communications is the law that a person is born with a natural communication style (primary profile) that can be flexed somewhat (adapting profile) to accomplish day-in/day-out goals. Taking the strength of the primary profile and correlating it to the adapting strength movements in a person's daily environment produces how they are most likely coming across to others.

The Perceiver Profile...like the Adapting Profile...is influenced by environmental changes. Changes in perception can be monitored by completing the Forté Adapting Survey. Emphasis on work, home, etc., has an impact on the
Perceiver Profile.

The Perceiver Profile has also been validated to project how the respondent will most likely be coming across to others over the next 3-4 weeks.

Forté is used as a facilitator for other communication programs.

• Vision - Know Where You Are Going
• Planning
• Organization
• Self-Motivation
• Control

Version 8.3c completed for the market.

Future R&D focus includes mass processing of profiles and interactions. Ease of use, portability and practical application continue market expansion.

1990 Client Service Expanded
Further application and research into advanced team building processes.

Empowerment applications.

Forté interact program; allows mass "hands-free" processing of team interaction reports.

Expanded user base.

Forté develops productivity measurements to support people side of Demming TQM applications.

Site studies mature, reporting on:

• Team Building Best Practices
• Retention Program Successes
• Coaching Styles

Learning styles profile development started.

Forté accelerates the development of Forté Performance Coaching, the trending of adapting profiles to a specified environment. That environment can be business, home or any other specified environment. By as many relationships an individual has, they can complete the Forté Adapting Survey and learn how they are currently adapting to that relationship/environment, how they are most likely being perceived in that relationship/environment and how their logic, stamina and goals index relates to that specific relationship and/or environment.

Forté software version 9.0 is beta tested and released. This version represents improvements to the profile text, the various analysis routines and initiates a more aggressive and organized securing of Forté profile validation forms so expanded feedback from respondents can enhance future updates of the system.

1991 Introduction of the Forté Site License
Forté responds to market request for methods to measure the people side of the Demming Total Quality Movement. Where Demming would focus on the process steps of the job, Forté would begin looking at how to recognize and coach top performing communication styles and also provide measurement over an extended time frame.

In support of TQM, parallel studies begin on:

• Best Practices/Team Building
• Retention Program Development
• Appropriate Coaching Styles
• Appropriate Adapting Styles

1992 Release of Forté Performance Coaching
The Forté Performance Coaching program is released. The program is utilized on a combination computerized/manual basis to ensure integrity of the system.

The Forté Performance Coaching process is finalized with the prerequisites of:

• Forté Team Building I - Learning Your Strengths
• Forté Team Building II - Meeting the Team
• Forté Team Building III - Team Problem Solving
• Forté Team Building IV - Empowerment

The Forté Interpersonal Continuous Process Model is developed.

Forté software is updated every six months in a new quality initiative that assures every Forté site licensee has the most up-to-date, current version of the Forté software.

1993 Forté Windows Version Under Development
The Forté Windows version begins development. Ultimately delayed via the Microsoft delay of introducing the Windows Chicago and/or Windows 95 versions. Forté Windows is scheduled for release in the Fall of 1995.

Testing of a new copy protection program begins. Essentially, an electronic key is attached between a computer printer port and the printer cable, which allows the Forté software to be loaded on a number of client computers and run on the computer with the Forté program key attached. This facilitates use of the software without having to move the software from one computer to another as needed. Testing to conclude in 1995, release scheduled to coincide with Forté Windows release in the Fall of 1995.

Forté Performance Coaching Model is validated. Initial applications indicate an individual or team can accomplish 13 months productivity in a 12-month period by following the Forté Performance Coaching system.

An 18-month longitudinal doctoral thesis study begins at Silver Dollar City, Missouri by SDC Human Resources Manager Ira Katz. This study of 21 teams over an 18-month period will be the most comprehensive review of Forté Performance Coaching to date.

1994-1995 Forté Windows Version Released and Software Enhancements Introduced
With the downsizing of business on a global basis, the Forté system sees more intensity in helping develop and understand core competencies in the downsized organization.

In the downsized environment, team building becomes even more critical. Most organizations are faced with the challenge to produce more output with less people. This represents an obvious drive to productivity, but the human resource begins taking a toll from the longer hours, fewer rewards, extremely high learning curves, etc., as the shape of the company and the job changes as often as every 11 months.

Forté's international applications grow with new economies and importance of building interpersonal/international relationships with the enactment of NAFTA.

Initial development of Forté Windows is successful. Final versions are approved for completion with release on schedule for Fall of 1995.

Forté joins the Internet and major online services, including Microsoft Online, Prentice Hall Direct, Quality Online, etc.

An emerging application of the Forté system is in Cybergraphics™...understanding Internet consumer purchasing habits/trends based on the Forté primary profile. This will expand into understanding those trends by study of the adapting updates over longer periods of time.

In a downsized environment a number of Forté site licensees begin developing alliances with their key customers/suppliers using the Forté system.

The Silver Dollar City study is completed; Ira Katz presents and defends his thesis. Ira is now Dr. Ira Katz and is expanding the Forté process/knowledge further into the Silver Dollar City infrastructure and culture with parallel applications in understanding how to better serve Silver Dollar City guests.

Development begins on the Forté/EWS (Early Warning System) that has applications in the work environment to help identify team members approaching high levels of frustration or burn-out. The process, once initiated, monitors, in a team building environment, decreasing stamina levels and/or decreasing goals index trends, as indicators the individual or team is heading toward burnout and should reprioritize present and future steps.

Automatic trending graphs are released for both the Forté DOS and Forté Windows software versions.

1995-2004 Forté Online Development begins.
The Internet is coming of it's own and NetScape breaks the browser "sound barrier" changing the usability of this global network forever.

This is "old territory" for Forté as the Internet has been a key tool in the research and development of Forté over the years, but it is brand new territory as a delivery channel for Forté processes and services.

Forté invests in server banks so extreme security can be assured by keeping all servers with any database functionality OFFLINE. The Forté database information is protected and most secure.

With the advancements in Cold Fusion and the respective browsers the WinForte Version is frozen and all development is focused to Forté Online.

Many new features are added to the system and Forté Performance Coaching moves to a new level. In every way, the ability to administer and process Forté Profiles and related reports from any Internet accessible computer represents a quantum leap for the Forté client.