---
id: "framework-shape-index"
type: "framework"
source_timestamps: ["§ The SHAPE Index"]
tags: ["leadership-assessment", "frameworks"]
related: ["concept-strategic-agility", "concept-human-centricity", "concept-applied-curiosity", "concept-performance-drive", "concept-ethical-stewardship", "concept-ai-shapers", "framework-ai-leadership-transition", "question-measuring-shape"]
steps: ["Strategic agility: Plan for the long term but pivot in the short term; focus on business value over novelty.", "\\\"Human centricity: Build trust", "frame AI as elevating humans", "and design change collaboratively.\\\"", "Applied curiosity: Combine systematic scanning with disciplined experimentation to separate signal from hype.", "\\\"Performance drive: Reject pilot theater", "demand ROI discipline", "and scale cross-functionally.\\\"", "\\\"Ethical stewardship: Embed responsible AI practices", "transparency", "and bias management from day one.\\\""]
source_url: "https://hbr.org/2025/09/what-companies-with-successful-ai-pilots-do-differently"
source_title: "What Companies with Successful AI Pilots Do Differently"
sources: ["execution"]
sourceVaultSlug: "hbr-seg-execution"
originDay: 8
articleStem: "hbr-foci-60-successful-ai-pilots"
sourceUrl: "https://hbr.org/2025/09/what-companies-with-successful-ai-pilots-do-differently"
sourceTitle: "What Companies with Successful AI Pilots Do Differently"
---
# The SHAPE Index

## The SHAPE Index

A framework developed (by the authors at [[entity-ghsmart]]) to **assess and develop AI leadership capabilities at scale**. It identifies five behaviors that distinguish effective [[concept-ai-shapers|AI shapers]] in organizations achieving measurable returns from AI.

### The five dimensions
1. **[[concept-strategic-agility|Strategic agility]]** — Plan for the long term but pivot in the short term; prioritize options over rigid plans; focus on business value over novelty.
2. **[[concept-human-centricity|Human centricity]]** — Build trust, frame AI as elevating humans, model AI use personally, and design change collaboratively.
3. **[[concept-applied-curiosity|Applied curiosity]]** — Combine systematic scanning with disciplined, cost-effective experimentation to separate signal from hype.
4. **[[concept-performance-drive|Performance drive]]** — Reject [[concept-pilot-theater|pilot theater]], demand ROI discipline, scale cross-functionally, and sunset low-impact efforts.
5. **[[concept-ethical-stewardship|Ethical stewardship]]** — Embed responsible AI practices, transparency, and bias management from day one.

### How it is operationalized
SHAPE feeds the four-step [[framework-ai-leadership-transition]] (Assess → Hire → Develop → Role Model).

### Survey signals
- **[[concept-strategic-agility|Strategic agility]]** ranked most important (65% first/second — see [[claim-strategic-agility-most-important]]).
- Human centricity, strategic agility, and applied curiosity are the **least coachable** (see [[claim-human-centricity-hard-to-coach]]).
- **[[concept-ethical-stewardship|Ethical stewardship]]** ranked lowest initially but critical at scale (see [[claim-ethics-critical-post-pilot]]).

### Open question
The authors do not publish the specific psychometric/behavioral rubrics used to score the five dimensions — see [[question-measuring-shape]].


## Related across articles
- [[framework-four-pillars-of-ai-success]]
- [[framework-moodys-guiding-principles]]