A “nine-box grid” is a matrix tool that is used to evaluate and plot a company’s talent pool, based on two factors, which most commonly are performance and potential.
Typically on the horizontal axis is “performance” – measured by performance reviews. On the vertical axis is typically “potential” – referring to an individual’s potential to grow one or more levels in a managerial or professional capacity.
Each of the nine boxes has a different set of actions associated with it. People who are very high-performers in their current role, but not “high-potential” yet, are possibly experts in their functional area who may or may not want to move into leadership
