1. Assessing Organizational Culture: Demystifying the Mysteries
Ira Levin , Ph.D.
California Psychological Association Convention
Division III
April 14, 2007
Cultures are too elusive and hidden to be accurately assessed or diagnosed, let alone managed or changed intentionally.
Yet discussion of successful organizations often leads to some reference about its “culture”
Originally notion of strong cultures was seen as desirable and there was a hunt for “the right” culture.
Learned that often the implementation of new strategies or change into organizations is stymied by the some forces attributed to culture.
Origins of interest in organizational culture is often trace back to the early 1980s when American industry was facing a crisis of productively and losing market share to various Japanese companies. This perceived decline in American productivity and sense of industrial malaise in US was compared with the apparent success of Japanese management methods. This sparked interest in the Japanese’s ability to build strong and cohesive cultures. The question asked was what contributes or makes a company successful? One answer that began to catch the attention of executives and academics alike was having a “widely shared philosophy” and shared values.
Anthropologists have maintained that cultural rules exert enormous influence on behavior beyond that of physical based and psychologically based factors. Culture is a social force that seems to inhabit the space between people. It is more abstract & subtle in its influence that rules of physics, biology and to some extent psychology—
The search for understanding culture is hampered by the irony that we cannot think about it except with categories of thought we learned from that culture. So a big challenge in assessing organization cultures is to be able to step outside culture laden views—yet it also requires an insider’s view to really understand the meanings attributed to things.
Alliant International University
&
Levin Consulting Group, LLC

2. Learning Objectives
Learn what organization culture is, how it develops over time, and how it exerts its influence on behavior in organizations
Explore a framework and methodology for assessing an organization’s culture
Practice techniques for deciphering organization culture through the use of exercises & a case study
Examine key learnings and successful practices from past culture assessment efforts
The study or examination of organization culture requires being drawn to aspects of organizational life that are often ignored or attended to less like the stories people tell to newcomers in explaining “how things are done around here” observing how offices are arranged and decorated, the type of jokes people tell each other, where they hang out on work breaks, what the general working atmosphere is like (luxurious and comfortable, or drab and Spartan, encouraging of getting together or isolated. Official policies and communications are of interest too, but these cannot always be taken for the literal messages conveyed.
Cultural observers pay attention to the surface manifestations of culture because the details are informative, but these require deeper analysis to get at the pattern of meanings that link these manifestations together—sometimes in harmony an sometimes in conflict—
Culture assessment is like being a detective, delving into a puzzle and noting the various pieces, but looking for what the full puzzle is.
Cultures are rarely if ever fully consistent—instead they are full of paradoxes and contradiction. This is also what makes culture assessment complex.

3. One key distinction in the organization culture literature is about whether culture is viewed as an organizational variable or a “metaphor” for organizational life.
Linda Smircich (1983) pointed out this distinction when reviewing studies of organization culture when she discovered that some viewed it one way and some another. How you viewed culture also influenced your research focus and approach.
The variable notion comes out of a functionalist viewpoint—they view culture as something that is a part of an organization just like its structure, or goals, or practices. This view also holds that it can be managed just like strategies and technology or work processes.
Critics of the functionalist view point out that this is too simplistic and narrow a view of culture and that instead culture is more symbolic and that culture is a lens for viewing and learning about organizational life. Of course, a difficulty with this view is then what is not culture—does culture then encompass all organizational theory and research? Is it then just another word for organization?

5. Organization Culture: Different Ontology & Epistemology Perspectives
Objectivity vs Subjectivity
Etic vs Emic
Generalizable vs Context Specific
Before examining an approach for culture assessment it is important to first understand where you stand philosophically regarding the culture construct and phenomena- since this then drives your approach for assessing it.
Ontology is the set of assumptions we hold about the nature of reality while Epistemology are theories about how we come to understand that reality. How we know how things are.
In relation organization culture, there is considerable debate about what this phenomena is and how it is most effectively researched or assessed.
Objectivity vs. subjectivity—extent that culture can be understood from an objective perspective or is it something that is subjectively experienced. The extent that culture is something that can be viewed objectively and its various aspects identified and measured. The objective view relies more on the physical manifestations of what is considered culture—what can be observed, while the subjective view views culture as something highly linked to more subjective sense of reality—where meanings are socially constructed, variable, and symbolic.
Etic (outsider) vs. Emic (Insider)—extent that an outsider like a researcher or consultant can adequately determine in advance what categories or questions are appropriate or relevant for investigating a particular context—based on prior theory/research vs. view that researcher/consultant has to join the culture and view things as an insider, get inside the minds of culture members, rather than imposing constructions on them.
Generalizable (nomothetic) vs. Context specific (idiographic)—extent that cultures share some characteristics/qualities and can be compared--thus you can generalize across contexts vs. the appropriate way of really learning about a culture is by in-depth study of single culture—that cultures are unique more than they are the same. Less perceived value in use of norms or assessing on set typologies. Talmudic saying “for example is not proof.”
J. Martin, (2002)

6. Organization Culture: A Definition
The learned patterns of beliefs, information processing
and sense-making shared by organizational members
that influence and guide their behavior & practices.
There are numerous different definitions of culture in the literature
What is key here is the notion of “shared” and reference to what is unique about a particular setting or context.

7. Organization Culture: Key Functions In Organizational Life
Offers some stability and continuity
Provides sense of group identity
Serves as an integrative & coordinating mechanism
Reduces ambiguity & anxiety
Provides short-hand for communication and action
Culture ties people together and gives meaning and purpose to daily lives.
By being clear about what is expected of them people take less time in deciding how to respond to emergent issues or particular situation. So culture has some productivity related benefits. Culture can affect the pace of work, how decisions get made, how resources are allocated
Culture removes a great degree of uncertainty by giving structure and standards within which to operate.
Yet it operates out of immediate awareness—that is in effect part of its power—after operating within a particular organizational environment for a while our responses become somewhat conditioned and almost reflexive so that we do recognize it. That is why newcomers to organizations are the best source of information about aspects of the culture—they are more aware of it.

8. Culture Model: Three Inter-Related Levels
Artifacts & Behavior
Characteristics, Norms, Practices, & Behaviors
Basic Assumptions
Core Values
Shoulds & Oughts
Basic Beliefs
Markets
Business/Management
Work
People
Relationships
Time
Schein identified three levels at which culture manifests itself—the most visible being the artifacts—the espoused or documented values—the organization’s stated philosophies, and then through more intensive search to the underlying belief system or what Schein referred to as “assumptions.”
While basic beliefs initiate the formation of the culture and influence core values and then the artifacts and behaviors—over time the artifacts and behaviors and “values-in-action” vs. espoused values exert an influence on the basic beliefs.
So that culture becomes a self-reinforcing and self-sustaining phenomena—thereby becoming so powerful in organizational life.
Values define success to some extent—”if you do things this way you too will be successful here”—they establish standards of achievement and performance/conduct. Values provide sense of common direction and guidelines for day to day behavior.
Adapted from Schein, E. 1992

9. Culture Discovery: Individual Exercise
Think of an organization you know well.
Jot down a few descriptors that reflect what your perception/experience of organizational life there is like.
Identify a few “artifacts” that are representative and/or expressive of the descriptors you noted.
Norms & behaviors
Formal practices
Work climate
Traditions & ceremonies
Work space design/dress code/special language etc.
Think about what may be some foundational cultural beliefs?

10. Culture Formation & Development Model
Industry &
Occupations
Mediating Processes
Founders &
Early Leaders
ORGANIZATION
CULTURE
Social Learning (Bandura, 1977)
Social Influence/ Conformance
(Sherif,1936, Festinger,1950; Asch, 1955)
Social Exchange/ Reinforcement
(Homans, 1961; Thibault & Kelley, 1959)
Need Theory (Murray, 1938 ; McCllelland, 1961;
Schutz, 1958)
Organization Life
Cycle
& History
Culture develops over time—first based on the founder’s and early leader’s personal philosophies/values or preferred ways of doing things, and then as that ideology becomes confirmed or disconfirmed via experience and response to emergent issues and problems it gets further embedded and taught to newcomers as the way we do things around here.
When newcomers join an organization, they are vulnerable and receptive to influence—trying to fit in—meet expectations—
Culture is learned—first to reduce uncertainty and anxiety, to fit in and conform, and then via positive reinforcement.
First, the industry/occupation influences the culture—e.g. financial organizations are different from health care are different from high-tech. We are socialized to some extent by our educational and professional development and different industries/professions both attract specific types of people and have different requirements for success and traditional ways of doing things.
Larger social milieu—this includes the national and geographical cultures—conducting business is somewhat different in the northeast than in the south or west in US and there are differences between U.S. and European, Asian, or African or South American cultures that influence the organization culture.
Culture is always changing and developing—on its own—these are often incremental changes that go unnoticed—so while they are fairly stable they are not static.
Culture is learned—it is not hardwired into anyone--
Larger Social
Milieu
Time

11. Culture Assessment: Comparison of Methods
Qualitative Methods
Pros
Obtain in-depth & nuanced view
Identifies culture at belief level
Identifies cultural dynamics
Cons
Labor intensive
Smaller sample size
Lack of consistent framework
Reliability & validity dependent on inquirer skill
Off-The-Shelf Surveys
Pros
Low cost of administration
Large sample sizes
Reliability of measures
Cons
Preconceived categories/attributes
Very general & high level
Fails to get at “beliefs”
Misses “dynamics” of culture
When it comes to assessing organization culture—there are two major different methodologies—each based on some very different assumptions & views about organization culture.
Joanne Martin from Stanford referred to this as the “culture wars.” If one views culture as something an organization has—a part of the overall subsystem, as a reified object of organizational life and as something that can be categorized, measured in degrees, and quantified—the survey methodology is the choice.
If on the other hand one views organization culture as something an organization is—that is the sum of its parts—not a separate part—and something that is unique and less generalizable, and requires a more “emic” approach that of gaining access to the “inside” as anthropologists tend to do, then a more qualitative approach is taken. Thick description is the aim.
Interestingly, most culture surveys tend to focus on behaviors & some on practices and very rarely go down to the beliefs & values level of analysis.
The biggest criticism of the qualitative approach to culture study is that it lacks a consistent framework and approach and is too dependent on the skills of the researcher/assessor. This is true to some extent, but over the years I have developed a framework and methodology to try to address this concern.
It is more labor intensive and can be more costly, although.
Surveys assume knowledge of the relevant aspects or dimensions of the culture
Denison Org Culture Survey—Four dimensions (external vs. internal focus & flexible vs. stable) Four traits—adaptability, involvement, consistency, and mission (Circumplex profile created from the scores)
Consistency—extent that strong shared values & coordination/integration across organizational units
Adaptability—how well it adapts to external environment—its customer focus, ability to implement change
Mission—clarity of purpose, vision, goals & objectives
Involvement—sense of employee ownership, resonsiblity, keeping people informed & engaged—team orientation/working cooperatively toward common goals, investments made in employee development

12. Culture Assessment Framework: Five Windows Into Culture
Leadership
Culture
Key Characteristics
Behaviors
Values
Beliefs
Symbols
Norms &
Practices
Over the years, in my work with organizations and organization culture, I came to realize that the essence of culture was the beliefs—and that the array of well developed survey tools failed to get at that level of depth.
Survey tools also did not provide me with an understanding of the underlying dynamics of the culture—so my dissatisfaction with surveys led me to develop this framework that I have been refining for a number of years.
This framework views culture as the intertwined set of patterns that can viewed through the metaphor of windows—each window elicits a slightly different view or piece of the pattern—together offer a comprehensive view
Leadership: the personal beliefs and values of past and current leaders—recognizes the important role leaders play in forming and sustaining culture
Norms & Practices: the unwritten rules of expected conduct and thinking combined with the more formal management practices—goals & strategies, how decisions get made, resources allocated etc.
Stories & Legends: the oral traditions and folklore—stories about rule breaking, overcoming challenges, how crises were managed, success stories, heroic efforts—heroes are role models.
Traditions & Rituals: repetitive/structured practices that dramatize the culture—accomplish an objective like recognizing achievements but also teach important cultural values—to learn their purpose and meaning in org life
Symbols: array of other cultural artifacts—logos, language, design of work space, job titles, dress codes, even marketing slogans—all of which offer other insight into organizational ideology
Based on integration of ethnographic and clinical methods of data collection—use of structured interviews and structured observation.
Traditions &
Rituals
Stories &
Legends
Levin, 2000

13. Framework: Underlying Assumptions
There are no normatively effective or ineffective cultures
An organization is its culture and culture is ubiquitous
Culture is a shared belief system that can have contradictory sets of beliefs
Cultural artifacts express & reinforce cultural beliefs and require deciphering to identify these beliefs
Culture develops from effects of daily problem-solving, issue management, and actions taken
Interpretation of cultural patterns is best left to cultural inhabitants with assistance of an objective third party (emic view)
You do not modify culture directly, but via changing how the organization functions/operates

14. Key Advantages Of Assessment Framework
Inquiry not based on preconceived typologies
Belief system is focus rather than artifacts or climate
Insight can be gained about underlying culture dynamics
Members of social system are fully engaged in the cultural inquiry & discovery
Collective perceptions & meanings can be challenged and tested via conjoint inquiry
Ability to identify both shared and differentiated beliefs
Facilitates cultural awareness and learning that can serve as antecedent to change

15. Culture Assessment: Key Considerations
Focus should be on discovery & not evaluation
Which culture model or framework will guide the inquiry?
Who is the primary client for the assessment?
What is the client’s intention and expectations?
Who are additional stakeholders in the process? What are their interests and how can these be attended to?
What is the assessment scope & your sampling strategy
How will the data be used--who will see it, when, and in what form?
How will the data be analyzed, summarized, & reported?
Who will manage the logistics and scheduling?
What is the communication strategy & plan?
What are the boundaries of confidentiality/anonymity?
What else is going on in the organization that may affect the assessment or data collected?
Recognize the assessment process itself is an intervention
Before conducting a culture assessment, the consultant needs to first think through these different questions/issues—
These considerations will help you plan your assessment effort effectively and contract with your client effectively.

16. Individual Interviews Cross-Sectional Sample Future Culture--option
Culture Assessment: A Multi-Method Approach Combining Clinical Techniques & Ethnography
Goal: To identify core cultural beliefs, values-in action, and key
cultural characteristics
Individual Interviews
With
Selected Leaders
Group Interviews
Cross-Sectional Sample
Survey Based on
Preferred
Future Culture--option
Use of multiple data collection methods:
In all cases the emphasis is on trying to discover the meanings that organization members attach to things—join with them in the discovery process
Traditional ethnography tends to place too much responsibility on the ethnographer for determining what is important and to infer meanings—the clinical aspect of this approach emphasizes the interaction between the assessor and cultural inhabitants.
As stated before, a key assumption is that only cultural inhabitants can offer the true meanings, but sometimes culture operates out of immediate awareness and thus requires a non-inhabitant to ask about commonplace things or things taken for granted—routines, habits—to surface these and examine them.
This reduces the issue of bias on the part of the data collector/assessor. In some ways this an adaptation of the Lewian “action-research”
Observations can be presented to the interviewees for examination and discussion of how they make sense of it—
Combine “insider knowledge” with outsider questions, naivete, and opportunity to be provacativeness –can tease out these underlying beliefs
Structured
Observation
Document
Analysis

17. Leadership Window: Exploratory Areas
How leaders define success
Significant learning events in leaders’ lives
Personal heroes
Key challenges overcome and lessons learned
Legacy to leave behind
What drives their decision-making
One executive named his grandmother as his “hero” and what he admired most about her was her resolve, determination, courage, self determination, initiative—(she left a comfortable life in Europe to come to the US with her children not knowing what she would encounter and realizing that she would be in a for a stuggle.
He expected his managers to exhibit similar qualities and those that did were rewarded—he also took some chances with goal setting and strategies because he felt this was the only way to be successful.
One leader told me about when he first became President of new Division he went out and educated himself on different topics like investment banking—forced himself into things that were unfamiliar and uncomfortable for him—he believed people have a tendency to revert back to their comfort zones and as a result to do not learn—or limit their ability to be creative.
Who leaders are and what they believe influence the behavior of people who report to them and influence the design of practices (formal and informal) that influence the behavior of people throughout the organization.
Legacy conveys what is important to them—leave behind a “well oiled machine, a socially responsible company, a company that allows for each worker to realize their potential.

18. Norms & Practices Window: Exploratory Areas
What newcomers need to learn quickly
Biggest mistake or “taboos”
How people learn about organizational news
What people really are rewarded for
Beliefs & values underlying:
Goals, priorities, & strategies
Decision-making processes
Planning & resource allocation
Communications
HR practices/policies
Newcomers need to learn
Not to leave work before your boss does
Never challenge your boss in public
Don’t take more than 45 minutes for lunch
Be knowledgeable about the company’s history
Never be disrespectful to another colleague
Get to know your colleagues on a personal level
Biggest mistake
Not meeting your commitments and targets
Bring bad news to your boss
Not fully informing your customers in advance of changes in products
Not living according to our values

19. Stories & Legends Window: Exploratory Areas
Folklore & oral traditions
Heroic efforts
Rule breaking incidents
Crises encountered & responded to
Notable success stories & key blunders
Attributes of “heroes” & other identified role models
Focus on determining “moral” or “message” of story
Story about Thomas Watson founder of IBM (badge story).
At 3M story about a former CEO who early in his career began working on a new product idea—even though his boss kept hounding him to stop because it was a stupid idea—he refused so he was fired, but he stayed on in an unused office without salary to stay with his idea. He was later rehired and his idea became a very profitable product for them—the message of the story being –persistence gets rewarded & staying with what you believe.
A story told at GE is about Charles Steimetz who was a crippled Austrian immigrant who came to US and worked for Thomas Edison lab—he was responsible for dozens of inventions—but he was also known for inviting young new engineers to his house for the weekend to learn who they really were as people—demonstrates one aspect of the GE culture to this day—highly supportive that demands people treat each other fairly—in fact once when a young engineer lost his home to a fire—Steinmetz loaned him money to rebuld and nvited him and his family to stay at his house until the new one was rebuilt
When a new CEO for a Catholic health system sold its inner city hospital because it was losing money year to year—it sent a message that finances are now more important than our mission of serving the poor—it created considerable angst

20. Traditions & Rituals Window: Exploratory Areas
Rites of initiation or passage
Rites of enhancement & renewal
Rites of recognition & celebration
Rites of play & integration
Various work related or management rituals
Theater of culture—put the culture and its beliefs and what it values on display & also train people to the culture.
Many organizational traditions & rituals combine aspects of each of these different types.
Rites of Passage—facilitate transition with focus on maintaining contiuity—from outside to inside the organization—from one role to another—e.g. basic training, fraternity/sorority hazing, recruiting process, leadership missioning ceremony in Catholic healthcare. Promotions & retirements
Rites of enhancement or renewal—spread good news about the organization, provide recognition for accomplishments, refurbish social structures, improving performance, development of knowledge, skills--e.g. year-end review meetings, team development, or team retreats, annual meetings at resorts
Rites of recognition & celebration—public recognition for achievements,, entertainment, social events and networking, e.g. annual meetings with golf outings, special trips for people who surpass goals, service awards/years of service
Founder of Intel used to giive M&Ms to someone who did something well—the person would be called into the office, reach into his desk and pull out a handful of M&Ms—today many employees have jars of M&Ms on their desks
At Addison-Wesley Publisher a bronze star is passed from one achiever to the next—a “martyr of the year award” consoles person having the toughest time. This recognizes that even a good worker can have difficult challenging times.
Rites of play & integration—encourage mixing and blending of people outside formal roles e.g. holiday party, family picnics. Thanksgiving dinner for employees with managers serving the food, breaking down of status and formal roles, walk for a charity.
Deal & Kennedy, 1982
Trice & Beyer, 1986

21. Symbols Window: Exploratory Areas
Organizational logos
Marketing slogans
Office space design & décor
Position titles
Dress codes
Special language/jargon
Historical symbols
Kaiser Permanente’s new marketing slogan “Thrive” conveys strong value and interest in your health and vitality—not simply in medical care—also conveys a more holistic view of your health—not in the hospital or medical business but in promoting health of members—earlier one showed close up and personal views of physicians—to convey we are people who care about other people
One Catholic health care system has as its logo a cross with a heart with a glowing image surrounding it—this conveys both its religious affiliation, idea of its divine mission, but also the sense that it delivers compassionate care.
Changed titles from Vice Presidents of its geographical divisions to Customer Service Area Leaders. Changed Nursing Director to Patient Care Leader.
Apple-Time is not a new juice drink but indicative of the speed with which Apple Computer brings new innovative products to market and the fast pace of its work environment.

22. Key Documents For Review
Annual & quarterly performance reports
Mission & values statements
Strategic plans & goals
Performance metrics
Operating budgets & capital investment plans
Human resources policies & practices
Management & employee communications
Governance protocols
Organization charts & job profiles

23. Interview Sample: Leadership
How do you define success?
How do you view the markets & customers you serve?
What were some significant “learning moments” for you in your life/career?
Who are your personal heroes? What attributes do you most admire?
What legacy would you like to leave behind?
What drives how you make key decisions?

24. Structured Observation
How is office/work space configured?
What is the “feel” of office/work space?
What patterns or themes characterize office décor?
How do people interact and congregate?
How is information communication and in what forms
How is the ‘work-day” defined

25. Group Interview Example
How is success defined?
What do newcomer’s need to learn quickly to be successful?
What is most valued and appreciated here?
What is the biggest mistake someone could make here?
Who are considered to be organizational “heroes?” What are the key attributes or qualities displayed?
What stories are told about heroic efforts, major achievements/blunders, crises, etc.? (moral/message)
What are examples of ongoing traditions & ceremonies: rites of initiation, renewal, celebration, integration, work etc.
Inquiry based on observation & document review: marketing slogans, language, logos, titles, work space design, etc.

26. Examples of Cultural Beliefs
You need to listen to your customers to learn their expectations & needs
Size provides safety and sustainability
Formal structures/processes inhibit agility & speed
Debate & critique of ideas leads to better solutions
People are fundamentally trustworthy & well-intentioned
Relationships are what drive effective work
Decisions should be made closest to where the work is performed
Being a quick adopter is wiser than being the pioneer
Innovations should be “piloted” or tested before implemented
Innovations do not occur with taking some risks

27. Core Cultural Belief: “Each person is unique and can make a difference”
Key Cultural Expressions
Inclusiveness and welcoming of others
Tolerance for mistakes and generous chances to self-correct
Flat & decentralized management structure with minimal central controls or standardized processes
Formal rewards/recognition for initiative and new serviced development/formation of strategic alliances etc.
Desire to probe and learn from different points of view
Highly collaborative decision-making processes
Large percentage resource allocations to employee development
“Acorn” folklore & stories of individual contributions

28. Core Cultural Belief: “Growth Ensures Vitality & Survival”
Key Cultural Expressions
Success equated primarily with growth goal achievement
All employees know growth goals and performance to goals
History of successive mergers & acquisitions
Senior level position, SVP, Mergers & Acquisitions
Large resource allocations to sales & marketing
Use of military metaphors & analogies
“Market conquests” “markets as battlefields,& “grab and hold” markets
All senior executives expected to read various historical leadership biographies
Ceremonies that celebrate revenue/sales achievements & initiative
Stories about “beating competitors” & “making deals”
Large portion of executive pay tied to stock performance

29. Deciphering Cultural Beliefs Exercise
Pair up with 1-2 colleagues:
Senior executive offices on top floor
Address senior executives by “Mr.” or “Ms.”
Steep hierarchy and several layers of management
Executive parking lot with reserved spaces
High deference to authority & politeness in meetings
Emphasis on rigorous planning and very careful analysis
Value placed on punctuality, working long hours, loyalty to one’s boss, not making mistakes, specialized expertise
Formal business attire
Office decorated with photos & portraits of founder, founder’s family, and early leaders
Traditional, ornate, dark toned furniture & late 19th century paintings/art
If you are in a position of authority you have more knowledge and wisdom than others—
Wisdom and knowledge reside in those with more experience/education
Each person know his turf best (expert) and turf should not be intruded upon by others
Paternalistic culture with emphasis on “obeying” and “compliance” to those who make decisions
Thorough analysis eliminates carelessness and errors and helps discover the truth
Accuracy can be 100% and should take precedence over acting too quickly—speed can be careless
One’s success is linked to pleasing one’s boss (parents)

30. Culture Discovery Exercise: Group Discussion
Go back to the list you generated earlier e.g. descriptors, artifacts, etc.
Share your list & any useful contextual information with your colleagues
Discuss what may be some operating core cultural beliefs
Solicit input, feedback, and ideas from your colleagues.
Discuss how you might go about investigating your these beliefs further.

31. Case Study Minutes
Form small groups & read case study individually
Discuss the questions posed at the end & develop a plan for conducting your culture assessment of the two organizations.
What are some of your initial impressions/formative hypotheses about the two organization cultures?
What is the scope of your assessment
What data would you like to collect & from whom?
What structured observation would you like to perform?
What challenges do you anticipate? How might you manage these?
Select spokesperson to present highlights of your discussion and assessment plan

32. Culture Assessment: Learnings To Date
Assessment purpose needs to be well-defined
Communication with organization is important throughout the process
Culture is a very personal thing –expect emotional reactions to culture assessment feedback
Culture assessment needs to be descriptive and appreciative rather than evaluative
Focus on uncovering underlying beliefs—surface manifestations may be deceiving—search for patterns
Broad cross-sectional sampling increases perceived credibility of the data and helps identify existence of sub-cultures
Approach produces high density data—perform data analysis along the way, distill into summary form, & partition data feedback sessions
Distill learnings and implications to inform focused action

33. Q & A