The ASD Simulator: A Leadership Field Test by Inspero
Inspero — ASD SimulatorChoose your path
The ASD Simulator: A Leadership Field Test
Choose your scenario.
Two organizations. Two leadership challenges. Both grounded in the same framework — Adaptive Strategy Design. Pick the world that feels closest to yours.
Meridian Dental
What's your role at the practice?
Your leadership challenge will be shaped by where you sit. Choose the role that fits you.
Meridian Group — Your scenario
You've just been appointed VP of Strategy at Meridian Group.
Meridian Group is a mid-sized SaaS company — profitable, but stagnant. Your product is solid, your churn is manageable, and your team is talented. But nobody has set a real strategic direction in two years. Your predecessor's OKR plan expired last quarter with mixed results. The board wants a pivot story. Your team wants clarity.
The tension
The CEO says: "Move fast — investors want momentum." Your team says: "We need to know what we stand for before we build another roadmap." Both are right. You have two weeks before the board meeting.
Three decisions. Real consequences. No wrong answers — only different paths.
Meridian Dental — New Practice Owner
You just signed the papers. Meridian Dental is yours.
The previous owner ran the practice for 18 years. Patients loved him. The team is loyal — to him. Production is decent, but systems are outdated, two hygienists are quietly job-hunting, and the front desk runs on institutional memory nobody has ever written down. The practice has potential. It also has momentum in the wrong direction.
The tension
Move too fast and you break the trust the previous owner spent 18 years building. Move too slow and the quiet problems become loud ones. You have 90 days before your first quarterly review with your business advisor.
Three decisions. Real consequences. No wrong answers — only different paths.
Meridian Dental — Office Manager
You were promoted last week. The team hasn't adjusted yet.
You've worked at Meridian Dental for four years. You're good at your job, the dentist trusts you, and the patients know your name. But now you're the one who has to give feedback, run the morning huddle, and hold people accountable — including people who used to be your peers. Nobody trained you for this. The manual doesn't exist.
The tension
Assert authority too quickly and you damage relationships you've spent years building. Stay too collegial and nothing actually changes. The dentist is watching to see if this was the right call.
Three decisions. Real consequences. No wrong answers — only different paths.
Decision 1 — Core Values
Your first team meeting. How do you start?
It's Monday morning. Eight people are watching you carefully. The strategic plan is blank. The pressure is on.
Consequence
ASD lens — Core Values
Decision 2 — Landscape
A competitor just made a major market move.
Midway through week two, your main competitor announces a bold pivot — entering a segment you'd been quietly eyeing. Your team is rattled.
The tension
Reacting fast signals agility — but could pull you off a path you just set. Staying calm signals conviction — but could look like denial.
Consequence
ASD lens — Landscape & Diagnostics
Decision 3 — Mission under pressure
The board wants to cut your most values-aligned program.
The CFO has flagged your team's community impact initiative as a "non-revenue line item." It attracted two of your best hires. Numbers are tight. The board looks at you.
Decision 1 — Core Values
Your first all-team meeting as owner. What do you lead with?
Six staff members are seated in the break room. Some are hopeful. At least two are skeptical. The previous owner ran this room for almost two decades. Now it's yours.
Consequence
ASD lens — Core Values
Decision 2 — Landscape
A new dental practice just opened two blocks away.
They're newer, they have better technology, and they're actively marketing to your patient base. Your front desk reports three cancellations this week from patients "checking out the new place." Your hygienist says, "We need to do something."
The tension
Reacting too fast could drain resources and signal panic to your team. Doing nothing could accelerate the patient loss. You're still in your first 60 days.
Consequence
ASD lens — Landscape & Diagnostics
Decision 3 — Mission under pressure
Your most experienced hygienist wants a raise you can't quite afford yet.
She's been here nine years. Patients request her by name. Losing her would hurt production and morale significantly. She's not threatening to leave — yet. But you know she's been approached. Your cash flow is tight in month two of ownership.
Decision 1 — Core Values
Your first morning huddle as office manager. How do you run it?
Five staff members — some of whom were your peers last week — are waiting. The dentist is watching from the doorway. The previous office manager ran this huddle the same way for six years.
Consequence
ASD lens — Core Values
Decision 2 — Landscape
A team member is undermining your authority — subtly.
A dental assistant who applied for your role is complaining to others — not to you. Patients haven't noticed, but the team has. Two people have mentioned it to you quietly. The dentist doesn't know yet.
The tension
Address it directly and risk escalating a conflict that might resolve itself. Stay quiet and risk losing credibility with the team members who are watching how you handle it.
Consequence
ASD lens — Landscape & Diagnostics
Decision 3 — Mission under pressure
The dentist wants you to enforce a policy the team thinks is unfair.
A new tardiness policy lands in your inbox. It's stricter than what the team is used to, and two staff members have already told you they think it's heavy-handed. The dentist wants it implemented starting Monday. You have concerns but weren't consulted.