SPG Research Group · Governance Instrument
COHERENCE: Leadership under complexity.
Most governance failures do not happen because people lacked the right policies. They happen because values fractured under pressure. This instrument maps how you actually govern: not how you intend to.
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Part 1 of 2
These axes describe observable behaviours under pressure: not intentions. Rate each statement from 1 (Rarely) to 5 (Consistently).
“I own the consequences of my decisions: including those I did not anticipate.”
I can name the people most affected by my most recent significant decision.
When a decision produces unexpected consequences, I look first at what I could have done differently: before examining external factors.
I communicate the reasoning behind my decisions: not just the outcome: to those affected.
I apply the same standard of accountability when no oversight mechanism is watching as when it is.
“The quality of my governance is measured precisely where the temptation to bypass rules is strongest.”
Under time pressure, I still follow governance process rather than bypassing it to reach a faster outcome.
When the stakes are highest, I rely on structure more: not less: than in routine situations.
I can identify specific situations where I shortcut governance and reflect on what that cost.
Urgency does not change which values I apply: only how quickly I apply them.
“My role is to protect the integrity of the system: not to maximize my personal influence within it.”
I regularly invite challenge to my perspective from people with less institutional authority than me.
I can name decisions I reversed because someone else: at any level: was right and I was wrong.
I can clearly distinguish between what serves the institution and what serves my position within it: and I choose accordingly.
My influence in a room naturally decreases when I recognize I should be listening rather than deciding.
“I make decisions as if someone else will have to defend them after I am gone.”
My decisions are defensible to my successor: not just to my current peers.
I document reasoning: not just conclusions: so others can understand and defend my decisions later.
I consider the precedent a decision sets: not just its immediate outcome: before committing to it.
I treat institutional memory, process, and established governance structures as assets: not as obstacles.
Part 2 of 2
Each pillar represents an active governance requirement: not an intention. Rate each statement honestly.
Legitimacy
Authority is exercised by earned and recognized right: not by position or imposition.
My authority to decide is clear to those affected: not assumed from my title.
I earn the right to decide on complex matters: I do not assume it.
Equity
Decisions must be defensible to those they affect: not only to those who make them.
I can defend my decisions to those most affected: not just to those who approved them.
I actively consider whose voice is absent from the decisions I make.
Structure
Formal rigour is not an obstacle to governance: it is its foundation.
I experience governance processes as protection: not as bureaucracy to manage around.
I apply the same rigour to uncomfortable decisions as to straightforward ones.
Clarity
In complexity, a clear frame is more valuable than a perfect answer.
I can state the core principle behind a difficult decision in one sentence: before I make it.
I reframe problems before solving them: I do not accept the first framing offered.
Trust
Consistency in ordinary decisions builds the capital that holds during extraordinary crises.
My ordinary decisions are consistent with my stated values: not aspirationally, but observably.
People around me can predict how I will behave in a crisis: because of how I behave normally.
Ethics
No short-term gain justifies a lasting loss of legitimacy or institutional integrity.
I can name something I chose not to do: despite pressure to proceed: because it conflicted with my values.
Short-term gains do not override my commitment to institutional integrity: even when the trade-off is visible and costly.
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All 28 statements completed.
Your Governance Compass
Overall Coherence Score
This score reflects the alignment between your values and your governance behaviour across 20 dimensions. Coherence gaps: dimensions that score significantly lower than others: are the most actionable findings.
The Coherence Test
“If this decision were scrutinized publicly six months from now, could I defend it on all six pillars: or only on some of them?”
Full Governance Compass Report
The scores above show where you stand. The full report tells you what your specific profile predicts about your governance under real pressure: and gives you concrete coaching steps for each dimension where coherence breaks down.
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