What Kaplan DeVries does

Kaplan DeVries is a privately held executive coaching and leadership advisory firm founded in 1992 by Robert E. Kaplan and headquartered in New York with a Greensboro, NC presence. The firm serves CEOs, C-suite executives, and senior management teams, providing individual coaching, team development, leadership selection, and organizational culture work on a bespoke, project or retainer basis. Its core intellectual property is the Leadership Versatility Index (LVI), a U.S.-patented (No. 7,121,830) 360-degree feedback tool that measures leadership effectiveness across two pairs of opposing dimensions (Strategic vs. Operational; Forceful vs. Enabling) and uniquely assesses both balance and imbalance. The portfolio extends to team-level instruments (Team Versatility Index, Team Checklist), a personality/performance instrument (Inventory of Personal Functioning), and a proprietary 'Feedback for Confidence' coaching methodology.

Kaplan DeVries generates revenue primarily through professional services engagements delivered directly by its senior consultants, supplemented by licensing and co-ownership arrangements tied to the LVI (now owned by Kaiser Leadership Solutions). The go-to-market is reputation-driven: thought leadership via books (Beyond Ambition, 1991; The Versatile Leader, 2006; Fear Your Strengths, 2013; GRAPPLING, 2023), essays published in Harvard Business Review and MIT Sloan Management Review, an active 'Fresh Thinking' blog, and a LinkedIn presence, supplemented by referrals and repeat enterprise relationships. The firm is described by enterprise clients as 'the gold standard for executive coaching and leader development,' and its LVI tool is used globally.

The operating model is deliberately boutique: seven named consultants (all holding advanced degrees) supported by 11-50 total employees, with no external funding, no parent company, and no disclosed M&A activity. Customer logos span consumer products, technology, healthcare, construction, and nonprofit sectors. Data handling partners are HIPAA, GDPR, and SOC 2 compliant, reflecting the sensitivity of executive assessment data rather than AI or technology platform ambitions.

Name

Kaplan DeVries

Legal name

Kaplan DeVries Inc.

Website

https://kaplandevries.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Kaplan DeVries is a privately held executive coaching and leadership advisory firm founded in 1992 that provides patented 360-degree assessment tools and bespoke coaching to CEOs, C-suite executives, and senior management teams globally.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Executive Coaching & Leadership Development Consulting

NAICS

Software Publishers (513210)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Leadership Assessment, 360 Feedback & Development Planning (EDABAAAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Executive Leadership & C-Suite Development (EDABAAAA), Talent Management & Leadership Advisory (Succession, Performance, Culture) (BPACAJAH), Leadership Potential, High-Potential & Succession Assessments (BPACAMAH)

Keywords

• Executive coaching services
• Leadership assessment consulting
• 360-degree feedback tools
• Leadership development advisory
• Executive team coaching

Headquarters

HQ city

Greensboro

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Executive Coaching and Leadership Consulting: Direct consulting engagements providing leadership assessment and development services to senior executives and management teams. Services include individual coaching, team development, and organizational consulting. Engagements are customized and likely project-based or retainer arrangements.
2. Assessment Tools (LVI Licensing): The Leadership Versatility Index (LVI) assessment tool is used globally and may be licensed to other organizations or practitioners. The tool is co-developed with Rob Kaiser and now owned by Kaiser Leadership Solutions, suggesting some form of licensing or co-ownership arrangement.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Kaplan DeVries is a leadership advisory firm that provides executive coaching, leadership assessment, and feedback services to CEOs, senior executives, and management teams. The firm's core deliverable is customized consulting engagements that use proprietary assessment tools (including the patented Leadership Versatility Index) to diagnose and address leadership problems at the individual, team, and organizational levels, supplemented by thought-leadership book publishing.

Product overview

Kaplan DeVries is a pioneering leadership advisory firm that offers a suite of proprietary assessment and development tools centered around the Leadership Versatility Index (LVI), a patented 360-degree feedback instrument. The core product portfolio includes individual assessment tools (LVI), team-level tools (Team Versatility Index, Team Checklist), and the Inventory of Personal Functioning for deeper personality and performance insights. These tools are complemented by a distinctive 'Feedback for Confidence' coaching methodology. The firm provides executive coaching and leadership development consulting services, along with published books including 'Beyond Ambition' (1991), 'The Versatile Leader' (2006), 'Fear Your Strengths' (2013), and 'GRAPPLING' (2023). The offering represents a unified system where assessment tools inform coaching engagements and thought leadership, all focused on helping leaders achieve balance between opposing leadership dimensions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Leadership Versatility Index (LVI) A 360-degree feedback assessment tool with U.S. Patent No. 7,121,830 that measures leadership versatility on two major pairs of opposing but complementary dimensions: Strategic vs. Operational (what leaders work on) and Forceful vs. Enabling (how they go about their work). It is the only 360 assessment tool that assesses leaders for balance and imbalance, capturing both underdoing and overdoing tendencies. Used globally with enterprise clients.
• Team Versatility Index

Quantifiable outcome

• Leadership Versatility Index used all over the world as the 'gold standard' of 360 tools
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Kaiser Leadership SolutionscoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Leadership Versatility Index (LVI), originally co-developed by Bob Kaplan and Rob Kaiser, is now owned by Kaiser Leadership Solutions. The LVI remains a core proprietary tool of Kaplan DeVries while being licensed/owned by Kaiser Leadership Solutions. This represents a strategic separation where Kaplan DeVries uses the tool in their consulting practice while Kaiser Leadership Solutions maintains ownership and likely licenses it more broadly.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Center for Creative Leadership (CCL): Nonprofit research-based leadership development firm founded in 1970. Kaplan DeVries founders originated at CCL and several employees (David DeVries, Bart Craig) remain Senior Fellows/researchers there, making CCL the closest direct peer in mission, methodology, and content.
• Development Dimensions International (DDI): Global leadership and talent development firm specializing in leadership assessments, selection, and development programs. Directly comparable in selling 360-feedback, leadership development, and succession tools to enterprise clients.
• RHR International: Boutique executive coaching and leadership advisory firm working with senior executives and management teams. Closely comparable in target buyer (C-suite), service offering (executive coaching, team development), and boutique positioning.
• Bates Communications: Executive coaching and leadership development firm focused on senior leaders and teams. Comparable in offering communication-driven leadership coaching and custom development engagements to enterprise clients.
• Marshall Goldsmith Coaching: Premier individual executive coaching brand operating through a global network of certified coaches. Comparable in being a personality-anchored, content-driven executive coaching practice with published books and a 360-style stakeholder feedback methodology.

Broad incumbents

• Korn Ferry: Global organizational consulting firm with executive search, leadership development, and coaching practices. Comparable in offering executive coaching and leadership assessment but at vastly greater scale and as part of a broader HR services portfolio.
• Egon Zehnder: Global leadership advisory and executive search firm with a strong executive coaching and team effectiveness practice. Comparable in serving CEO and senior leadership team development needs, but as part of a larger search-led franchise.
• Heidrick & Struggles: Global executive search and leadership advisory firm with dedicated coaching and leadership consulting practices. Comparable in senior leadership development offerings, but with broader retail executive search as its core business.

Emerging players

• BetterUp: AI-enabled coaching and leadership development platform. Comparable in delivering leadership development and executive coaching to enterprise clients, but via a scalable digital platform rather than boutique human engagements — represents the disruptive edge of the same market.
• CoachHub: Global digital coaching platform providing enterprise leadership and development coaching. Comparable in target buyer (enterprise L&D) and category (executive coaching), but competes via technology-enabled scale rather than boutique consultancy relationships.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/kaplan-devries-inc.

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Kaplan DeVries