Ambidexterity index and maturity stage
A 0 to 100 index shows where the company stands today and what defines the next stage.
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IAODualDrive Index
Organizational Ambidexterity Assessment Instrument
An assessment of the organization's ability to run the current business efficiently while exploring new products, markets and models.
The question it answers
Can your company take care of the present and build the future at the same time?
- Online and anonymous
- Profile on the explore x execute matrix
- Action plan included
Why answer
What this questionnaire does for you
What it is for
Find out whether the company can both get the most out of today’s business and build the next one.
What you get
A picture of the balance between efficiency and renewal, with a 0 to 100 index, the organization’s profile and what most limits that balance. When applied to the team, the report also shows differences between areas and levels, the gap between leadership and team views and an action plan in waves.
How it helps the company
- Shows whether daily operations are smothering the new, or whether new ideas fail to produce results.
- Points to what to adjust in structure, budget, context and leadership so both sides can coexist.
- Delivers a plan to protect the future without losing efficiency today.
How the information is gathered
- People from different areas and levels answer an anonymous online questionnaire, on phone or computer.
- Answers are consolidated by pillar, area and level. Groups of fewer than 5 people are never shown.
- Leadership receives the full report and a debrief with an action plan in waves.
Who it is for
Signs that it is time
Mid-sized and large companies, innovation, R&D, strategy and HR areas, and growing SMEs that need to renew the business without losing sight of operations. Senior leadership, managers and teams respond, with a reading by level and area.
- Strong short-term results, but few bets on the future.
- Many innovation pilots that never reach operations.
- Innovation budget cut whenever targets get tight.
- New businesses stifled by the rules of the core business.
- Leadership split between those who want efficiency and those who want renewal.
What you will learn
The questions the assessment answers
- Are we sacrificing the future to hit this quarter's target?
- Do our innovation initiatives reach operations?
- Does leadership know when to open up to explore and when to close down to execute?
- Do budget and incentives protect long-term bets?
- Does the management context bring clarity and, at the same time, room to experiment?
- Do leadership and teams see the balance the same way?
Results you can expect
What changes in your company
Organization profile
Ambidextrous, Explorer, Optimizer or Inert: the company's position on the exploration x exploitation matrix.
Balance and combined strength
You see whether the company leans to one side and how much strength it has in both modes together.
Enablers mapped
Management context, structure, portfolio, resources and leadership: what sustains and what blocks renewal.
Leadership vs. teams
Where those who decide and those who execute see the balance differently.
Plan for the next stage
Prioritized actions, with owners and deadlines, to move forward without disrupting operations.
What is assessed
Six dimensions, one complete picture
Ideavus's own methodology, built on recognized references and applied in companies of different sizes and industries.
- Exploitation and EfficiencyThe ability to get the most out of the current business: refine the offer, gain efficiency and deepen relationships with existing customers.
- Exploration and RenewalThe ability to pursue the new: develop new offers, technologies and markets, experiment and learn beyond current capabilities.
- Alignment ContextManagement systems that bring clarity, discipline and ambition, so people deliver consistently.
- Adaptability ContextAn environment of trust, support and autonomy that lets people adapt, take initiative and experiment.
- Structure, Portfolio and ResourcesFormal arrangements to run the current business and new businesses at the same time: dedicated spaces, dual budgets, a portfolio by horizons and integration.
- Ambidextrous LeadershipThe ability of leadership to open up space to explore, close down to execute and sustain a vision that integrates both.
Core concept
Four ambidexterity profiles
Companies that last do two things that seem opposite: they run the current business with excellence and explore the new deliberately. Those that focus only on efficiency fall into the efficiency trap, with results today and vulnerability to disruption. Those that focus only on exploration fall into the opposite trap, with many ideas and pilots that never become revenue.
Beyond the index, DualDrive Index places the organization on the exploration x exploitation matrix and shows the balance and combined strength between the two modes.
| Profile | What it indicates |
|---|---|
| Ambidextrous | Strong exploration and exploitation: renews and executes at the same time. |
| Explorer | Strong exploration and below-expected exploitation: many ideas, difficulty capturing value. |
| Optimizer | Strong exploitation and below-expected exploration: efficient today, vulnerable to disruption. |
| Inert | Both modes below expectations: not enough energy to improve or to renew. |
How it works
Four steps, without overloading your teams
A typical project takes 5 to 7 weeks, from alignment to the results debrief.
- Week 1Alignment
A conversation with the sponsor to set the objective, the audience and the breakdowns (areas, levels, sites). We provide a communication kit to invite the teams.
- Weeks 2 to 4Anonymous online survey
Each person answers in a few minutes, on a phone or computer. We track participation by area and send reminders.
- Week 5Analysis
We consolidate the results, compare areas and levels and group the comments by theme.
- Weeks 6 and 7Debrief and plan
We present the report to leadership, discuss the causes and close an action plan with priorities, owners and deadlines.
Anonymity and trust
- Anonymous answers and results always aggregated.
- Small groups are merged with others so no one can be identified.
- Consent under data protection law (LGPD) before starting.
- Room for open comments, presented by theme.
What you receive
Deliverables designed to lead to decisions
Rolled out with your teams, the full assessment turns the reading into decisions. The report includes:
- Overall index and maturity band: where the organization stands today and what defines this moment
- Full pillar profile: the strengths to preserve and the gaps holding results back
- View by area and hierarchical level: where each team stands and where perceptions diverge
- Leadership view vs. team view: where those who decide and those who execute see things differently
- Comparison with other organizations and progress between assessment cycles
- Priorities: what to tackle first to move up a band
- Voice of the people: open comments organized by theme, with anonymity preserved
- Organization profile on the exploration x exploitation matrix, with balance and combined strength
- Context, structure, portfolio and leadership enablers that sustain or block renewal
- Comparison between the views of senior leadership, managers and teams
- Action plan in waves, with owners and indicators
Maturity stages
A 0 to 100 index and a clear stage
The result places the company in one of six stages and shows what to do to reach the next one.
- StagnantNeither exploration nor exploitation is managed; the company reacts to events.
- ReactiveThere are one-off efforts, usually focused on a single mode.
- EmergingThere are practices in both modes, but they are loosely connected and unstructured.
- StructuredBoth modes are managed with defined processes, goals and owners.
- AdvancedThe modes reinforce each other: exploration feeds operations and vice versa.
- BenchmarkAmbidexterity is institutionalized and sustains continuous renewal and superior performance.
Formats
Three levels of depth, one consistent reading
Every format covers all six dimensions and produces results that can be compared with each other and over time. What changes is the depth.
IAO Entry
A quick reading of all pillars.
- When to choose it
- For SMEs, a specific area or a first reading before scaling up.
- What it includes
- Index, stage, profile and results by pillar, with an executive report and an online debrief.
- Time per person
- about 5 minutes
- Typical length
- 2 to 3 weeks
IAO Regular
Full analysis with a debrief workshop.
- When to choose it
- For most companies that want to balance operations and renewal.
- What it includes
- Everything in Entry, plus a reading by level and area, the profile matrix, a debrief workshop and a 90-day action plan.
- Time per person
- about 10 minutes
- Typical length
- 5 to 7 weeks
IAO Complete
In-depth analysis for portfolio decisions.
- When to choose it
- For large organizations, several business units or a redesign of the innovation model.
- What it includes
- Everything in Regular, plus senior leadership interviews, a portfolio map by horizons, individual reports for leaders and a 12-month plan.
- Time per person
- about 15 minutes
- Typical length
- 8 to 10 weeks
Combine with
Integrated readings
Run together, in a single data collection, two instruments let you cross-reference results and explain causes that one alone cannot show.
Renewal and innovation
Compares the capacity to innovate with the balance between exploring and executing, and shows whether ideas have the structure and budget to reach operations.
Strategy and portfolio
Checks whether the strategy protects long-term bets and whether the portfolio balances the current business and new businesses.
360° Index: build a package with two or more instruments
One data collection, one integrated report and cross-analysis between instruments.
Explore the 360° Index Frequently asked questions
Before you hire
How long does it take?
In the Regular format, 5 to 7 weeks from alignment to debrief; Entry fits into 3 to 4 weeks. Each person needs only a few minutes to answer, on a phone or computer.
Who answers?
Usually all employees in the defined audience, at every level. You can also start with leadership and expand later.
How do you guarantee anonymity?
Answers are collected in an Ideavus environment, with no company login. The company receives aggregated results only, small groups are merged with others and comments are shown by theme, without identification. All data handling follows data protection law (LGPD).
How many people need to answer?
Each group you want to analyze (an area, a level, a site) needs at least 5 answers. The higher the participation, the more reliable the reading, and we support internal communication to get there.
What happens after the report?
The debrief ends with an action plan with priorities, owners and deadlines. If the company wishes, Ideavus supports execution with consulting and follow-up.
Can I reapply it to track progress?
Yes, and we recommend it. Reapplying every 12 to 18 months shows progress and helps prove the effect of the actions. Results are comparable between cycles.
How much does it cost?
Pricing is by proposal, based on the number of people and the format chosen. In a 30-minute call we learn about your context and send the proposal.
What is organizational ambidexterity?
It is the ability to run the current business efficiently while exploring new opportunities. Companies that do only one of the two tend to lose momentum over the medium term.
How is it different from the Innovation Culture assessment (IS)?
IS measures the capacity to innovate. DualDrive Index measures the balance between innovating and running the current business, and the structure, portfolio and leadership arrangements that make both possible at the same time. The two can be applied together.
Is there an individual version?
Yes. DualDrive is the individual ambidexterity self-assessment, sold in the Ideavus shop. In the DualDrive Index Complete format, leaders also receive individual reports.
Free quick test
Find out in 2 minutes where your company stands
A few questions, an instant result and your organization's estimated stage.
Take the free test (2 min) Next step
Shall we talk about your context?
In a 30-minute call, we learn where the company stands and recommend the most suitable format. No commitment.
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