Whole Brain Potential™ glossary
Glossary
Clear definitions of the terms behind Whole Brain Potential™ and Friction Architecture™.
Core terms
Start with the ideas that describe potential, structural friction and the conditions people work inside.
Products
Find precise descriptions of the Diagnostic, Profile and the ways leaders can act on what they reveal.
A concise reference
The terms we use, and what we mean by them.
This glossary brings together the language used across Whole Brain Potential™ and Friction Architecture™. Use it to find a clear definition, distinguish a product from the conditions it examines, or return to a term as you read.
Glossary entries
Products
Friction Architecture™ Diagnostic
A short, evidence-based questionnaire that maps friction across six neural conditions, 30 signals and seven organisational systems.
Friction Architecture™ Profile
What the Diagnostic produces: where friction sits, what it costs and where to focus first.
Redesign Studio
Where leaders redesign the conditions their Profile made visible, following a personalised route.
Managers add-on
An optional addition to the Redesign Studio that supports managers once leaders changes are in place.
Friction Architecture™ annual health check
Re-runs the Diagnostic to show what has moved and what to focus on next.
Whole Brain Potential™ Keynote
The introduction to Whole Brain Potential™ for a room.
From evidence to focus
The Profile shows where friction sits, what it costs and where to focus first.
Checking what has moved
The annual health check re-runs the Diagnostic to show what has changed and what to focus on next.
The six neural conditions — the conditions that determine how well people can perform. They describe the working environment, not individuals.
Clarity — Knowing what matters, what is expected and where things stand.
Agency — Having real influence over your work and the decisions that shape it.
Capacity — Having the attention and headroom to do the work well.
Safety — Being able to speak up, challenge and take sensible risks.
Adaptability — Being able to learn, test and adjust as things change.
Collaboration — Being able to think and work well with others across boundaries.
The seven organisational systems — The systems every organisation runs, and where design decisions that create or remove friction are made.
Strategy & Priorities — How priorities are set, trade-offs are made and resources are aligned to what matters most.
Governance, Decision Rights, Controls & Accountability — How decisions are made, authority and controls are set, and accountability is maintained.
Structure, Roles & Interfaces — How responsibility and authority are distributed across roles and teams, and how the boundaries between them connect.
Work Design, Technology & Operating Environment — How work is organised, paced and supported by tools, technology and the working environment.
Information, Communication & Sense-Making — How information is gathered, filtered, shared and turned into shared understanding and action.
People Systems, Incentives & Access — How people are selected, evaluated, rewarded, developed and given access to opportunity.
Change & Transition Design — How change is sequenced, introduced and embedded so the organisation can absorb it effectively.
Core terms — Language for the conditions that shape performance.
Products — Ways to make friction visible and redesign the conditions behind it.
Evidence terms — How we describe measures and their relationship to outcomes.
Glossary — The terms we use, and what we mean by them.
Evidence terms
Leading indicator
A measure that changes before the outcomes it relates to. We are testing the Diagnostic as a leading indicator of outcomes such as engagement and attrition, through our validation partnership with the University of Edinburgh Business School.
“A measure that changes before the outcomes it relates to.”
Leading indicator
See where friction sits in your organisation
The Friction Architecture™ Diagnostic maps friction across six neural conditions, 30 signals and seven organisational systems. Explore how it can help you see where to focus first.