What is the Best Way to Measure Company Culture?

A company’s culture can be defined in a number of ways—sometimes to suit the objectives of the person doing the measuring. From an external perspective culture can take on many different aspects and get convoluted quickly, so let’s start with a basic definition of organizational culture: How work gets done.

 Simple enough, but there is the often overlooked nuance of culture which is employee engagement: How people feel about how work gets done.

 Can we measure culture and employee engagement levels?

 There are many tried and true ways to measure company culture, such as exit interviews, retention numbers, referrals of new employees for jobs at your company by existing employees, and employee surveys, to name a few. 

 Many large corporations are finding ways to get culture feedback and employee engagement data in real time via mobile apps. Traditional employee surveys can be a challenge to execute due to the amount of time it takes to develop a survey, collect employee’s input, and process and disseminate the results. In larger companies, asking short questions on a daily or weekly basis via a technology platform to tap into how employees feel in real time about their work and their employer can be very effective. HR executives and management can act on that feedback in a timely manner, keeping tabs on employee issues before they have a real impact on culture and engagement. In smaller companies, CEOs and company leaders can use coffee or lunch meetings as an ideal way to gain feedback from employees. These meetings go a long way in building trust and open dialog, especially if leadership acts on issues brought to them during these meetings.

 Building Dialog Fosters a Strong Culture

An essential part of asking for employee feedback is seeking the information that is hard to hear, and making sure employees feel heard by company leaders. See my May 1, 2017 blog, 

Walking the Talk: Why Leaders Need to Log More Miles with Employees, 

for more on soliciting feedback from employees.

 Do you know how to gauge employee culture at your company? Answer the following questions Yes or No to grade your company culture:

  My organization has a culture that supports truth telling and speaking up.                Y  N 

     I know why people are leaving my company.                                                                  Y  N 

     My company supports the personal and professional growth of all employees.          Y  N 

     Employees at my company serve as the best recruiting advertisement.                      Y  N 

     Everyone at my company is invested in the mission and values of the

     organization.                                                                                                                       Y  N 

     Employees work for more than just a paycheck, they are invested in the

     “why” of our organization.                                                                                                Y  N 

   The culture at my company absolutely supports maximizing profits and ROI.            Y  N 

Even one “No” signifies trouble in your office. Ignoring it won’t make it better, but taking positive action to measure and change your company culture will improve your bottom line and make you a premiere employer.

 Looking for a Way to Create Cultural Alignment?

Let Conover Consulting help you identify the gaps in your culture and align employees and leadership on a focused mission and vision. Our Cultural Alignment services can help you with the trifecta of leadership, compensation, and culture to ensure everything is working together to a better bottom line. Take our assessment and contact us.