Capability Maturity Model™
The benchmark for how prepared an organization is to compete in the Human Agency Economy.Five maturity stages — Ad Hoc, Emerging, Defined, Integrated, Optimized — applied across strategy, leadership, operating model, governance, workflow, and human capability.
Executives need a shared vocabulary for organizational readiness — not another AI maturity score.
Most AI maturity models measure activity: tools deployed, use cases live, models in production. None of that tells the executive team whether the organization is actually ready to compete.
The Capability Maturity Model™ measures the capabilities that determine outcomes — strategy, leadership, operating model, governance, workflow, and human capability — across five stages of maturity.
The result is a shared vocabulary the executive team, board, and enterprise can use to describe where the organization is and where it needs to go next.
Activity is not capability.
AI maturity models measure the wrong axis.
Counting tools and pilots does not measure organizational capability. Executives need to know what the enterprise can actually do.
Maturity is treated as a target, not a stage.
Every stage exists for a reason. Skipping stages is how capability collapses under pressure.
Benchmarks measure peers, not readiness.
Peer benchmarks tell you where the industry is. They do not tell you whether your organization can execute what you have committed to.
Capability is measured once, not continuously.
One-time assessments produce reports. Continuous benchmarks produce discipline.
The five stages of organizational maturity in the Human Agency Economy.
Designed to be read in under sixty seconds. Every stage answers a distinct executive question and produces a distinct organizational artifact.
The five stages of organizational maturity in the Human Agency Economy.
- 01Stage 01 — Ad HocIndividual initiative. No shared operating model.
- 02Stage 02 — EmergingPockets of practice. Executive language forming.
- 03Stage 03 — DefinedOperating model and governance explicit and shared.
- 04Stage 04 — IntegratedStrategy, workflow, and capability move as one system.
- 05Stage 05 — OptimizedHuman agency compounds as a durable advantage.
Applied across strategy, leadership, operating model, governance, workflow, and human capability.
Inside the framework.
Each stage is broken down for executive teams: purpose, business objective, expected outcome, and the considerations senior leaders should weigh before acting.
- Purpose
- Recognize the current state without judgment.
- Business Objective
- Establish an honest baseline the executive team can build from.
- Expected Outcome
- A named starting point the leadership team agrees on.
- Executive Considerations
- There is no shortcut past this stage. Acknowledge it or repeat it.
Where this framework is used.
Applied in executive engagements, operating model design, board advisory, and sector-specific transformation programs.
- Executive Strategy01
- Board Advisory02
- Operating Model Design03
- AI Transformation04
- Governance05
- Private Equity06
- Healthcare07
- Financial Services08
- Professional Services09
Executive outcomes we measure.
A common language for where the organization is and where it is going.
Capital directed to the next stage — not to activity for its own sake.
A defensible sequence the executive team can commit to.
Capability compounds as the organization matures.
A rhythm of review the enterprise runs inside.
Human agency as the firm's compounding asset.
Take the framework with you.
Executive-grade resources delivered to your inbox. Each download is gated through our HubSpot workflow so we can follow up with tailored context.
- PDFRequest downloadCapability Maturity Model — Executive Guide
The five stages, executive commentary, and diagnostic exhibits.
- CanvasRequest downloadMaturity Benchmarking Canvas
A working canvas for executive teams to benchmark their maturity.
- ChecklistRequest downloadStage Progression Checklist
The checklist we use inside diagnostic engagements.
- SummaryRequest downloadOne-page Maturity Summary
A single-page reference for the board and executive team.
Benchmark your organization against the Human Agency Economy.
Begin with the Human–Machine Value Leak Assessment™ or schedule an Executive Strategy Session.