What it answers · VITALIS™ S1
A clearer reading.A better next move.
Turn work you already observe into three practical directions.
Find what needs attention.
See how talent reviews gain an evidence baseChoose a proportionate action.
See how to choose the right responseFocus on the change point.
See how coaching is focusedAct. Read again. Adjust.
The idea
From impression to structure.
Every people decision starts with an impression. VS1 turns it into a reading you can see, discuss and review.
One reading, three axes: capability, momentum, core vitality. Each is tied to named work.
Recorded the same way, kept, and read again to see what changed.
System at a glance
In numbers
- 3-in-1 system: talent diagnosis, management direction and coaching direction.
- 2 readings: set the direction, then examine the result.
- 4 deeper analyses: capability release, current drive, momentum and safeguards.
- 8 evidence flags: observed assignment conditions requiring proportionate review.
Why the three readings stay separate
VS1 uses observed facts across three dimensions to turn talent diagnosis, management direction and coaching direction into one reviewable system.
Current capability shows what a person can carry now. Growth momentum shows the direction and rate at which the work is changing. Core vitality shows what appears to sustain care, effort and judgement when conditions become harder.
What follows from it
Kept separate, the three readings help an organisation decide what may require teaching, coaching, a change in conditions, a different load, a staged assignment or further observation. A later reading returns to the same standard and asks whether the chosen action changed the work.
01Clarify talent reviews
An impression“She’s high potential.”
Bring evidence to the discussion.
Give talent reviews a clearer basis than a general impression.
VS1 provides an evidence input. It does not calculate, score or predict potential, and does not identify high-potential employees.
What VS1 contributes to a 9-box discussion
- PerformanceX Current capability
- PotentialY Growth momentum Z Core vitalityEvidence inputs, not a potential score.
- Evidence gapsWhat has not been observedA limit on the reading, not a low rating.
How it works — talent reviews
What VS1 adds
Separate current contribution from growth momentum. Make constraints and evidence gaps visible. Carry named work examples into role and 9-box discussions.
How to read it
X is observed capability against written anchors. Read it beside actual performance records: capability and performance results are not the same measure.
Y and Z show how the work is changing, and what holds when conditions become harder. “Not observed” is a limit on the reading, not a low rating.
What it does not do
A 9-box discussion asks managers to judge future potential. VS1 does not make that judgement. It provides observed evidence for a judgement that remains the organisation’s own.
02Choose the right response
An impression“They just need more training.”
Find the gap. Then choose the action.
Avoid spending more on the wrong intervention. A similar result can hide very different problems.
- Capability missingTeach, practise, set a clearer standard.
- Learning stallsExamine feedback and chances to practise.
- Capability held backReview scope, authority, workload.
- Not yet observedObserve more before concluding.
How it works — choosing the right response
Four questions, asked first
A low or uneven result does not always describe the same management problem. VS1 separates the questions before a response is chosen.
- Is the capability missing? Where knowledge or skill is missing, teaching, practice or clearer standards may be the start.
- Where does learning stall? Is teaching or feedback becoming better work? Examine the conversion point, feedback and opportunity to practise.
- Is capability held back? The Performance Release Gap (PRG) asks whether observed capability is not fully released. Review scope, authority, workload and opportunity.
- Has the work been seen? Where the record is insufficient, “Not observed” limits the reading rather than letting confidence fill the gap.
What it does not claim
PRG concerns presently observed capability, not predicted future potential. It does not establish that a change in conditions will cause a performance increase.
03Keep decisions reviewable
An impression“I remember how it went.”
Keep the evidence. Not every conversation.
Revisit a decision without rebuilding the case from memory.
- 01The work instanceWhat was observed, in which setting.
- 02The reading & its limitsX, Y and Z kept separate; gaps made visible.
- 03The chosen actionThe person’s response and the next management move.
- 04The next reviewWhat a later reading needs to examine.
How it works — the decision file
A decision file, not a conversation log
VS1 teaches managers to preserve the work evidence that may later matter — not to record every performance conversation.
What the record keeps
The named work instances, the three separate readings, the evidence limits, the person’s relevant response, the next management move, and what the later reading should examine.
This gives role placement, 9-box discussion and important-assignment decisions a chain that can be reviewed without rebuilding the case from memory.
A second use
It can also surface a utilisation gap: a capable person may appear average because the role, authority, workload or opportunity does not allow the capability to show. The manager can adjust the work and return later to see whether the pattern changed.
04Focus coaching
An impression“Coaching will fix it.”
Put attention where it can help.
The same capability level does not mean the same development need.
Choose the response the evidence supports
- Teach & coachClarify the standard. Coach a specific conversion point.
- Adjust the workRemove an avoidable constraint. Adjust load or role scope.
- Extend or observeOffer a staged stretch assignment. Or collect more evidence first.
How it works — focusing coaching
Where to look
Find the specific point where input stops becoming improved work. Choose support that fits the evidence. Return later to see whether the direction helped.
Y gives an initial reading of direction and rate of change. DRIVE shows where the current pattern of investment intensity warrants review. GPI and DI distinguish positive and negative momentum without turning either into a prediction of future potential.
An average cannot tell you who will respond
A 2023 meta-analysis of 39 randomised controlled trial samples, covering 2,528 participants, estimated an overall coaching effect of g = .59. The authors also reported indications of publication bias.
VS1 does not predict individual coaching response. It narrows the immediate question: capability, response to input, conditions, load or missing evidence. A later reading examines what changed.
Source
de Haan & Nilsson (2023), “What Can We Know about the Effectiveness of Coaching? A Meta-Analysis Based Only on Randomized Controlled Trials,” Academy of Management Learning & Education, 22(4). This research concerns coaching generally; it does not validate VS1.
05Entrust with safeguards
An impression“He’s ready. Give him more.”
Extend responsibility. Make the limits clear.
Before important work is entrusted, check what has been demonstrated—and what has not.
No single VS1 reading should be the sole basis for hiring, promotion or exit.
Scope · conditions · review
- EntrustUse normal accountability.
- StageIncrease the scope gradually.
- SupportAdd review points or safeguards.
- ObserveFill the evidence gap first.
How it works — entrusting with safeguards
Four questions before the assignment
- X Has the required range and independence been shown?
- Y How has recent input changed the work?
- Z What happens when conditions get harder?
- ? Which relevant situations remain unobserved?
Eight evidence flags
The eight evidence flags organise already-observed conditions that may call for a proportionate safeguard. A flag may support one of the four responses above.
What they are not
Evidence flags are not predictive labels and do not independently approve or block an employment decision. The value is not risk-free talent. It is a risk decision with its assumptions visible.
06Review what changed
An impression“It seems better.”
Did the action change the work?
The first reading sets a direction. The next makes the response open to review.
Reading 1
- Xsteady
- Yflat
- Zdeclines under pressure
Reading 2
- Xsteady
- Yrises
- Zholds
- MovedReinforce and extend.
- Partly movedAdjust the support.
- Did not moveReopen the diagnosis.
- Still unclearImprove the evidence.
How it works — reviewing what changed
Closing the loop
The second reading returns to the same standard and asks whether the chosen action changed what can be observed.
If the pattern moves, reinforce what helped. If it moves only partly, adjust the support, condition or scope. If it does not move, reopen the diagnosis and the choice of response. If the evidence is unclear, improve the observation before the conclusion grows.
Why it matters
People can improve. The management system should be able to see whether they did.
What it does not claim
Illustrative readings. Not a VS1 report, a score or a prediction.
Limits, in one place
What the reading does not claim.
VS1 does not predict future performance or future potential.
- 01Clarify talent reviews
VS1 provides an evidence input. It does not calculate, score or predict potential, and does not identify high-potential employees.
- 02Choose the right response
A pattern points to the next question, not to its cause.
- 03Keep decisions reviewable
Illustrative report layout. Not a live VS1 assessment result.
- 04Focus coaching
VS1 does not predict individual coaching response.
- 05Entrust with safeguards
No single VS1 reading should be the sole basis for hiring, promotion or exit.
- 06Review what changed
Observed change does not by itself establish its cause.
Your next move
A clearer starting point.
A more deliberate response.
Explore how VS1 is introduced, learned and used.
