Whilst most observers agree that culture is critical for a successful corporate reputation, there is typically a mismatch between what is said and what actually happens. For example, whilst tone from the top is deemed important, a recent study1 revealed that CEOs don’t see cultural problems, but their employees do. For example, when asked about employee behaviors that were counter to the culture values and behaviors, there was a mismatch between what the CEO thought to be a problem versus the rest of employees by 44%.
The vast majority of the FTSE 250 organizations will state a set of values that describe their culture. Cultural values typically state a behavior (innovate, collaborate) or an objective (serving customers) or a goal (passion for winning) or a state of mind (entrepreneurship).
Generally these values describe an aspired or desired state that will enable the organization to perform.
All the evidence shows that for an organization to be successful, it needs to be clear on its strategic intent and that the values and people are aligned.
Yet all too often, values appear as mere words on a page. If culture is so critical to the organization success, should we not measure the alignment and understanding of these values?
Research shows us that corporate cultures are at their best when meaning is shared and understood. Yet it is too often assumed that coming up with a set of words will be understood in exactly the same way by all. Corporate cultures are more than words. Culture combines a complex mix of the actions and behaviors of leaders and managers, the company policies and procedures, the shared understanding and alignment of how things get done, and what types of behavior are tolerated or not.
Zuhra’s Culture Quotient enables organizations to measure the alignment of their strategic intent with their values. Our extensive experience shows that individuals will experience culture differently rather like how individuals see colour. Our work shows us that women can experience the culture differently to men, and the same is true for new recruits to long servers, or for people working in different jurisdictions.
We take your corporate values and measure their strength throughout the organization using the following dimensions:
> I see this value demonstrated by my leaders
> I have the skills and knowledge to deliver this value
> This value is reinforced by our policies and procedures
> This value is our core strength.