The Seven Vital Signs
The OVS Seven Vital Signs provide a structured way to examine organizational condition: Leadership, Culture, People, Performance, Innovation, Processes and Execution.
Learn screen by screen
The complete lesson is now presented as a guided learning sequence. Move forward when you are ready, listen to each screen, and pause for practice or reflection.
Resources for this lesson
A structured worksheet for assessing Leadership, Culture, People, Performance, Innovation, Processes and Execution.
Seven Vital Signs Diagnostic Snapshot
Seven-Sign Evidence Matrix — Rate each vital sign provisionally, then document the evidence and the question that could challenge the rating.
When Strong Sales Hide Weak Execution
WORKING CONTENT
CASE CONTEXT A 180-person distribution company has continued to generate strong sales, but delivery reliability has been declining. Customers are beginning to experience delays, while internal teams report increasing pressure to meet commitments. A provisional review of the organisation's seven vital signs produces the following picture: Leadership: 4/5
CULTURE
3/5
PEOPLE
4/5
PERFORMANCE
3/5
INNOVATION
2/5
PROCESSES
2/5
EXECUTION
2/5 THE DIAGNOSTIC CHALLENGE The pattern draws attention to Processes and Execution, but these ratings do not, by themselves, establish the cause of the delivery problem. The lower Process and Execution signals may be connected to unclear roles or decision rights, performance measures that reward sales without adequately measuring delivery reliability, capacity constraints, ineffective operating routines, cultural behaviours that tolerate workarounds, or another condition not yet visible in the available evidence. Your task is not to diagnose the company immediately. Your task is to determine what the signals are telling you and what evidence is still needed. OVS PRACTITIONER STANDARD Do not treat the signal as the diagnosis. Rate → Evidence → Challenge → Investigate → Connect → Understand → Act.
- What is the most visible organisational signal?
- Which vital signs appear connected, and what evidence supports that connection?
- What evidence supports the provisional ratings, and what evidence is still missing?
- What assumptions could be hiding behind the current Process and Execution ratings?
- What alternative explanations should be investigated before accepting a process-and-execution hypothesis?
- What evidence would confirm or challenge the leading hypothesis?
- What should the practitioner investigate next, and who should own that investigation?
Seven-sign evidence table
WORKING CONTENT
Vital sign
CONTINUED
provisional rating
CONTINUED
observable evidence
CONTINUED
business consequence
CONTINUED
connected vital sign
CONTINUED
diagnostic question
CONTINUED
evidence required
CONTINUED
confidence level.
System relationship map
MODEL / PROCESS
Leadership shapes direction and accountability. Culture shapes repeated behaviour. People provide capability. Performance defines results. Innovation supports adaptation. Processes shape flow. Execution converts intent into consistent outcomes. Diagnose relationships, not isolated scores.
Apply this lesson in the workplace
Complete a Seven Vital Signs snapshot for an organization and identify the two dimensions whose relationship deserves first investigation.
Leadership challenge
Explain to the executive team why the lowest score is not automatically the highest priority.
What good work looks like
Ratings must be traceable to evidence and should be presented as provisional until validated.