Governance + Leadership | SPG Research Group
Does your governance hold when pressure arrives?
Most governance failures are not missing policies. They are values that fractured under pressure. The Governance Compass maps how you actually govern, across four orientation axes and six pillars of coherence, not how you intend to.
The Governance Compass is a behavioral self-report instrument. They are directional indicators of self-reported behavioral tendency, not validated psychometric measurements, clinical assessments or classifications. Use results as development inputs, not selection criteria.
The problem this solves
Governance built on relationships and precedent holds until something tests it. The Compass asks whether yours is built on architecture: who owns consequences, what happens when speed tempts you to skip process, whose challenge you actually invite, and whether the institution outlasts the individuals in it.
What a policy review checks
Whether the documents exist and are current. Necessary, but silent on what people do when the rules are inconvenient.
What the Compass reveals
The gap between stated and practiced governance: where it is load-bearing, and where it will fracture first.
The four orientation axes
Each axis is rated on observable behavior, not intention.
A
Owning the consequences of decisions, including the ones you did not anticipate.
Looks at whether you explain your reasoning and apply the same standard when no one is watching.
E
Following governance process when the temptation to bypass it is strongest.
Looks at whether structure increases or decreases when stakes rise.
S
Protecting the integrity of the system rather than maximising personal influence in it.
Looks at whether you invite challenge from people with less authority and can name decisions you reversed.
I
Building governance that outlasts the people currently holding it.
Looks at succession, documentation and whether knowledge sits in people or in the institution.
The six pillars of coherence
The pillars describe the qualities a coherent governance system needs. The full instrument scores all six.
Legitimacy
Authority that others accept as rightful.
Equity
Fair treatment in how rules and outcomes are applied.
Structure
Clear roles, decision rights and process.
Clarity
Decisions and reasoning that can be understood.
Trust
Reliance between the people and bodies involved.
Ethics
Values that hold when they are costly.
How it is used
A short, anonymous scan that gives a directional read across the dimensions, with signal flags on what may fracture first.
The complete ten-dimension profile with a personalised report: your governance signature and where it holds versus fractures.
Free versus full
The scan gives a direction. The full instrument gives a reportable profile.
| Free scan | Full instrument | |
|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Directional proxy across the dimensions | All ten dimensions: four axes and six pillars |
| Output | Governance level and signal flags | Full axis and pillar scores, and where governance is load-bearing |
| Report | On-screen result | Personalised report |
| Identity | Anonymous | Personalised, tied to your purchase |
Design principles
Behavior over intention
Items ask what you do in governance situations, not what you aspire to do.
Anonymous by default
Nothing is stored unless you purchase the full report.
A reflection tool
It supports a conversation about governance. It does not certify or audit anything.
Get access
A short directional read. Anonymous, no email required.
Open the Governance Compass →The complete ten-dimension profile with a personalised report. Book a debrief to turn the results into governance actions.
Go to the full instrument →Book a debrief sessionPart of the SPG governance ecosystem
The Compass looks at how you govern. The Judgment Diagnostic looks at how you decide. The AI Readiness Assessment looks at whether your organization can govern AI.
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