The CBS Leadership Dilemma Index: How Organisations Address Critical Dilemmas
The CBS Leadership Dilemma Index reveals how organisations balance critical leadership dilemmas — and whether strategy aligns with lived experience.
When leaders and leadership teams make decisions, they are constantly faced with dilemmas. Should business interests be prioritised over societal responsibility? Robustness over agility? Cost savings over growth? Short-term profit over long-term purpose?
Some of these dilemmas are visible and addressed through planned strategic decision-making processes. Others are handled unconsciously through default behaviours embedded in organisational culture.
What is the CBS Leadership Dilemma Index?
The CBS Leadership Dilemma Index is a diagnostic tool that takes the temperature on how organisations address critical dilemmas in strategy formulation and execution.
The index highlights how strategies are perceived, understood, and evaluated by relevant stakeholders inside the organisation. It can uncover whether there is alignment between what leadership teams intend to do and what employees and other parts of the organisation actually experience.
Who can benefit from the index?
The index is designed for:
Boards of directors
Top management teams
Functional leadership teams
By using the tool, leadership groups can identify gaps between strategic intent and lived experience, and strengthen their ability to navigate dilemmas in ways that build both organisational performance and legitimacy.
The dilemma session
Watch highlights from an engaging session at VL Døgnet — the annual summit of VL, Denmark’s leading network for business executives. CBS Professors Flemming Poulfelt (VL10) and Thomas Ritter (VL14) presented surprising results from a large dilemma survey answered by VL members ahead of the event.
The session also featured two concrete dilemmas:
- Lasse Skjønning Andersen (VL42, GRØD)
- Jan Hessellund (VL121, Billund Airport)
Participants were invited to help find the best solutions using the specially developed “dilemma diamond”. The session was moderated by Anders Monrad Rendtorff (VL11), Head of Communications at VL.
Watch the video
Learn more about the CBS Leadership Dilemma Index
Read and download our three booklets here:
Contact
If you want to use the CBS Leadership Dilemma Index in your organisation, please contact:
Professor Thomas Ritter
Department of Strategy and Innovation
tr.si@cbs.dk
Eva Fog Bruun
Centre Director, CBS Leadership Centre
defb.ioa@cbs.dk