Leadership values learning

Leadership Values Workshop Assessment

A practical workshop page for discussing leadership behavior as conditions for flow, learning, and evolutionary change.

Core platform model

Leadership Values connect culture, capabilities, and value

The Improve Flow Assessment Platform uses several lenses. Culture explains what feels normal, leadership values show which behaviors are reinforced, capabilities show how work flows, and value shows what outcomes the system produces.

Schneider / OCAI

Culture

Culture influences what feels normal: how people decide, collaborate, take risks, handle control, and define success.

Leadership Values

Reinforced behavior

Leadership Values influence which behaviors are made visible, rewarded, protected, challenged, or allowed to fade.

KMM

Capabilities

Capabilities influence how work flows through the system: visibility, policies, feedback loops, metrics, and improvement routines.

EBM

Value

Value shows the outcomes produced by the system and whether evidence helps teams steer better decisions.

What this assessment is

This assessment helps a group reflect on observable leadership values. It is not an audit, manager evaluation, official Kanban University assessment, certification, or proof that leadership is good or bad.

Practical workshop assessment inspired by Kanban leadership values and evolutionary change principles. Not an official Kanban University assessment or certification.

Values profile

TransparencyCollaborationCustomerFocusFlowOrientationRespect forPeopleBalanceLearningAgreementLeadershipat Every LevelLeadershipValues

Relationship with KMM

Leadership creates the conditions for capability maturity

KMM looks at how mature the system of work is. Leadership Values help explain why some capabilities become stable while others remain fragile.

  • Transparency supports visualizing work, explicit policies, and meaningful feedback loops.
  • Flow orientation and balance help leaders manage WIP, aging work, predictability, and sustainability.
  • Learning and leadership at every level make improvement less dependent on a few formal managers.

Relationship with EBM

Leadership shapes how evidence turns into value decisions

EBM looks at evidence and value outcomes. Leadership Values help teams discuss whether evidence is actually used to steer decisions and change behavior.

  • Customer focus connects daily leadership behavior to Current Value and Unrealized Value.
  • Transparency and agreement make evidence usable instead of political or hidden.
  • Learning and respect make it safer to inspect weak signals, challenge assumptions, and adapt.

The 9 leadership values

1

Transparency

Leaders make intent, work, risks, and decisions visible.

2

Collaboration

Leaders create conditions for shared ownership.

3

Customer Focus

Leaders connect choices to customer value and service fitness.

4

Flow Orientation

Leaders pay attention to flow, delay, and predictability.

5

Respect for People

Leaders treat people as capable contributors.

6

Balance

Leaders balance delivery, capacity, quality, and health.

7

Learning

Leaders encourage experiments, reflection, and evidence-informed adaptation.

8

Agreement

Leaders make agreements, policies, and decision rights explicit.

9

Leadership at Every Level

Leadership is distributed through the system.

0-6 scoring scale

0 Not visible / actively contradicted
1 Rarely visible
2 Occasionally visible
3 Present but inconsistent
4 Regularly demonstrated
5 Strong and intentional
6 Deeply embedded in leadership behavior

Workshop guidance

  • Start by making the discussion safe: focus on conditions and behavior, not personalities.
  • Use disagreement as useful data about different experiences in the system.
  • Look for one value that would unlock better flow, learning, or customer focus.
  • Convert insight into a small leadership experiment with clear follow-up.
Improve Flow Platform