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ISSN 1930-806X | Virginia Beach, Va. USA

Using the Organizational Cultural Assessment (OCAI) as a

Tool for New Team Development Jeff Suderman

Regent University

The Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument (OCAI) is a psychometric tool developed by

Cameron and Quinn (2006). Its purpose is to help organizations identify their current and preferred

culture. Through the use of a simple survey, participants identify their perceptions of both existing culture

and their desired future culture. Organizations can then utilize these results to assess both the current

cultural state and also to identify gaps between current and desired futures.

This article evaluates the use of this psychometric tool as a tool for team development for a new leader.

The tool was used with a brand new organizational leader at both the start of his new job and the end of

his first year. Results from the OCAI were gathered and shared with the leader and his team after both

assessments in order to provide the new leader with a tool for leadership development. Based upon the

results and the experience of participants, the usefulness of the OCAI as a tool for new leaders was then

assessed. Its usefulness will be viewed from several perspectives: the leader, the consultant and the coach.

Purpose

he purpose of this article is to evaluate the effectiveness of the use of a psychometric tool

for a new organizational leader. The tool, the Organizational Cultural Assessment

Instrument (OCAI), was developed by Cameron and Quinn (2006) as a means for

organizations to quantify organizational culture. More importantly, OCAI results provide a

means by which organizations can navigate organizational change successfully (p. vii). While

this tool has been used in over 10,000 organizations with more than 100,000 individuals, the

application of the tool in this situation was unique, as it was utilized specifically with a new

leader and his team. Therefore, the goal was to test its usefulness for a new leader and the

development of his new team.

OCAI Background

This section will provide a basic overview of the OCAI for those unfamiliar with the instrument.

Cameron and Quinn's (2006) premise is that strong organizational culture is a key to corporate

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Suderman

ISSN 1930-806X | Virginia Beach, Va. USA

profitability (p. 2 & 5). Organizational culture “is the set of key values, beliefs, and norms shared

by members of an organization. Organizational cultures serve two critically important

functions—to integrate members so that they know how to relate to one another and to help the

organization adapt to the external environment” (Daft, 2007). Studies show that congruence

between individual and organizational culture contributes to higher levels of performance

(Cameron & Quinn, 2006).

Therefore, without a corresponding shift in organizational culture, attempts to change an

organization’s results will have a low chance of achieving “enduring improvement in

organizational performance” (p. 11). This challenge is exacerbated by the fact that many

organizations neither understand their current culture nor the preferred culture which would best

help them achieve their goals. Furthermore, cultural change is vital because “when the values,

orientations, definitions, and goals stay constant - even when procedures and strategies are

altered - organizations [and individuals] return quickly to the status quo” (p. 11).

The OCAI instrument is built on Cameron & Quinn's competing values framework (p. 31-61).

The framework is rooted in considerable research in the field of organizational culture and aligns

with well-accepted cultural categorical themes – the way people think, their values, assumptions

and how they process information (p. 33). The research revealed six key dimensions which

formed the basis of their framework on organizational culture: dominant cultural characteristics,

organizational leadership, management of employees, organizational glue, strategic emphasis

and criteria for success (p. 26-28).

These categories yielded two key

cultural dimensions, each with a

competing value. The first

dimension is determining if a

company's culture is internally or

externally focused (p. 34). The

second dimension is whether

organizations acted with

flexibility or with stability (p. 34).

When placed on two axes, these

two dimensions form four

quadrants, each representing a

distinct set of organizational

effectiveness indicators (p. 35). A

graphical presentation of the

competing values framework can

be found in Figure 1.

It is important to note that Cameron and Quinn do not endorse one ideal culture. Rather, cultural

effectiveness is a byproduct of matching culture with a company's vision, values and strategy.

Further definitions of each quadrant are provided in the sidebar.

Figure 1: Organizational Effectiveness Indicators

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Using the Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument (OCAI) as a Tool for New Team Development

ISSN 1930-806X | Virginia Beach, Va. USA

Case Study Background

The OCAI was used with a new leader and his team in an

academic setting in North America. The leader, a Vice

President of Academics at a publically-funded college, agreed

to conduct the OCAI with his team at the beginning of his

term and again near the end of his first year. As someone who

was hired to facilitate change in his division, he expressed

interest in understanding the culture he was going to step into

as well as assessing how culture changed under his leadership

after a year.

The assessment was conducted with his team in July 2011 and

a results briefing was given in September to all who

participated. A second assessment was conducted in April

2012 with another team results briefing in May. All

participants were guaranteed anonymity and all results were

presented anonymously with the exception of the Vice

President, who chose to share his results for comparative and

team-building purposes. While no one was required to

participate, all employees chose to. In some cases, participants

chose not to answer questions about "current culture" because

they were too new to the organization to be able to adequately

assess the state of the current culture.

Each time the instrument was used, participants completed the

same OCAI survey from Cameron and Quinn (2006), which

was in delivered in two parts. Part I had respondents answer

24 questions from the perspective of what the organizational

culture is currently like. Part II had respondents answer the

same 24 questions but from the perspective of what their

preferred organizational culture would be in the future.

Findings

2011

The initial survey

results revealed a

overall desire to

make considerable

changes from the

current culture

(blue line vs. red

line). What was

remarkable was

how congruent the

preferred future of

Culture Definitions

Clan Culture “is characterized by a

friendly place to work that feels like an

extended family. Leaders are thought of as

mentors and perhaps even as parent

figures. The organization is held together

by loyalty and tradition. Commitment is

high. The organization emphasizes the

long-term benefit of individual

development, with high cohesion and

morale being important. The organization

places a premium on teamwork,

participation, and consensus.”

Adhocracy Culture “is characterized by a

dynamic, entrepreneurial, and creative

workplace. People stick their necks out

and take risks. Effective leadership is

visionary, innovative, and risk-oriented.

The glue that holds the organization

together is commitment to experimentation

and innovation. The emphasis is on being

at the leading edge of new knowledge,

products, and services. Readiness for

change and meeting new challenges are

important. The organization’s long-term

emphasis is on rapid growth and acquiring

new resources.”

Hierarchy Culture “is characterized by a

formalized and structured place to work.

Procedures govern what people do.

Effective leaders are good coordinators

and organizers. Maintaining a smooth-

running organization is important. The

long-term concerns of the organization are

stability, predictability, and efficiency.

Formal rules and policies hold the

organization together.”

Market Culture “is a results-oriented

workplace. Leaders are hard-driving

producers and competitors. They are tough

and demanding. The glue that holds the

organization together is an emphasis on

winning. The long-term concern is on

competitive actions and achieving stretch

goals and targets. Outpacing the

competition and market leadership are

important.”

Source: Cameron & Quinn, 2006

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the new leader (green line) and his team (red line) were, despite not having worked together yet.

Therefore, the initial results revealed an amenable opportunity which both the team and the new

leader responded to favorably.

2012

The second survey revealed that there were still gaps between

current and preferred cultures though they were less significant

than a year earlier. Primarily, hierarchy culture was still more

predominant than both the team and the leader wanted to

achieve. However, while both the team and the leader want

hierarchy to decrease further in the future, we now find the

leader wanting a greater decrease in this culture than his team.

The greatest preferred future shift for both the team and the

leader was for an increase in adhocracy. Finally, we find the

leader and the team having a mild gap in their preferred future

in the area of market culture. In this cultural category the leader

wanted to maintain this cultural element while his team desires a

decrease in this culture.

Comparing Current and Future: 2011 vs. 2012

Finally, we will compare two additional sets of

data.

First, we will compare the actual culture in 2011

with the culture achieved one year later in 2012

(Figure 2). This chart reveals that significant

changes in culture were achieved over the period

of one year as every category shows significant

variation. Market culture showed the most marked

difference. It is interesting to note that this is a

category where there was a gap between desired

future of the leader and his team.

Second, we will compare how participant views

of preferred culture changed over a year (Figure

3). This was done by comparing the 2011

responses about preferred future with 2012. Here

again, we find that participants expressed

remarkable difference between their desired

culture over a period of time. Within a period of

12 months, almost all categories showed

significant differences.

Figure 2: Current

Figure 3: Future

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Using the Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument (OCAI) as a Tool for New Team Development

ISSN 1930-806X | Virginia Beach, Va. USA

Conclusions

While these findings are informative, the purpose of the longitudinal study was to determine the

value for a new leader and new team development. To evaluate this, we will review three

different perspectives.

Perspective 1: The Leader

Personal interviews with the leader revealed that the OCAI was a helpful tool in his leadership

repository. The results of the survey confirmed that significant changes in culture needed to

occur under his leadership. Furthermore, the initial survey revealed he had a team that was ready

for change, a fortuitous situation. Given his lack of organizational experience at this institution,

the results provided him with valuable insights into the past and helped prepare him for barriers

he should expect. During his debrief, he noted that simply conducting the survey, apart from its

results, was an effective way for him to signal to his team that changes in organizational culture

were important.

While discussing the changes in culture which occurred, it was noted that the desired level of

change in hierarchy was not yet realized after a year. In response, he noted that, given the large

amount of cultural change which needed to occur, the change process was gradual and that

"change needed to be prioritized and sequenced" in order to be realized over time. He also noted

that the knowledge he gained about the OCAI framework allowed him to work with him team

more effectively. For example, understanding the questionnaire allowed him to identify team

members who were personally low or high in certain cultural categories. This allowed him to

better manage and lead these employees as he understood their cultural preferences and biases.

Overall, the new leader found that the OCAI provided useful information which helped him

manage his team and lead the process of cultural change which was required.

Perspective 2: The Consultant

This project also revealed considerable potential benefit for a consultant working with a new

leader and/or their team. First, the tool provided a valuable baseline measurement of corporate

culture. Furthermore, data could be gathered and analyzed in ways which would reveal whether

groups or sub-groups within an organization viewed current and future cultures differently (this

could be particularly helpful when working with a fractious cultural situation). Second, this

instrument presents results which are easily understood and can be shared with participants

quickly and without in-depth background. Results can then be used to set expectations, foster

discussion about desired norms or even shape future expectations together (the latter is a key

recommendation for the use of this tool from Cameron and Quinn). The survey results also create

accountability and can be used as a coaching tool. Finally, the instrument is easy to use while

still providing a significant depth of insight. The psychometric tool presents a consultant with a

myriad of ways to step into a situation (both internal and external consultants), assess the culture,

and then begin to work with a leader or team to create a preferred culture.

Perspective 3: The Coach

While this consulting relationship was not of a coaching or mentoring capacity, the results

revealed several ways that it could be of high value in this setting. Coaching could be applied in

several different forms: coach to leader, coach to team, leader to subordinates or leader to

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organization. As stated above, the simplicity, measurability, and accountability provided by the

instrument make it easy to apply. Coaching goals could be developed to assist the leader in

steering cultural change or working with team members to help them affect change, especially if

cultural views within the organization are different. Finally, a coach could work with the leader

to help him develop his team as organizational coaches to lead organizational change. Thi s

exercise demonstrated strong value as a coaching tool.

Further Research

Findings from this preliminary research demonstrate value for the OCAI for new leaders and

new team development. However, continued research is needed to validate this and explore

questions which this project did not answer.

First, the significant differences between preferred futures over a year revealed that new teams

may not be able to set realistic cultural preferences without a context of how things will operate

under a new leader. Further research could help determine if this is typical or not. Second,

several employee transitions occurred under this new leader over the period of a year. As a

result, studies about how the loss and addition of new employees and how this affects the

assessment process could be insightful. Third, further research could take a longer timeframe

snapshot (two to three years) to determine if there are normative cultural development patterns

over time. Ideally, it would be helpful to do this with multiple teams in order to determine if

patterns exist in different situations. Further research could also occur to assess how gender

affects culture and how the specific context of higher education normalizes to other categorical

segments.

Conclusion

This project revealed that the use of the OCAI with a new leader and his team provides

considerable benefits. In addition to the intended benefits this tool provides, new leaders can

specifically benefit from an early identification of the culture they are stepping into.

Furthermore, they can then assess whether they will be encountering alignment or misalignment

in the future. The tool has usefulness in coaching situations and can be an effective way for

consultants to help an organization achieve changes. These conclusions would benefit by further

longitudinal research, breadth of research with other new leaders, and the analysis of how

accurate a new team’s projections of desired culture can be. However, even without further

study, Cameron and Quinn's Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument is a useful tool for

new leaders as they seek to evaluate and affect organizational culture in order to achieve desired

goals.

About the Author

Jeff Suderman owns a consulting company that works with businesses and non-profit

organizations. He focuses his work on diagnosing business problems and developing solutions to

help achieve mission effectiveness. His specialties lie in the area of strategic planning, strategic

foresight, leadership development, and enhancing team effectiveness. He is especially passionate

about the need to use foresight to enhance the limitations of traditional strategic planning. Mr.

Suderman has also spent over 20 years as an administrator in Post-Secondary Education industry.

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Using the Organizational Cultural Assessment Instrument (OCAI) as a Tool for New Team Development

ISSN 1930-806X | Virginia Beach, Va. USA

Questions or comments regarding this article may be directed to the author at:

[email protected].

References

Cameron, K. S., & Quinn, R. E. (2006). Diagnosing and changing organizational culture: Based

on the competing values framework (Rev. ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Daft, R. (2006). Organization theory and design (9th ed.). Cincinnati, OH: Southwestern.