Cultural Assessment

Organizational culture concerns deeply rooted beliefs, values, and norms shared by the members of an organization. While these beliefs and values generally are not directly visible, they drive and are reflected in the actions taken by the people in the organization.

Organizational culture is not comprised of the elements such as policies, procedures, routines, behavioral expectations, or reward and compensation structures. However, these pieces of an organization are interconnected with the culture and it is this dynamic that determines what is and isn't possible for the organization to accomplish.

Organizational culture is also not an espoused list of values developed by a group of individuals off-site. These are standards and ideals. What you strive to be as an organization and what you think you endorse may be different than the beliefs that are actually being played out. It is critical that you find out who you really are before you can choose who you want to be.

When an organization is interested in maximizing its ability to attain strategic objectives, it must understand whether its culture supports and drives the actions necessary to achieve its goals. A Cultural Assessment enables a company to determine the difference between its current culture and the culture to which it is committed. The information gathered in the Cultural Assessment becomes the background information that can be used to design interventions for cultural change, or create the space for real breakthrough results to happen.