Service Overview
Most assessments tell you how people think or feel. The Kolbe Index™ tells you something different — and, for many leaders, something more immediately useful: how people naturally act.
The Kolbe A™ Index measures conative strength — the instinctive drives that determine how an individual approaches problem-solving, processes information, and takes action under pressure. Unlike personality or emotional intelligence tools, Kolbe doesn’t measure what you’ve learned or how you feel. It surfaces how you’re wired: the natural methods you return to when the stakes are high and the shortcuts run out.
Partner with us
We believe in the power of collaboration. By partnering with OSI, you’ll receive customized solutions tailored to your unique business needs. From initial consultation to implementation and evaluation, we’re with you every step of the way.
Discover how our programs can transform your organization and unlock new opportunities for growth.
Benefits and Outcomes
- Reduce friction, increase flow — When team members understand their own instinctive methods and those of their colleagues, the conflict that comes from “we just work differently” becomes a roadmap instead of a roadblock.
- Right-fit role design — Kolbe results help managers and HR professionals match individuals to roles and projects that align with how they naturally operate, reducing burnout and increasing effectiveness.
- Stronger team composition — Build project teams and leadership cohorts with complementary conative strengths, so the team’s collective capacity is greater than the sum of its parts.
- Deeper self-awareness for leaders — Understand how your instinctive strengths show up under pressure, where you naturally lead, and where you may need to build in support or collaborate with others.
- A common language across the organization — Kolbe gives teams a shared, non-judgmental vocabulary for talking about working styles that goes beyond “she’s a detail person” or “he’s a big-picture thinker.”
Customization and Implementation
URI OSI works with your team to design a Kolbe experience that fits your context and goals, from a focused individual coaching engagement to a full-team debrief and integration strategy.
Delivery options include:
- Individual assessment and coaching — Ideal for executives, high-potential leaders, or individuals navigating a career transition or new role. Participants complete the Kolbe A™ Index online, receive their results report, and engage in a one-on-one debrief session with a certified Kolbe consultant.
- Team assessment and debrief — The full team completes the Kolbe A™ Index, and results are analyzed collectively to reveal the team’s conative profile — where the group is strong, where gaps exist, and how members can better leverage each other’s instinctive strengths.
- Integration into leadership programs — Kolbe pairs seamlessly with URI OSI’s broader leadership development programming, including Leading with Impact, Leading Beyond Titles, Change Leadership, and executive coaching engagements. Results from the Kolbe A™ can be woven directly into program curriculum, 90-Day Accountability Plans, and team development workshops.
All assessments are administered online and results are typically available within 24 hours. Debrief sessions are available in person or via Zoom.
Why Choose This Service
The missing piece in your assessment toolkit.
Most organizations are already using some combination of personality, behavioral, or emotional intelligence assessments — and for good reason. Tools like DiSC®, Gallup CliftonStrengths, and the VIA Character Strengths Assessment each reveal something important about how people lead, communicate, and relate to others. But none of them answers the question Kolbe is uniquely designed for: How does this person take action?
That’s where Kolbe becomes a force multiplier.
URI OSI is one of the few providers in Rhode Island equipped to offer this kind of integrated, multi-assessment approach — drawing on certified expertise across Kolbe, DiSC®, and the broader suite of tools used across our leadership and workforce development programs. We help organizations make sense of what the results mean together, and build development experiences around what they find.
Whether you’re building a leadership team, designing a high-stakes project group, or supporting an individual leader through a period of growth or transition, the Kolbe Index gives you a language for what’s already there — and a framework for making it work better.
Ideal for:
- Senior leaders and executives seeking deeper self-awareness and strategic clarity
- HR and organizational development professionals building high-performance teams
- Managers designing project teams or navigating team composition challenges
- Any organization already using DiSC®, Gallup, or VIA who wants to deepen the picture
- Individuals in career transition, new roles, or leadership coaching engagements
