Organisational Culture Survey

Defining Organisational Culture

There seems to be almost as many definitions of “organisational culture” as there are commentators on the subject.

Here’s just a sample:

  • Organizational culture is the personality of the organization.
  • Culture is comprised of the assumptions, values, norms and tangible signs (artifacts) of organization members and their behaviors
  • Culture is customs and rights.
  • A pattern of shared basic assumptions that a group has learned as it solved its problems of external adaptation and internal integration, that has worked well enough to be considered valid and, therefore, to be taught to new members as the correct way you perceive, think, and feel in relation to those problems
  • Organisational culture reflects the things people value, the way people within the organisation generally relate to one another, share ideas and work together on a daily basis to get things done.
  • Organisational culture includes the shared view of directions and values, priorities, commitments and feelings of loyalty and personal worth within an organisation.

Organisational Culture and Change - What Really Matters

Here’s a quote that may actually be more helpful than any of these definitions:

“I came to see, in my time at IBM, that culture isn’t just one aspect of the game
– it is the game.”
Lou V. Gerstner Jr., Former CEO, IBM

What matters more than the definition is ‘How is your organisation changing right now?’. If you take our survey now and then again at some set time in the future, it will enable you to assess that change.

About the AFSN Organisational Culture Survey

Here are some things you should know about organisational culture and the survey.

  1. The survey has been limited to 20 key questions so it only takes you about 5 minutes to complete.
  2. To get full value from this survey, you need to be totally honest with your answers. Keep in mind that no leader or organisation is perfect and that your aim here is to get a reflection of your position NOT to feel comfortable that everything is rosy.
  3. We also STRONGLY recommend that you invite other members of staff and the Board and to complete the survey. This will give you an objective comparison.
  4. No organisation ever stays the same. At any given moment, you are either moving towards greatness or away from it. There is also never any limit to how you can improve as an organisation and how you can improve your organisation culture.
  5. What is far more significant than your actual score at any moment is what direction your organisation is headed in.
  6. Accordingly, we recommend that you use this survey not as a snapshot of your situation but as a guide to how your organisation changes over time. One way to do this is to take the survey now and then diarise to do it again later in 3, 6 or 12 months time.

Confidentiality

Your results are kept strictly confidential.

Resources on Which the Organisational Culture Survey Has Been Based

Corporate Cultures: The Rites and Rituals of Corporate Life, Deal T. E. and Kennedy A. A

Good to Great, Collins J

Productive Workplaces Revisited, Weisbord M

Understanding Organizations, Handy C

Organizational Culture and Leadership, Schein E.H

The Fifth Discipline, Senge P

Organizational Culture and Identity, Parker M

Organization Development and Change, 8th Ed, Cummings, Thomas G & Worley C

Organisational Culture: Creating the Influence Needed for Strategic Success, Black. R


If you have any suggestions for how we can improve this survey, we would enjoy hearing them.

More ideas on the emerging approach for effecting organisational change and cultural change.

  • Recommended Reading