Can you define your company’s culture? Are your values and goals clear and do your staff know what is expected of them? These can seem like tough questions but there is a rapidly growing school of thought that a well-established company culture can be the difference between success and failure.

However, before establishing the culture you want, you need to assess and identify the one you have. In this article, we will cover the process, methods to determine company culture, and the positives and negatives of different types of assessments.

The Cultural Assessment Process

The mental and physical state of your employees should concern you now more than ever. According to a study by the University of Warwick, happiness can make an individual 12% more productive. In other words, investing in creating a positive and culture-aligned workplace can pay off.

To do this, you need to determine what you’re working with at your company first. Once you’ve decided on which of the four types of culture you’d like to mould your business around, you can begin the process.

1. Culture Assessment Instrument

There are several types of methods available and it’s important to choose one that suits your company. We’ll cover the types of methods you can use later in this article. For now, just know that this is your first step and it’s based on the type of information you need - whether it be tangible data, employee sentiment or the atmosphere and vibe of the workplace.

2. Admin and Assessment

It’s crucial to appoint an individual to manage this part of the process, which includes compiling and reporting the results accurately. They need to be well-organised and easy to read. It’s important that the individual (even if that individual is you) remains impartial during this point of the process.

3. Analyse Results

Once you begin analysing the results, you will need to look for patterns, outstanding themes and commonalities. You can then use these in tandem with the principles of organisational culture, to identify your corporate culture. It’s important to look at the results of all the methods used collectively. This will help you to get the most accurate picture.

4. Conclude Results and Determine Next Steps

You have your results and can draw conclusions based on them. Is your culture aligned with your values? Which areas need strengthening or complete change? At this point, you may either choose to elicit feedback from your employees so that they feel like they are part of the process or keep your conclusions within the management sphere until a plan is established.

5. Discussion and Planning

This is the stage of the process where management decides on a plan going forward and creates a draft of the implementation of that plan. Keep in mind that this is a lengthy, but rewarding, process and it requires flexibility as you and your employees adapt. It may also make the process easier if your employees are kept in the loop and the lines of communication are always open.

Methods To Identify Company Culture

The process of identifying company culture is just as important as the methods used to attain the data.

The following methods should provide you with a wealth of information and the feedback you need to help align your corporate culture with your vision and goals. However, it’s important to remember that each method has pros and cons which should also be taken into consideration.

1. Assess Communication Between Management and Employees

AIHR states, spectacularly, that organisational culture ‘mirrors an organisation’s core values but directly reflects its leadership’.

Do your employees feel that they can openly communicate with their managers? And, more importantly, is this the type of culture you want to create?

This type of information can be garnered through surveys which openly encourage employees to provide their views and experiences. If well-structured, with the right questions, these surveys can be helpful.

It’s best to keep the assessments anonymous though, to help your employees feel at ease about answering honestly.

Pro: You can gain insight into the way your employees view the organisation and whether they understand and support the company’s values.

Con: The information can’t be 100% relied upon as it’s based on opinion and can be skewed or inaccurate.

2. Review Hiring Practices and the Onboarding Process

How do you go about hiring staff? Do you value qualifications over experience? And do personality and values play a part in the type of employee you hire?

Another factor to consider is the processes after an employee has been hired. Are these processes well-run and established or disorganised and impersonal?

It may be worth your time to do a review of this sphere of your business and/or conduct interviews with new employees to determine if your processes line up with the culture of your company.

Pro: You can save time and energy on your hiring and onboarding processes, giving new employees a positive and encouraging outlook on the business.

Con: New employees may be inclined to be overly positive (thus, inaccurate) so as not to upset their new employers.

3. Examine Employee Incentive and Reward Programmes

With this method, you can gain data on whether or not your reward programmes have elicited a greater output from your employees.

An employee recognition survey conducted by engagement platform, Achievers, also found that recognition and rewards are one of the top factors keeping employees at their current workplace.

This implies that you could also view your employee turnaround and the reasons they’ve cited as data in your incentives review.

Pro: Remaining competitive in terms of employee rewards and incentives can contribute to keeping your staff happy and enhancing your company culture.

Con: Unless an employee has openly stated this as their reason for leaving, you can’t assume it’s your rewards and incentives, and can’t factor it into your data.

4. An In-Person, Office Walkthrough

This method is best for determining if the atmosphere and presence in your workplace align with your ideal organisational culture - is it boisterous and bustling or controlled and focused?

It’s also a great way to see what you’re working with and if all organisational values are being filtered through and encouraged at the employee level.

Pro: You gain on-the-ground perspective and first-hand insight.

Con: It takes time, which you may or may not have, and may be skewed by employees ‘being on their best behaviour’ when you’re around.

In Conclusion

There are many factors that influence culture in companies. However, if an organisation hopes to remain relevant and successful in today’s day and age, it is increasingly becoming best practice to assess your company culture and to do what is necessary to align it to your values and goals.

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