Why the same teams keep slipping
Rarely because the policy is unclear. Usually because of what people there treat as normal.
Even when teams follow the same procedures and receive the same training, their results can differ. The same teams may keep falling short. Looking at how people work in practice can help explain the difference.
What differs is the way things are done when work gets busy and nobody senior is watching. That is culture, and it doesn't reset because a policy was reissued. It is a large part of why standards hold in some teams and not others, and it is shaped heavily by the people leading each one.
What staff do, and what you get
A survey of the people working across your organisation, and a report on where the culture has moved.
The survey compares the culture your organisation intends with the culture people experience in practice: what your organisation says it stands for, and what actually happens in day-to-day work.
The answers come to us, not to the people they report to. That makes them more honest, because nobody is describing their boss's way of doing things to their boss. It also makes them comparable, because every team is asked the same thing.
The culture you declare against the one that operates
The report shows where your organisation has drifted, and how far.
The report sets the culture you have declared against the one operating in practice, and looks at the sub-cultures inside the organisation and how far each has moved from the centre. Those sub-cultures can be your teams, your departments or your sites.
It also tells you something an audit can't: why a team is falling short. A weak team might have a hiring problem, a leadership problem, or a manager who has decided things work better their way. Each needs a different conversation, and the exception list on its own can't tell you which one you are about to have.
Where a team is small enough that answers could identify people, it is reported within its department or the organisation instead.
A shared policy does not mean every team has the same idea of what normal looks like.
What happens once the answers are in
A report that explains the gap, and a plan to close it.
Our psychologists produce a report tailored to your organisation: the key findings, the differences between your declared culture and the one that exists, the sub-cultures and how closely each is aligned, the main things driving the culture, the areas that need particular attention, and recommendations for closing the gaps.
From there, we prepare a culture development plan with you — a blueprint to work from as the organisation moves towards the culture you intend.
The plan gives the people responsible for putting changes into practice — managers, team leaders and the teams themselves — specific things to work on. Managers can also see where their team sits against the organisation, which gives them something to act on rather than a ranking to argue with.
The evidence behind it
Decades of research linking culture to results, applied to your organisation by organisational psychologists.
The link between culture and results is well documented. A review of 84 studies found organisational culture linked to how employees feel about their work, to the quality of products and service, and to financial performance. (Hartnell, Ou and Kinicki, Journal of Applied Psychology, 2011.)
It holds site by site, too. A study that tracked 134 branches of one bank over time found that where staff described a stronger climate for service, customers rated the service more highly — and that the effect ran in both directions. (Schneider, White and Paul, Journal of Applied Psychology, 1998.)
Our culture surveys are designed and analysed by organisational psychologists, and the report is written for your organisation rather than generated from a template.
Psych Press has developed and published psychometric instruments since 1995, in-house and in partnership with universities and international test publishers.
Who it suits, and who it doesn't
Organisations where identical procedures keep producing different results.
It suits
Organisations where the same teams keep falling short despite identical procedures and training, and leaders who want to know why before deciding what to do about it. It also suits an organisation going through change — a restructure, a rebrand, rapid growth — where you want to know the culture is moving with it.
Where you want to see what your customers experience as a result, our customer satisfaction surveys ask them the same questions at every site.
Frequently asked questions
Can we see which teams have drifted?
Yes — that is usually the point. Results can be reported by team, department or site, with small teams grouped so that no one can be identified.
How is this different from a climate survey?
A climate survey asks how people feel about their work and workplace, and is mainly about keeping them. A culture survey asks how things are actually done, and is mainly about whether your teams are operating the way your organisation intends. One is about retention; the other is about standards.
Will people actually be honest?
More honest than they would be with their own manager. The answers go to us, not to the person they report to, and results are reported so that no one can be identified — small teams are grouped until there are enough answers to protect the people giving them.
What does it cost?
It depends on how many people take part, and how much of the development plan you want us involved in. We scope it with you.
Start a conversation with us
Tell us about your situation and the support you are looking for. You can write as much as you need.
Or call us on +61 3 9670 0590.