Our team often get asked two questions:
1. How do I know what my company culture is? and
2. How do you change it?
Well, you could say these are both “loaded questions”!
#2 is something that if we had a formula or recipe for, we would be out of work. It is so rich, nuanced, and complex.
But here is one of our frameworks for answering #1 with a quick company culture assessment.
A Super Quick Company Culture Assessment
Each organization lives somewhere on a series of spectra.
To discover your organizational culture and how healthy/unhealthy it is, there are a few levers to analyze. While a full company culture assessment can’t be done without a significantly more detailed assessment, this mini-assessment can give an individual leader or employee a snapshot.
Rather than overthinking, I encourage you to just note your immediate impulse on where your company falls.
Where would you rank your company on a scale of 1-5 for each of these words?
Competitive(1) — — — 2— — — —3 —— — —4 — — — —(5)Collaborative
Passive Aggressive(1) — 2— — — —3 — —4— (5)Open Communication
Status Quo(1) — — — — 2— — — —3 — — — —4 — — — -(5)Innovative
Hierarchical(1) — — — 2— — — —3 — — — — 4— — — —(5)Flat
Uniform(1) — — — 2— — — —3 — — — — —4 — — — — — -(5)Diverse
Favoritism(1) — — — —2 — — — —3 — — — —4 — — — — — -(5)Fair
Cliquey(1) — — — 2— — — — — 3— — — — — 4— — — — — -(5)Inclusive
No Work Life Balance(1) — —2– — -3— — 4— — (5)High Work Life Balance
Resentful Employees(1) — —2 — —3 —— 4 — — — -(5)Engaged Employees
Low Autonomy (1)— — —2 — —- 3 — — — —4 — — (5)High Autonomy
Opaque Leadership(1) — —2 — —3 — — —4 — — (5)Transparent Leadership
Siloed Teams(1) — — —2 — — — 3— — — -4 — — (5)Collaborative Teams
Now, add up your score.
If you scored 45–60: Your culture is pretty good! Sure you have some problems, but who doesn’t? Overall, you are working in a company that DOES prioritize culture, and so if you find anything you think can be improved, speak up.
If you scored 20–44: Meh….things could certainly be better. It’s up you if it’s tolerable or not. You’re not in a horrible situation, especially if they’re paying you well. Just don’t let the toxic parts of your culture rub off on you- be mindful. Try to change things for the better where you can.
If you scored below 20: Oh dear. Your company needs some drastic measures to improve employee engagement and overall performance. Talent and culture are the lifeblood of the organization(literally!). They can’t be neglected the way they are at your organization.
How healthy is your organization’s culture? And the more important question is, are you ok with it?
