Reflections from the Division of Occupational Psychology Annual Conference 2026: Juliette Alban‑Metcalfe on the Future of Leadership Assessment
The DOP Annual Conference in Cardiff offered a powerful moment for the field of organisational psychology and an especially meaningful one for us at Real World Group. The session on “The Evolution of Leadership Assessment: What Really Predicts Success?” sparked exactly the kind of evidence‑based, future‑focused debate that sits at the heart of our work.
For Juliette Alban‑Metcalfe, our CEO, the discussion reinforced a message she has championed for years: organisations must rethink what they measure if they want to identify leaders who can truly thrive.
As Juliette put it, “It’s an exciting time to be involved in this area as increasing research about what works is emerging which builds a very strong case for organisations to rethink their approach!”
What Stood Out
The panel highlighted a clear shift away from traditional predictors like personality traits and cognitive ability, and toward dynamic, context‑sensitive competencies areas where Real World Group has long been ahead of the curve.
Key themes included
- The growing recognition that being able to adapt one’s behaviour as a leader is recognised as critical today
- The importance of leading change and digital leadership capability in transformation environments
- The need for context‑specific assessment, rather than one‑size‑fits‑all models
- A reminder that centring humanity in leadership has never been more important
These insights align strongly with Real World Group’s evidence‑based frameworks, which emphasise behaviour, context, and people-focused leadership over outdated approaches.
Why This Matters
For years, Real World Group has advocated for leadership assessment grounded in what leaders actually do, how they build trust, enable others, navigate complexity, and create psychologically safe cultures.
The conversations in Cardiff affirmed that the wider field is moving decisively in this direction.
Juliette’s contribution to the panel underscored the urgency of this shift and the opportunity it presents organisations can now draw on a stronger, more nuanced evidence base to identify and develop leaders who will succeed in the real world, not just on paper.
We extend our sincere thanks to Katie Thomas, Principal Consultant at Sten10 UNSEEN, for inviting us to be part of this important conversation. Her thoughtful facilitation and commitment to advancing the science and practice of leadership assessment made the session both insightful and energising.
Looking Forward
We left Cardiff energised and encouraged. The research is catching up with what practitioners have long observed, and the momentum behind modern, behaviour‑focused leadership assessment is only growing.
Real World Group will continue to champion approaches that reflect the complexity of today’s workplaces and the humanity of the people who lead them.
If you’d like to explore how we can support your organisation with Leadership Assessments, we’d love to start a conversation. hello@realworld-group.com
Find out more about our Leadership Development programmes here.
Recent Comments