Risk Orientation Model

The Risk-Orientation Model forms the foundation of the Opportunities-Obstacles Quotient Profile (QO2), offering a practical way to understand how individuals balance their orientation towards risk. This balance plays a crucial role in how people respond to ambiguity, make decisions, and pursue goals in work environments.

The Fifth Element of Workplace Psychology

In the field of personality psychology, the Big Five Model is a widely accepted framework that captures five core dimensions of human behaviour: Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness, and Neuroticism. The first four are well-represented in workplace applications, particularly through tools like the Team Management Profile, which captures how individuals prefer to work and interact within teams.

The fifth dimension, however—often associated with emotional regulation and risk sensitivity—has traditionally remained the domain of clinical psychology. Yet it is precisely this domain of behaviour that often explains critical differences in how people engage with risk, innovation, and uncertainty in the workplace.

The Opportunities-Obstacles Quotient (QO₂) brings this fifth dimension into the realm of practical team development and leadership coaching, providing a highly relevant lens for understanding how individuals and teams manage change, uncertainty, and forward momentum.

What is QO₂?

The Opportunities-Obstacles Quotient, or QO₂, is a measure of how people balance their energy between seeing opportunities and obstacles. It offers insight into how individuals approach:

• Strategic decision-making
• Risk and uncertainty
• Innovation and change
• Problem solving under pressure

Rather than categorising people as optimistic or pessimistic, QO₂ identifies the pattern of cognitive energy people invest in either future-focused action or present-focused caution.

A QO₂ score expresses how many times more likely someone is to focus on opportunities than on obstacles. For example, a QO₂ of 2.7 indicates that a person is 2.7 times more likely to invest energy in opportunity-seeking than risk assessment.

The Risk-Orientation Model

The QO₂ Profile is built on the Risk-Orientation Model, which comprises five psychological constructs, or sub-scales, each grounded in workplace relevance:

1. Moving Towards Goals (MTG) Energy

How much internal drive someone has to pursue goals despite setbacks. High scorers persist; low scorers may disengage early.

2. Multi-Pathways

The capacity to generate alternative strategies when faced with barriers. Reflects flexible problem-solving and adaptive thinking.

3. Optimism

A forward-looking belief that positive outcomes are likely. Fuels motivation but, unchecked, can lead to overconfidence.

4. Fault-Finding

Sensitivity to risks and what could go wrong. Useful in risk management, but may hinder momentum if dominant.

5. Time Focus

A person's orientation to the past, present, or future. Shapes reactions to setbacks and openness to change.

Why it Matters in the Workplace

Risk orientation influences how individuals and teams behave in moments of uncertainty. It shapes responses to:

• Organisational change: Do we embrace disruption or resist until risks are minimised?
• Innovation and strategy: Do we explore new paths or stick to proven methods?
• Conflict and tension: Do we look for shared goals or anticipate breakdowns?
• Goal setting: Are we bold with our ambitions or cautious with commitments?

Understanding a team’s overall QO₂ balance—and the diversity of individual patterns—can help leaders and facilitators design better strategies for communication, decision-making, and collaboration.

Enhancing Team Performance with QO₂

By combining an overall QO₂ score with data from each sub-scale, teams can:

• Identify blind spots (e.g. excessive caution or unchecked optimism)
• Balance strategic conversations with both creativity and rigour
• Match people to roles that align with their approach to uncertainty
• Develop team capability through targeted discussion and reflection