SKS Consulting Group

What SKS Consulting Group does

SKS Consulting Group is a privately held, doctoral-level consulting psychology firm headquartered in Edina, Minnesota (Twin Cities), founded in 1984 and operating for over 40 years. The firm provides premium talent assessments for selection and development, leadership development programs, coaching, and organizational consulting services to enterprise clients ranging from small local businesses to multinational corporations across financial services, manufacturing, investment, and other sectors.

The firm's core intellectual property consists of proprietary, data-driven frameworks — the SKS Competency Model, SKS Leadership Potential Model, SKS Leadership Development Model, SKS 360 Survey, and SKS Work Simulation — built from comprehensive quantitative and qualitative analyses of thousands of leader evaluations. Delivery is partner-led by a team of doctoral-level business consulting psychologists (Psy.D. and Ph.D.), supported by a formal data science and people analytics function. The firm's go-to-market is enterprise field sales with free consultations, multi-year contracts, and quote-based pricing; marketing is conducted through LinkedIn, the SKS blog, and partner-led webinars.

SKS generates revenue through fee-for-service professional engagements, with services structured around Assessment for Selection, Assessment for Development, Coaching & Consulting, and a structured Leadership Development Program, supplemented by add-on services including competency modeling, onboarding coaching, talent analytics, high-potential identification, succession planning, and 360-degree feedback. The firm reports 100+ ongoing clients globally and integrates its leadership potential models directly into client succession planning systems. No external funding has been disclosed; the company operates as an independent, bootstrapped professional services practice.

Name

SKS Consulting Group

Legal name

SKS Consulting Group

Website

https://sksconsulting.group

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SKS Consulting Group is a privately held, doctoral-level consulting psychology firm providing premium talent assessments, leadership development, and coaching services to enterprise clients globally from its Edina, Minnesota headquarters.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Management Consulting - Talent Assessment & Leadership Development

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612), Other Management Consulting Services (541618), Management Consulting Services (54161)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAHAGAH

People Analytics, Assessment & Psychometrics Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Human Capital & Organizational Consulting

SECONDARYBPACAMAH

Leadership Potential, High-Potential & Succession Assessments

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/Talent Assessment, Testing & Psychometrics

SECONDARYBPAHAGAD

Leadership Development & Executive Coaching

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Human Capital & Organizational Consulting

SECONDARYBPAHAGAA

Talent Management & Workforce Planning Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Human Capital & Organizational Consulting

SECONDARYBPACAJAH

Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture)

Business & Public Services/HR, Staffing & Recruitment Services/HR Consulting & Advisory (HR Strategy, Org Design, Change)

Keywords

• Talent assessments
• Leadership development
• Executive coaching
• Organizational psychology
• Succession planning

Headquarters

HQ city

Edina

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Professional Assessment Services: Fee-for-service professional services including talent evaluations for selection and development, work simulations, interviews, and comprehensive assessment reports. Services range from streamlined screening processes to in-depth evaluations of capability, motivation, and fit.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

SKS Consulting Group provides premium talent assessments and leadership development services for organizations. The firm delivers evidence-based candidate selection assessments, development assessments, leadership development programs, and coaching/consulting services built on proprietary competency and leadership potential models developed by doctoral-level business psychologists. Their work spans the full talent management lifecycle from hiring through succession planning.

Product overview

SKS Consulting Group offers a unified portfolio of talent assessment and leadership development solutions built around its core assessment services. The primary offerings include Assessment for Selection and Assessment for Development, which form the foundation for all services. These assessments feed into the proprietary SKS Competency Model and SKS Leadership Potential Model, intellectual property developed through analysis of thousands of leaders. The Leadership Development Program leverages these models and assessment data to create personalized leadership development plans. Complementary services include Coaching & Consulting, 360-Degree Feedback, Succession Planning, Talent Analytics, and Strategic Planning—all designed to work together to support the full talent management lifecycle from hiring through leadership development.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Assessment for Selection Premium talent assessments for candidate selection that help organizations make confident hiring decisions using evidence-based approaches with reliable and valid tools, delivered by doctoral-level business psychologists.
• Assessment for Development Premium talent assessments for employee development that identify strengths and developmental needs to create robust development plans for key talent.
• Coaching & Consulting Consulting services provided by doctoral-level business psychologists to support organizational talent management decisions including onboarding coaching, talent analytics, and succession planning.
• Leadership Development Program A structured leadership development program providing participants with a blueprint for success including tutorials, development planning sessions with an SKS coach, and an actionable individual leadership development plan.
• 360-Degree Feedback Multi-source feedback assessment tool providing comprehensive performance insights from peers, subordinates, and supervisors to support leadership development.
• Succession Planning Services to identify and prepare future leaders for key organizational roles, including succession planning systems and talent review processes.

Quantifiable outcome

• 40% of high potential internal job moves end in failure without proper assessment
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature5 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• CliftonStrengths (Gallup): Gallup's CliftonStrengths and broader talent assessment suite is a scaled incumbent in workplace assessment and development. It overlaps with SKS in development-focused assessment and is widely adopted at large enterprises.
• SHL: SHL is a major global talent assessment provider offering psychometric tools, simulations, and analytics. It competes with SKS in selection and development assessments, particularly for enterprise and multinational clients.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry is a global organizational consulting firm whose talent assessment, succession, and leadership development practices directly overlap with SKS's offerings. It competes at the enterprise level with bundled consulting, search, and assessment capabilities.
• Heidrick & Struggles (Leadership Advisory): Heidrick & Struggles' leadership advisory practice offers executive assessment, succession, and development services that overlap with SKS's senior leadership focus, particularly at the C-suite and senior executive level.
• Wiley Workplace Learning (Everything DiSC / PXT Select): Wiley's workplace learning portfolio, including Everything DiSC and PXT Select, is a broad incumbent in the assessment and learning market. Its research-backed behavioral and cognitive assessments are widely used in selection and development, paralleling SKS's offerings.

Direct peers

• Petersen Group: The Petersen Group is a boutique consulting firm offering leadership development, team effectiveness, and executive coaching — closely mirroring SKS's coaching, consulting, and leadership development services for enterprise clients.
• DDI (Development Dimensions International): DDI is a leadership and assessment specialist with deep expertise in selection, development, and succession — closely aligned with SKS's competency modeling and leadership potential services, though at substantially larger scale.
• Hogan Assessments: Hogan Assessments is one of the most established personality and leadership assessment providers globally, offering psychometric tools used in selection, development, and succession. It is the closest direct competitor to SKS in psychometric-based talent assessment for organizations.
• Caliper (now part of Assessio): Caliper is a long-standing talent assessment firm using psychometric tools for selection, development, and succession planning — a direct comparable in the assessment-for-selection category where SKS competes.

Emerging players

• Sigma Assessment Systems: Sigma Assessment Systems delivers psychometric assessments and people analytics tools, often to mid-market employers. It competes with SKS in evidence-based assessment selection and development, though typically through technology-led delivery.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sks-consulting-psychologists

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about SKS Consulting Group