Designing the interfaces between teams is also designing capability
On the eve of a launch, an incomplete interface can immobilize capability that each team does possess.
Responsible governance
Articles about accountability, boundaries, and the responsible use of talent systems.
26 articles
Latest articles
Sources of Power: when expert intuition deserves a place in assessment
Sources of Power makes it possible to treat expert intuition as situated recognition without turning experience or confidence into unquestionable authority.
The organization can have the right skills and the wrong operating model
An organization can have the right skills and still fail to produce the expected capability. Even when the inventory is accurate, the rules of work may prevent those skills from being used.
How to add a 360 without turning it into an average
A 360 improves an assessment when it preserves what each source observed, from which relationship, and within what limits; averaging first destroys that information.
When a critical capability depends too heavily on one person
Consider an unexpected absence: a capability is fragile when its absence interrupts a critical outcome and no alternative has demonstrated that it can restore that outcome in time.
How to design a calibration session that does not turn into a negotiation over scores
How do you keep a calibration session from turning into a negotiation over scores? Bring evidence, context, and criteria into the conversation before the number.
Adoption begins when the model changes a decision
Even when usage is high, a model may not yet have been adopted: the decisive evidence appears when it changes a real decision and that change can be reconstructed.
When to create a new role and when to redesign an existing one
Should the organization create a new role or redistribute the work? The answer depends on the stability, distinctiveness, and accountability of the missing contribution.
Not observed, not applicable, and insufficient evidence do not mean the same thing
What does a space without a conclusion actually mean? It may indicate an absence of observation, an expectation outside the role, or insufficient evidence. Distinguishing these states prevents us from assigning a gap that the data does not demonstrate.
What it means for an assessment to be valid for a specific decision
What makes an assessment valid for a specific decision? The answer connects the intended use with the evidence required, the interpretation that can be supported, and the limits of any conclusion.
How to scale beyond the pilot without losing quality
Even when the initial test works, different areas begin to interpret the model in incompatible ways as it expands. Preserving quality requires distinguishing the meaning that must remain stable from the methods that can be adapted.
The problem with turning a score into an identity
A score summarizes evidence obtained under certain rules, sources, and conditions. When language turns it into a definition of who the person is, a time-bound measurement begins to govern expectations, opportunities, and new interpretations.