There's an old adage that says, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast". The renowned management consultant, Peter Drucker, was a firm proponent of this philosophy. He believed that the collective behaviours, beliefs, values, and attitudes within an organization, otherwise known as its culture, hold a significant sway over the company's performance and productivity. But, how do you measure something as intangible as culture? Here's a comprehensive guide that details the importance and process of measuring your organizational culture.
Why is Culture Important?
Culture is considered to be, “the way in which work gets done”. It’s a confluence of tangible and intangible components that shape the overall environment within an organization. This includes values, policies, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours. Measuring your culture is important because not only can it predict employee turnover but also protects people's wellbeing. It's an essential part of your employer value proposition, and therefore, must be measured so it can be managed.
How to Measure Culture?
Measuring the culture of an organization is a three-step process: Ask, Analyze, and Act.
- ASK:
- Gather data on how people feel about working at your firm. This can be done through surveys, interviews, and feedback systems.
- ANALYSE:
- Structure the collected responses and look for common themes, patterns, or trends that can provide insights into the organizational culture.
- ACT:
- Provide feedback to all involved and plan for changes based on the analysis. This could involve implementing new policies or changing existing ones to create a more conducive work environment.
6 Steps to Measure Your Culture
Here's a detailed breakdown of the process to measure your organizational culture:
- Step 1:
- Conduct an anonymous engagement survey. This can provide honest and unbiased insights into the employees' perspective of the organizational culture.
- Step 2:
- Go deeper and conduct focus groups and 1-2-1's to understand how people feel about working at your firm. This will provide a more detailed understanding of the employees' experiences.
- Step 3:
- What stories are being told? Are there any common themes? Storytelling can be a powerful tool to understand the values and beliefs that shape the organizational culture.
- Step 4:
- Combine the collected qualitative data with quantitative data such as retention rate, absenteeism, and productivity metrics.
- Step 5:
- Do your values reflect what people say about their experience or is there misalignment? Is your culture helping to accelerate growth or slow it down? This step involves reflecting on the findings and assessing whether the current culture aligns with the company's vision and goals.
- Step 6:
- Are you happy with the culture you have or does something need to change? Depending on the findings, you may need to implement changes to foster a more positive and productive culture.
Conclusion
Organisational culture can have a significant impact on employee satisfaction, productivity, and overall company performance. Measuring and managing it effectively can lead to a more harmonious and productive work environment. Whether you're happy with your current culture or feel the need for change, measuring your culture is the first step towards managing it effectively.
Need Help to Measure Your Culture?
If you need help in measuring your culture, feel free to reach out to Andre Thomas. You can contact him at andre@thomastelman.com or call him at 07876 027 789.