CONDUCTING A CULTURAL AUDIT

6/2/2020 Basics of Culture Audits

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CS By Cynthia Solomon

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Basics of Culture Audits

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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

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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.

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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. In this kind of culture, individuals are competitive and

perfectionist, and they seek power, position, and personal reward.

What’s in a culture audit?

According to Daniel Denison, the process of a culture audit typically involves examination of

the documents of the official culture: corporate histories, findings from internal and external

studies, and standard sources of data on financial performance.

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:

organizational mission, vision, and values

understanding of and extent of buy-in to mission, vision, and

values

how values are symbolized

value differences between the organization and its competitors

identification of key measures of success

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type of leadership required

the behaviors and attitudes of management and leadership

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

incidents and examples that illustrate what is really important to the organization

shared language or terminology

other strategic influences in the environment, such as competitive or allied organizations

that may influence behavior

cultural heritage or history since founding

organization’s structure and its relation to culture and strategy

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

Ideally, you want to use multiple methods to collect data about the culture. The most

common methods are: 

compiling existing data, such as mission statements, sales and safety records, customer

satisfaction reports, productivity measures, and so forth  

facilitating focus groups (see the sidebar Focus Groups on Culture at left for some

examples of questions to ask focus groups)  

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

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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. What

does the senior management team need to know to make a

decision? How can you present that information?

2. Analyze trends in the responses given in focus groups. What are the most common

responses to each of the questions?

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

and punishments; and so forth), answer these questions for each trait:

What do our metrics for success tell us about how well we are doing in this cultural trait?

Are we measuring up to the standard in the best way possible?

Where, specifically, do we excel?

Where, specifically, do we fail to excel?

What can we do to improve in this area?

What do the participants of this audit tell us about the direction we should be taking?

4. Keep records of your initial results (establish a benchmark), so that you can track changes

over the years.

This article is excerpted from the Infoline, “Culture Audits: Supporting Organizational

Success,” which explains the basics of a culture audit and introduces the process

of conducting one within your organization. This process will determine if the time is right for

a culture audit in your organization, help you sell the concept of a culture audit to

management, and show you how to select the audit tool that is most appropriate for your

culture.  “Culture Audits: Supporting Organizational Success”  is available on the ASTD Store

at http://store.astd.org/Default.aspx?tabid=167&ProductId=8082. 

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Cynthia Solomon

Cynthia Solomon, PhD, is former assistant professor of education and the coordinator for the graduate

programs in training and adult education and in human resource development for Tusculum College

Graduate and Professional Studies in Knoxville, Tennessee. She has more than 24 years of experience in

teaching and organizational consultation for colleges, health care organizations, engineering companies,

and federal and county governments.

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