Horizontal Leadership Instrument
This survey will help to assess your team's Horizontal Leadership Capabilities by identifying tasks that it performs well in and areas that need improvement.
Instructions
Each member of the team needs to take the survey.
This survey contains statements about interactions within your organization. Next to each statement, circle the number that represents how strongly you feel about the statement by using the following scoring system:
- Almost Always True — 5
- Frequently True — 4
- Occasionally True — 3
- Seldom True — 2
- Almost Never True — 1
Be honest about your choices as there are no right or wrong answers — it is only for your team's self-assessment.
| 1 | Most of the information and instructions that I require to perform my work comes from my coworkers, rather than my supervisors and managers. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 2 | The reports and information I create goes to my peers or immediate working group, rather than upwards to my superiors. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 3 | If needed, I could perform the duties and tasks of my coworkers if they became unavailable. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 4 | I consider the people I work with to be a "High Performance Team," rather than a work group. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 5 | I feel that I'm connected to others within and outside my organization to the correct degree so that they understand my problems and needs. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 6 | I know where I stand with my leaders and how satisfied they are with my work. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 7 | I have such a high degree of confidence with the people I work with that I would defend their decisions they made if they were not present to do so. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 8 | I rarely feel that I am left out of the "information loop". | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | We are flexible enough to adjust rapidly to changing situations. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
| 10 | I have effective relationships with the people I work with. | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
Total your score: __________.
Assessing Your team's Horizontal Capability
The highest score possible is 50, while the lowest score possible is a 10. A completely horizontal team would score close to a 50, while a totally vertical (hierarchical) team would score closer to a 10. While almost no team will score a perfect 50, the goal should be to come as close to it as possible.
Once all the team members have completed the survey, compile the scores for each question. With the help of your team, choose one to four areas to improve, depending on the degree of perceived difficulty. This improvement phase should normally last about two to three months. Once the time period is over, the team should retake the survey, and repeat the improvement process until they are satisfied with the level they reach. The survey can then be used periodically to check the team's Horizontal Leadership performance capability to ensure it is maintaining its prescribed level.
Next Steps
Return to the chapter on Horizontal Leadership
Go to the next chapter: The Four Pillars: Leadership, Management, Command, and Control
Return to the Leadership Training and Development Outline