How Is a Management Team Assessed as a Whole?
Organisations usually plan assessment work around a single position or a single executive. Strategic decisions, however, are put into practice by a management team working together. Seeing the team's combined strength, the ways its members complement one another and its shared development areas gives organisations a decisive perspective during restructuring, growth or a change of strategy.
This perspective offers particular value in matrix structures where several units work towards shared goals, and in fast-growing organisations.
The management team is the core structure that turns an organisation's strategy into day-to-day decisions. Each executive in the team may be highly competent in their own field; the team's success as a whole, however, depends on how these competencies complement one another. Complementing individual assessment with a team-level view therefore gives organisations a more comprehensive basis for decisions.
This approach provides a particularly valuable source of data when boards review senior management's performance and readiness for the period ahead. The holistic view of the team places the board's decisions on leadership investment on a measurable footing.
In the assessment work we have delivered as E&E Group since 1992, we have seen at first hand the value of complementing individual analysis with a team-level view.
In this article, we look at why a holistic assessment of the management team matters, what it covers and how its results feed into organisational decisions.
From Individual Profiles to a Team View
Assessing each executive's strengths and development areas separately yields valuable information. When the same data is brought together at team level, a far more comprehensive picture emerges. For example, most executives in a team may lean towards fast decision-making and a strong results focus; this gives the organisation agility, while the time given to planning and risk analysis may remain limited.
Taking individual assessment to team level also allows each executive to see their own profile within the team as a whole. Executives recognise how their strengths contribute to the team and where they can draw on colleagues' support. This awareness strengthens trust and mutual respect within the team.
In building the team view, we also take into account each executive's role, reporting relationships and the team's interaction with other units in the organisation. This context links the assessment results to how the organisation actually works.
The team view shows how far the organisation's strategic priorities align with the team's current profile. The balance of competencies needed by an organisation pursuing growth differs from that needed by one driving an efficiency-focused transformation. A holistic assessment makes this difference visible with concrete data.
The team view also offers insight into how communication flows within the team. Executives with similar profiles reach agreement quickly, while markedly different profiles create a rich environment for debate and may need more time to reach a shared decision. Managed well, both situations add strength to the team.
One of the most important contributions of the team view is identifying blind spots. In areas where all executives in the team share a similar perspective, the range of scenarios considered may be narrower. This matters especially in times of high uncertainty. The assessment shows concretely where the team needs an additional perspective and lays the groundwork for the organisation to meet that need through appointments, development or advisory support.
The team view also clarifies how roles are shared among executives. An executive's area of strength helps identify who should take on the related responsibility. An executive who is detail-oriented and systematic stands out in tracking implementation plans, while a visionary, relationship-focused executive adds strength in stakeholder management. Making these differences visible makes the division of work within the team more efficient.
The team view also reveals how executives from different functions come together around shared goals. Comparing the tendencies of executives from sales, operations, finance and human resources highlights the areas that will strengthen cross-functional collaboration.
Organisations most often turn to team assessment when a new CEO takes office, during mergers and acquisitions, in restructuring and at times of major strategic change. In these periods, knowing how ready the management team is for new goals directly affects the speed and accuracy of decisions.
When a new CEO takes office, team assessment helps them get to know the team they are inheriting quickly. With the team's strengths, development areas and internal dynamics set out in measurable data, the new leader plans the first months far more deliberately and builds a sound working relationship with the team.
In mergers and acquisitions, executives from two different organisations come together in a single team. Seeing the tendencies of executives from different organisational cultures side by side shows where alignment will come easily in building the shared structure and where additional work is needed.
What a Team-Level Assessment Covers
The areas we address in a holistic assessment of the management team are:
• Competency distribution: identifying which competencies are strongly represented in the team and which are limited.
• Complementarity: analysing how far executives balance one another's tendencies.
• Decision-making structure: the team's shared tendencies in its approach to risk, speed and detail.
• Leadership styles: how different leadership styles work together and where friction may arise.
• Alignment with strategy: how closely the team profile matches the organisation's goals for the coming period.
We analyse these areas by bringing together individual data obtained through the Harrison Assessments methodology at team level. The assessment therefore rests on measurable data and creates a shared language that can be discussed with the board.
The analysis also takes into account each executive's responsibilities in their role, so the team profile is assessed together with the organisation's structure.
In the competency distribution analysis, the competencies the organisation will need in the coming period are defined in advance. This definition is clarified through discussions with the board and senior management. The profiles of the executives in the team are then assessed against these competencies and the overall team view is set out, linking the analysis directly to the organisation's real goals.
The complementarity analysis is especially valuable for understanding the balance within the team. The Harrison methodology considers together tendencies that are expected to balance one another. When this approach is taken to team level, it becomes clear how one executive's area of strength offsets another's development area. Once the team recognises this natural balance, collaboration rests on a more conscious footing.
The complementarity analysis also allows the team to plan support relationships internally. An executive who is strong in one area can offer peer support to a colleague who is developing in that same area, so that development progresses naturally within the team.
Findings on decision-making structure show how the team's meetings and decision processes work. A team that approaches risk cautiously may be slower to act on opportunities, while a team inclined to decide quickly may need additional controls during implementation. These findings help the team reshape its decision processes in line with the organisation's strategy.
The analysis of leadership styles shows how different approaches work together within the team. When executives with a participative leadership style and those with a more directive style sit in the same team, managing these differences consciously matters. The analysis makes potential points of friction visible in advance and helps the team turn them into opportunities for collaboration.
The analysis of alignment with strategy is the most strategic dimension of the assessment. The organisation's goals for the next three to five years are compared with the team's current profile. This comparison shows which goals the team is well prepared for and where it needs support. For the board, these findings provide a reliable basis for prioritising leadership investment.
All of these analyses are considered together with preliminary discussions with the management team and the organisation's strategic documents. Bringing the inventory data together with the organisation's context ensures the findings are both accurate and actionable.
We share the assessment results in a feedback session held together with the management team. In this session, team members review their own profiles and the overall team view together and agree on shared development areas. This approach ensures ownership of the results and builds shared awareness within the team.
Following the feedback session, we build a shared development plan for the team. The plan sets out the areas to be strengthened at team level, the concrete steps for each and how progress will be tracked. Team members' personal development goals are aligned with this shared plan, so that individual and team development move in the same direction.
A range of tools can be combined to put the shared development plan into practice, including team workshops, executive coaching sessions and adjustments to roles within the team. Which tools take priority depends on the assessment findings and the organisation's priorities.
The assessment process is itself a development opportunity for the team. Completing the inventory gives executives the chance to reflect on their own work preferences and ways of working, and in the sessions where results are shared, the team sees long-standing colleagues from a new angle.
Confidentiality is one of the fundamental conditions for a sound team assessment. At the outset, it is agreed at what level and with whom individual results will be shared. In team sessions, the overall team view takes centre stage, while personal results are shared with the executive concerned and with their consent.
How the Results Inform Organisational Decisions
Team-level assessment results guide many decisions, from defining the profile sought in new appointments to designing development programmes. A competency area with limited representation in the team may become a priority criterion for the next senior appointment. The same results also provide a solid starting point for work on team dynamics within executive coaching programmes.
In executive search, the team view plays a decisive role in defining the profile sought. Alongside technical qualifications, the perspective the candidate will bring to the team becomes one of the criteria for the open position. This approach helps the new executive integrate quickly and strengthens the team's overall balance.
The team view is also a useful guide for internal promotions. Considering a promotion candidate's profile alongside the balance of the team they will join ensures the decision works well for both the individual and the team.
In executive coaching programmes, team assessment sharpens the focus of coaching conversations. Findings on team dynamics help executives review their role and way of collaborating within the team, while work carried out at team level supports stronger alignment around shared goals.
Repeating the team-level assessment at regular intervals also allows organisations to track the impact of transformation. Progress in the development areas identified in the first assessment becomes tangible in the next one and can be reported to the board.
The team view is also a useful guide when a new senior executive is about to join. When the candidate's profile is considered alongside the team's current balance, it becomes clear in advance how the candidate will contribute and which areas to focus on during onboarding. This approach ensures the appointment decision fits both the requirements of the role and the team as a whole.
Succession planning also draws directly on team assessment. The assessment clarifies which executives could take on critical roles within the team, which roles will require an external search and which competencies need to be developed. The organisation can thus plan leadership continuity in advance.
Sharing assessment results with the board is also valuable from a corporate governance perspective. When the board tracks senior management's strengths and development areas through measurable data, it bases its leadership decisions on firmer ground.
This perspective becomes even more critical during periods of change. After downsizing or restructuring, how well the continuing team adapts to the new structure directly affects how quickly the organisation reaches its goals. At such times, identifying the management team's strengths and development areas matters as much as planning the length of a career transition support programme. Our article on how commitment to the organisation differs across generations looks at team structure from a different angle.
After downsizing and restructuring, team assessment also guides how responsibilities are distributed in the new structure. The results clarify who in the team will carry forward the duties of departing executives, which competencies these duties require and how the team will balance its new responsibilities.
One of the most important gains team assessment brings is a shared language the management team develops about itself. When strengths and development areas are set out in measurable data, team members understand one another better and see their differences as a source of richness. This shared language makes it easier for the team to act together when important decisions are taken.
The impact of team assessment on organisational culture is also significant. When the management team can talk openly about its strengths and development areas, it sets an example for other levels of the organisation. A management team that is open to feedback and focused on development helps a similar culture take root across the organisation.
Team assessment is part of an approach that continually strengthens the organisation's leadership structure. When assessment, appointment, development and executive coaching form a mutually reinforcing whole, the management team is prepared for the organisation's changing needs at every stage.
The experience we have gained in more than 3,000 assessments since 1992 is the clearest evidence of the value team-level analysis brings to organisations.
As E&E Group, through the assessment work we deliver in partnership with Harrison Assessments, we bring the holistic view of management teams together with organisations' strategic goals. To design an assessment tailored to your management team, drawing on the experience we have built since 1992, you can contact us at info@eande.com.tr.
