SydSen Academic System
Where Research, Practice, and Purpose Align
The SydSen Academic System is the research engine behind our consulting, assessment, and organisational design solutions. It anchors our work in evidence; linking psychological theory, applied behavioural science, and rigorous validation to everything we build and deliver.
Through collaboration with industrial psychologists, PhD candidates, academic institutions, and data specialists, the Foundation supports ongoing tool development, cultural diagnostics, assessment design, and white-paper research. It underpins our platforms, informs our methodologies, and ensures that every insight we deliver is both ethical and academically defensible.
The Academic System at a Glance
Behind every SydSen diagnostic, assessment, or consulting intervention lies a unified academic framework built on three pillars
Industrial Science
Validated instruments, tools, frameworks, behavioural models and psychometrics
Systematic Thinking
Understanding organisations as organic but complex interlinked ecosystems
Applied Data Science
Using granular feedback and insights, we turn human perception into measurable business intelligence
Academic Contributors
Our methodologies are shaped by leading academics and practitioners who bridge research and application.
Prof. Anton Grobler
Professor – University of South Africa, School of Business Leadership
A recognised authority in leadership and organisational performance. Prof. Grobler’s research informs SydSen’s leadership capability and change-readiness frameworks, ensuring strategic insight is grounded in academically validated behavioural models.
Dr. Adi Barnard
PhD Industrial Psychology | Head of SydSen Consult
Industrial psychologist and systemic strategist. Dr. Barnard leads the integration of psychometric science and organisational diagnostics, ensuring evidence-based interpretation and academic rigour across all client engagements.
Andre Swarts
MBA | Director, SydSen Group
Strategic and operations-focused leader. Andre co-developed the SOCCA cultural assessment model and ensures that organisational intent, culture, and leadership behaviour translate into practical, repeatable operating systems.
Peter Viljoen
MBL | Managing Director, SydSen Group
Strategic architect and organisational innovator. Peter transforms research insights into practical frameworks and methodologies, ensuring organisations remain adaptive, forward-thinking, and aligned to future operating demands.
Research Practitioners and Applied Systems Team
The system is operationalised by our data and organisational specialists who convert academic insight into usable tools, platforms, and metrics.
Anja Grobler
Organisational Development Specialist (BCom Industrial & Organisational Psychology)
Leads the implementation of diagnostic frameworks, ensuring that assessment outcomes connect meaningfully to people, teams, and organisational design.
David-John Streicher
Data Analyst (BSc Actuarial Mathematics)
Applies quantitative modelling and statistical benchmarking to translate behavioural data into performance trends across industries and roles.
Willan Theunissen
Head: Data Systems & Applied Research Integration
Designs SydSen's digital research architecture — integrating psychometric results, diagnostics, and benchmarking data into live, client-ready intelligence dashboards.
Our Instruments and Diagnostic Frameworks
Assessment Hub and Organisational Diagnostics Hub are our functional systems used to drive our solution
Assessment Hub
Validated psychometric instruments used for selection, development, and cultural alignment analysis, with the following instruments:
SydSen Assessment Survey
SydSen Management Assessment Survey
Organization Culture Assessment Instrument
SydSen Personality Assessment
SydSen AI Readiness Assessment
Employer Value Proposition Assessment
Organisational Diagnostics Hub
Systemic measurement across macro, meso, and micro levels of the organisational contribution spectrum:
Leadership Capability
Change Readiness & Strategic Alignment
Relational Dynamics
Team Functioning
Culture & Climate
Staff Mindsets
Benchmarking and Global Dataset
34,000 Responses. 12 Industries. 6 Regions. One Integrated Benchmark System.
Industry Peers
Automotive, finance, retail, education, services
Geographic Markets
South Africa, GCC, Europe, Asia-Pacific
Role Hierarchy
Tenure bands and experience levels
Size & Maturity Levels
Organisational size and years of existence
