Avanti Development Framework Profile
Leadership that ripples outward, and ripples back.
Ripples
Like a stone dropped in still water, leadership starts at the centre and ripples outward, and communities send ripples back.
- The stone: the senior team, where the first ripple begins
- Each ripple is one level, from the senior team at the centre to the wider system at the edge. Its thickness follows the leaders' average for that level, out of 10
Drawn with made-up sample data.
The figures in this picture
| Level | Average | Band |
|---|---|---|
| The Senior Team | 7.0 | Established |
| The Governance Partnership | 6.5 | Established |
| The Leadership Community | 5.7 | Established |
| The System | 5.2 | Established |
What It Explores
Like ripples from a stone in still water, this profile shows how your leadership travels outward from the senior team through the governance partnership, the leadership community and the wider system, and where it holds strong or softens.
Public service organisations are being asked to do more with less, to work across boundaries and to share power with the communities they serve. Most leaders know that structures and plans alone do not achieve that. What makes the difference is how leadership travels: whether a direction formed at the centre carries through every part of the organisation and into the lives of the people it exists to serve.
The Avanti Development Framework Profile uses the image of ripples in still water. Leadership starts at the centre, in the senior team, and ripples outward through the governance partnership, the leadership community and the whole system of partners and communities. Each ring carries six elements: whether vision and values are Shared, Understood and Owned; whether Rich Diversity is used; whether Positive Challenge is possible; and whether people are Acting as One. Leaders respond to 48 short statements about their own organisation, and the results show where each ripple holds its strength and where it softens as it travels. Just as importantly, they show whether communities and people with lived experience are sending ripples back in, and whether those are felt at the centre.
Why It Matters
- Direction is agreed at the top but understood differently at every level below.
- Governance and executive leaders work hard but not always as genuine partners.
- Difficult truths are softened on their way up, so decisions rest on a partial picture.
- Communities are consulted, but rarely share real ownership of what changes.
What You Receive
- A 48-statement profile completed by your leaders about your own organisation.
- Scores for six elements across four levels, shown as a clear leadership matrix.
- Comparison between groups, such as governance and executive leaders, where numbers allow.
- A team report with interpretation, reflective questions and development actions.
- Individual feedback reports for participants, to support personal reflection and coaching.
Feedback. A facilitated session to work through the results together is arranged with you. Talk to us
What People Take Away
- 1Describe the four levels of the Avanti Development Framework and how they connect.
- 2Recognise the six elements of effective leadership at each level.
- 3Identify where a leadership strength fades as it moves outward through the organisation.
- 4Distinguish genuine ownership from compliance in their own leadership context.
- 5Explain how psychological safety, candour and skilled challenge work together.
- 6Value lived experience and community insight as expertise in shaping direction.
- 7Agree shared development priorities linked to outcomes for people and places.
Who It Is For
- Chief executives and executive teams
- Boards, chairs and non-executive directors
- Political leaders and elected members
- Trustees and leaders in the voluntary and community sector
- Senior and middle leadership communities
- Partnership boards and system leadership groups
When to Use It
A new senior team or leadership arrangement
When a team has formed or changed significantly, the profile establishes a shared baseline and gives the team a structured way to talk about how it wants to lead.
Strengthening governance
When the relationship between those who govern and those who lead day to day needs attention, the partnership level offers a respectful, evidence-based starting point.
A major change or improvement programme
Before or during significant change, it shows whether leadership is ready to carry the change through every tier and into partnerships.
Building partnership and co-production
When organisations are trying to work as one system with partners and communities, the system level helps leaders see honestly how far shared ownership really reaches.
Reviewing progress
Repeated after a period of development, it shows what has changed and where to focus next.
Our Approach in This Instrument
The profile is values-led and non-judgemental: it describes how leadership travels and never diagnoses, treats every difference in view as a contribution, and offers a developmental starting point that helps leaders and communities realise what they could achieve together.
Proper Use
This is a development instrument. It is not a clinical assessment and it is not designed or validated for selection, recruitment, promotion or performance management decisions. Scores describe perceptions at a point in time and are a starting point for conversation, not a verdict.