Is this a performance assessment?

No. It assesses fit against the demands the transformation will place on a role, not past performance in the role as it exists today.

What does each leader see?

Each leader receives their own read-out. The sponsor receives the consolidated verdict. Nothing individual is circulated more widely without the leader's knowledge.

Does it use psychometric testing?

Structured interviews and stakeholder references carry the weight. Instruments are used only where they add something the dialogue cannot.

What happens where the verdict is negative?

The verdict names options rather than outcomes: reshape the role, strengthen the support around it, develop the incumbent, or replace. The decision remains the sponsor's.

How is confidentiality handled with sensitive roles?

Scope, participants and the read-out sequence are agreed with the sponsor before any interview is booked, and references are taken only with the leader's knowledge.

OVP

Instrument 02

Leadership Verdict

A clear, evidenced view of which leaders are ready, which need development, and which roles require change — before the programme is fully committed.

← Organisational Value Programme

The question this instrument addresses

Do I have the leaders this transformation needs, or the leaders who built what we have today?

Which critical roles carry succession exposure we could not absorb mid-programme?

Where is leadership behaviour — not capability — the thing slowing decisions down?

What becomes visible

— The difference between leaders performing well in the current model and leaders capable of operating in the intended one.
— Roles whose demands change materially under the transformation, where the incumbent has not been reassessed.
— Patterns of behaviour in the leadership group — escalation, avoidance, informal influence — that reporting lines do not show.
— Where a change of role, rather than a change of person, resolves the constraint.

What we do

The work, in the sequence it usually takes.

01Initial sponsor dialogue and question definition
02Review of relevant strategy, financial, organisational and operational material
03Leadership and stakeholder interviews
04Observation of relevant organisational practices
05Analysis and development of hypotheses
06Validation with relevant leaders and stakeholders
07Executive read-out and facilitated decision dialogue

Not every activity applies to every engagement. The sequence is shaped around the question being asked.

What we examine

The lenses this instrument works through.

Leadership behaviour

How leaders act when the organisation is under load, not how they describe themselves.

Capability and capacity

Fit against the demands of the role as it will be, and available bandwidth.

Decision rights and governance

Whether authority matches accountability in each role in scope.

Organisational design

Roles whose shape must change before the person in them can succeed.

Organisational risk

Concentration, key-person exposure and succession gaps in critical positions.

What you receive

— Leadership verdict per role: ready, develop, or change
— Individual development priorities for leaders remaining in post
— Succession and interim exposure overview for critical roles
— Confidential decision brief for the Chief Executive and, where appropriate, the board

How the engagement works

Typical sponsor: Chief Executive, with the Chief HR Officer as counterpart.
Relevant participants: Leaders in roles material to the transformation, and their principal stakeholders.
Duration: Typically six to ten weeks, depending on the number of roles in scope.
Interviews and workshops: Typically one to two sessions per leader, plus stakeholder references.
On-site and remote work: Predominantly on-site for the leaders in scope; calibration remote.
Expected leadership involvement: Typically two to three hours per leader; a half-day calibration with the sponsor.

The scope is shaped around the organisational question. OVP is not sold as a standardised diagnostic package.

How this instrument connects

The verdict answers who will carry the change the readiness map defines. Its findings usually explain a significant share of the entries in the risk register.

It is often used independently ahead of a reorganisation, a new operating model, or a change of Chief Executive.

Contributes to: Evidence · Diagnosis · Choices

Common questions

Is this a performance assessment?: No. It assesses fit against the demands the transformation will place on a role, not past performance in the role as it exists today.
What does each leader see?: Each leader receives their own read-out. The sponsor receives the consolidated verdict. Nothing individual is circulated more widely without the leader's knowledge.
Does it use psychometric testing?: Structured interviews and stakeholder references carry the weight. Instruments are used only where they add something the dialogue cannot.
What happens where the verdict is negative?: The verdict names options rather than outcomes: reshape the role, strengthen the support around it, develop the incumbent, or replace. The decision remains the sponsor's.
How is confidentiality handled with sensitive roles?: Scope, participants and the read-out sequence are agreed with the sponsor before any interview is booked, and references are taken only with the leader's knowledge.