INTRODUCTION

 Culture defines acceptable and appropriate behaviors in an

organization. As such, it is a management resource that can be
used to meet organizational objectives, just like knowledge,
machinery, raw materials, dollars, and human resources.
 Before attempting any kind of culture change initiative, the
organization needs to know what the culture is and how it
works, what type of culture would best support organizational
strategy, recognize and use the levers that influence culture,
and be clear about whether it wants to change the culture.
 The culture audit is the tool to use to get at the substance of
an organization’s culture so that the organization understands
where and how to drive change toward the preferred culture.
COMMON ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURES
 Here are some common descriptions of various kinds of
organizational cultures. As you read them, consider what
words might be ideal descriptions for your organization given
its strategy and mission. Do the outward expressions of culture
that you have observed support the described ideal?
 Also note that few of these cultures could be directly
described as bad or good for an organization. However, some
are more appropriate for certain kinds of organizations than
others.
Safety: A safety culture conducts its work with particular attention
to the protection of workers, equipment, and the environment.

Quality: A quality-oriented culture conducts work with attention to

the quality of the organization’s products and services and prides
itself on being the best in the business. Organizations with a
quality culture continuously strive to do better.

Ethical: An ethical culture stresses ethical behavior. The employees

of ethical organizations are expected to follow a code of conduct
and deal honestly with other employees, clients, and the public.
Technology-driven: A technology-driven culture uses state-of-the-
art technology to provide products and services to customers.
Organizations with this type of culture pride themselves on being
up-to-date with the latest in technology.

Innovation: Innovation cultures are willing to take risks on new

ideas, processes, and products to stay on the cutting edge.
Organizations that have this kind of culture are willing to be
wrong, or experience failures once in a while to be open to the
new discoveries that drive their ultimate success.

Customer service: Organizations that are customer-service

oriented focus on customer needs and expectations for their
products and services. These organizations focus on keeping
customers happy because they want to encourage repeat
customers who will make referrals.
Caring and compassion: Cultures that are characterized by the
terms “caring” and “compassion” are particularly attentive to the
feelings and needs of the people they serve, especially in
vulnerable or high-need situations. The emergency ward example
given previously could be described as a caring and compassionate
culture.

Team: Team cultures value the heightened effectiveness of a

diverse group of people who pool their individual talents to achieve
more and better results than individuals can alone.
Represented employee In a represented-employee culture, a union
speaks with one voice on behalf of its constituent member
employees.

Military: Military culture is characterized by strict chains of

command and the following of orders from persons in superior
positions.
Constructive: In a constructive culture, employees are highly
collegial with one another. They are expected to help each
other reach high degrees of job satisfaction, personal and
group achievement, and social or relationship ties.

Passive-defensive: In a passive-defensive culture, members feel

they must act in a safe way to avoid personal risk. This type of
culture is characterized by individuals who seek approval, avoid
risk, and acknowledge their dependence on others.

Aggressive-defensive-competitive: In this type of culture,

members are expected to be engaged in highly energetic
execution of their roles and be forceful to protect themselves
and achieve individual goals.
WHAT’S IN A CULTURE AUDIT
The phases of an audit are selecting an audit instrument or
tool, collecting data, analyzing data, and preparing
recommendations for change. The heart of an audit, however,
is to uncover values and beliefs through interviews, focus
groups, surveys, and direct observations of people. The areas
most frequently examined in a culture audit include:

1) Organizational mission, vision, and values.

2) Understanding of and extent of buy-in to mission, vision, and

values.

3) How values are symbolized.

4) Value differences between the organization and its competitors.

5) Identification of key measures of success

type of leadership required.

6) The behaviors and attitudes of management and leadership.

7) Background of top managers, including schooling, time with the

organization, job experiences, current duties and status, and career
path policies, procedures, training requirements, and recognition
systems that support or inhibit the ideal culture and behaviors.

8) Incidents and examples that illustrate what is really important to

the organization.

9) Shared language or terminology.

10) Other strategic influences in the environment, such as
competitive or allied organizations that may influence behavior
cultural heritage or history since founding.

11) Organization’s structure and its relation to culture and

strategy.

12) Behaviors that reinforce core values

identification of subcultures and their roles.
Using a valid and comprehensive process and appropriate
instruments will give a global perspective on the current state
of the culture. Alternatively, you can carry out an audit on a
smaller scale by selecting only one or two characteristics or
only one part of the organization.
METHODS AND INSTRUMENTS
The most common methods are:
1) Compiling existing data, such as mission statements, sales and
safety records, customer satisfaction reports, productivity
measures, and so forth.
2) Facilitating focus groups (see the sidebar Focus Groups on
Culture at left for some examples of questions to ask focus
groups).
3) Administering surveys in which organizational members and
other stakeholders (such as vendors and customers) rate the
degree to which behaviors align with ideals.
 PRODUCT OF A CULTURE AUDIT
The end product of the culture audit is the report, which will give
direction to making decisions for improvement. To prepare the
report, take the following steps:

1) Analyze the data and report results statistically using visuals.

Develop tables and figures, such as bar graphs, to graphically show
strong and weak areas. Remember that it’s important to present
data that meets the interests of your audience.

2) Analyze trends in the responses given in focus groups.

3) Using the list of shared culture elements (values; mission, goals, and
objectives; rewards and punishments).

4) Keeping the prepared reports for future reference.