organizational culture analysis worksheet (assignment 2)

A Simple Organizational Culture Assessment Questionnaire

This simple organizational culture assessment questionnaire helps leadership teams assess culture. It helps them understand both what their current culture is like, and what they would like it to be like. Summary by The World of Work Project

Organization Culture Assessment

There are many different examples of “cultural assessment” questionnaires that are used in different industries and for different purposes. Ultimately, they all aim to help teams learn about their organizational cultures . They all do roughly the same three things:

• Give people the language to speak effectively about culture,
• Capture a summary of the current working culture in the team, and
• Document what the team would like their culture to be like.

There are no right or wrong answers in most culture assessments, just different ways to do things. While culture assessments are very useful, they only explore a current state and a desired future state. Teams still need to develop the steps needed to move between the two.

A Simple Organization Culture Assessment Questionnaire

This specific cultural assessment questionnaire is useful for teams or organizations that are going through change. It’s particularly useful when a new leadership team is formed or when existing leadership teams are combined. This activity helps a group of leaders understand how they each think about the cultures within their teams, and helps them reach an understanding on what they would collectively like their future culture to be.

To complete this activity, circulate the questionnaire below (or a similar questionnaire of your own design) to your leaders and ask them each to fill it in twice, once for how they think the culture currently is and once for how they think it should be.

Once you’ve gathered your responses, consolidate them into two diagrams, one for the current state and one for the future. In each diagram, plot each leader’s position anonymously on a sliding scale between the two paired descriptions. Also plot an average for both the current state and the desired future state.

Once you’ve completed this plotting, you’ll have a cluster diagram for each culture pairing. This diagram will make it easy for the leadership team to understand their current levels of alignment, and where they desire to change their culture.

Once you’ve analyzed your simple organizational culture assessment questionnaires and produced your outputs, the next step is to share the outcomes with your leaders in a facilitated workshop.

You should use the workshop to let leaders communicate their views, express their opinions, use their own language around both the current and future state and to try and build consensus over what they would like the organization to be like.

Once you’ve gained some consensus and agreement over what the desired culture is for the organization, you should facilitate a conversation focused on identifying activities or changes that can be undertaken to move the organization towards the desired culture.

Learning More

We’ve also written briefly on the Denison culture survey as well as the organizational culture triangle , fearless feedback , crabs in buckets and different types of organizational cultures .

Most organizations seek to improve their cultures through Organizational Development Programs. They do this because they know that good cultures lead to good employee experience , and to good employee engagement . Unfortunately some organizations opt for culture washing as opposed to actually improving their cultures.

You might also enjoy this podcast:

The World of Work Project View

Culture is a funny thing. It’s subjective, a bit “fluffy”, hard to measure, hard to change and yet is perhaps the most important factor in an organization’s success. Unfortunately, many leaders don’t feel they have the time to spend working on culture, and some leaders are slightly intimidated but the concept of it, so you may need to work hard to engage them.

As with many tools of this type, the specifics of what is included in this simple organizational culture assessment questionnaire may not be as important as the conversations that it can lead to. Given this, you may wish to change the questions to fit your specific needs. You might also wish to modify them to use any common language that exists in your organization.

When you’re working with leaders on activities like this, it’s important to ensure you focus on helpful, forward looking activities, not backwards looking blame based conversations.

Our one large criticism of approaching culture in this way is that it’s top down. While there are advantages to this, we think that it’s actually very important to listen to the wider organization about what an effective culture is. We believe that culture change related activities should be co-created with everyone in the organization, as much as possible. Given this, we would suggest that this activity should be undertaken in conjunction with a wider conversation with employees at all levels of the organization.

How We Help Organizations

We provide leadership development programmes and consulting services to clients around the world to help them become high performing organizations that are great places to work. We receive great feedback, build meaningful and lasting relationships and provide reduced cost services where price is a barrier.

Learning more about who we are and what we do it easy: To hear from us, please join our mailing list . To ask about how we can help you or your organization, please contact us . To explore topics we care about, listen to our podcast . To attend a free seminar, please check out our eventbrite page .

We’re also considering creating a community for people interested in improving the world of work. If you’d like to be part of it, please contact us .

Sources and Feedback

This post is based on our experiences delivering culture change activities in the world of work. There are no specific references for it. If you are aware of anyone that this content or concept should be attributed, please let us know.

We’re a small organization who know we make mistakes and want to improve them. Please contact us with any feedback you have on this post. We’ll usually reply within 72 hours. 

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Organizational Culture Analysis: A Simple Guide

Understanding an organization’s culture is important for its success and growth. Analyzing the culture provides insights into values, beliefs, and behaviors that shape the work environment. By looking at aspects like communication, leadership style, and employee engagement, businesses can identify strengths and weaknesses. This guide will explore the basics of organizational culture analysis and offer practical tips for assessing and improving culture.

Whether you’re a leader or team member, understanding organizational culture is essential for creating a positive and productive work environment.

What Is Company Culture?

A company’s values are the foundation of its culture. They influence employee behavior and can include integrity, teamwork, open communication, and innovation. These values shape the organizational culture.

The hierarchy and decision-making urgency also shape a company’s culture. A top-down approach creates a more rigid, formal culture, while a flatter organization encourages a collaborative culture that values input from all employees.

A company can be task-focused or team-focused. A task-focused culture values individual performance and efficiency, prioritizing productivity and specific goals. In contrast, a team-focused culture emphasizes collaboration, open communication, and a shared purpose, influencing how employees work together to achieve common objectives.

Why Company Culture Matters

A strong and positive culture is important for a company. It affects all aspects of the business, contributing to revenue and stock growth. It also helps attract and retain talent.

A company’s culture impacts the overall success and performance of the organization by affecting employee behavior within the organization. It influences productivity, helping the business continue to grow.

Company culture can influence employee satisfaction and retention through appreciation, trust, and resilience. Higher performing organizations that prioritize culture, such as Microsoft and Salesforce, have reaped the benefits of their strong cultures by fostering open communication and ensuring leadership buy-in.

The Building Blocks of a Strong Company Culture

Values: what we stand for.

Culture is a big part of an organization. It’s about the values, beliefs, and attitudes that shape how employees behave.

By focusing on things like leadership, communication, innovation, and how they manage change, organizations can create a strong culture that leads to success . This includes promoting alignment, appreciation, trust, resilience, and teamwork. It also means encouraging open communication, learning programs, and getting support from leaders.

Looking at how employees behave in emails, Slack messages, and on Glassdoor can give important clues about the existing culture. This helps to understand any gaps.

Organizations need to keep adapting and reinforcing their culture. They can use different tools to assess and if needed, change the culture to fit their values.

Building a strong organizational culture is an ongoing process. It needs commitment, support, and a focus on making sure everything aligns with the organization’s goals.

How We Do Things Around Here: Hierarchy and Urgency

The company’s culture has a big impact . It affects how decisions are made and how things are done.

The hierarchy and urgency within the organization shape its environment. The way authority and responsibility are assigned directly affects these things.

For instance, a strong hierarchical culture may prioritize chain of command. This can help decisions happen quickly or slow down the sense of urgency.

Also, the way employees respond to this sense of urgency can influence the organization’s overall culture. A high-pressure environment may create a culture driven by urgency. This can make employees feel the need to act quickly.

But in some cases, it can also lead to stress and fear of failure.

It’s important to understand how urgency and hierarchy in an organization’s culture are connected. They can impact productivity and innovation.

Are We a Team or Task-Focused?

The organizational culture should focus on balancing teamwork and task accomplishment. Both are crucial for success. Nurturing team spirit is as important as delivering tasks efficiently. To achieve this balance, the organization can implement cross-functional team-building activities, establish clear team goals, provide continuous training on teamwork and leadership, and recognize team accomplishments. Prioritizing teamwork can lead to increased productivity and organizational success.

At the same time, setting clear project deadlines, outlining roles and responsibilities, and using project management tools are important for task accomplishment efficiency. Mastering both aspects of workplace culture leads to achieving short- and long-term objectives.

Groups Within Our Company: Understanding Subcultures

Subcultures within a company, like sales, marketing, or tech teams, can affect the company culture . Each has its own values, norms, beliefs, and behaviors, which can differ from the larger company culture and impact employee engagement and performance.

For example, the sales team’s focus on competition and individual performance may clash with the collaborative nature of the larger company, affecting engagement and overall performance.

To integrate these subcultures, cross-departmental training, team-building, and open communication can help. These strategies promote understanding and alignment of values, ensuring a positive contribution to the company culture and its mission.

The Steps to Developing a Great Work Culture

Saying ‘great job’: recognizing employees.

Verbal recognition, like saying “Great job!”, can help create a positive company culture. It builds an environment of appreciation and gratitude. This promotes a culture where employees feel valued and motivated to do their best. Recognizing employees regularly can boost morale and productivity by increasing their engagement and loyalty. When employees feel appreciated, they are more motivated and dedicated to their work, leading to higher productivity and job satisfaction.

Effective recognition practices include being specific and timely, aligning with company values, and encouraging peer-to-peer recognition. This helps reinforce the behaviors and contributions essential for the organizational culture.

Let’s Hear It: Allowing Employee Input

Allowing employees to share their thoughts helps build a strong company culture. It makes them feel included, valued, and committed. When employees have a say in decisions, they become more engaged and invested in the company’s success. This creates a positive work environment and encourages communication, collaboration, and innovation. It also helps align company values with employee behaviors and promotes continuous improvement.

To encourage employee input, organizations can:

• Offer continuous learning programs.
• Adapt based on feedback.
• Encourage open communication.
• Ensure leadership support.
• Use tools like surveys, team meetings, and employee groups

Recognizing and rewarding employees for their ideas, promoting collaboration, and creating opportunities for idea sharing can further support employee input in shaping the company’s culture.

Our Leaders Believe in Our Culture

Our leaders show they believe in the company culture by doing these things:

• They recognize employee contributions.
• They encourage open communication.
• They align company values with employee behaviors.
• They maintain alignment, appreciation, trust, performance, resilience, teamwork, integrity, innovation, and psychological safety.
• They ensure leadership buy-in for the company culture.
• They make culture a continuous process.
• They adapt based on employee feedback.
• They measure culture’s impact.

Their involvement reflects their confidence in the existing culture and their commitment to nurturing the desired organizational culture.

Looking for New Teammates: Hiring Practices

Developing a great work culture involves several important steps: maintaining alignment, appreciation, trust, performance, resilience, teamwork, integrity, innovation, and psychological safety. These steps ensure there is an environment supporting employee satisfaction, productivity, and well-being.

Hiring practices also shape strong company culture by identifying candidates who align with values and vision. A rigorous recruitment process that evaluates cultural fit alongside skills and qualifications ensures new employees thrive within the existing workplace culture.

Onboarding programs are essential for maintaining a positive work culture. Providing new employees with a comprehensive onboarding experience helps organizations effectively communicate their values, expectations, and norms. This sets the stage for successful integration and alignment with the organizational culture, fosters a sense of belonging, open communication, and aligns new hires with the company’s core beliefs.

Getting Started: Onboarding Programs

A successful onboarding program includes providing new employees with the skills and knowledge needed to adapt to the organization’s culture. This involves clear objectives, leadership buy-in, continuous learning programs, and adapting based on employee feedback.

An effective onboarding program contributes to a strong company culture by aligning activities toward the organization’s vision and mission. It fosters open communication, aligns company values with employee behaviors, and ensures psychological safety.

Best practices for implementing and maintaining onboarding programs involve recognizing employees’ contributions, adapting based on employee feedback, and making culture a continuous process. High-performing organizations like Microsoft and Salesforce prioritize culture and reap the benefits through revenue and stock growth.

Saying Thanks: Reward and Recognition Programs

Reward and recognition programs are important in creating a positive company culture.

Consistently recognizing employees’ contributions helps build an environment of appreciation and trust.

This, in turn, positively affects productivity and employee engagement.

Ways to show appreciation include staying aligned with company values, encouraging open communication, and offering continuous learning programs.

These efforts directly impact employee morale and engagement by fostering a sense of psychological safety and resilience.

Adapting based on employee feedback and aligning activities with the organization’s vision and mission helps build a high-performing culture that prioritizes recognition, trust, performance, and teamwork.

Implementing reward and recognition programs reinforces core beliefs and drives innovation while maintaining a cohesive and inclusive work environment.

Helping Each Other Grow: Learning and Development

The company helps team members learn and develop by giving them the skills and knowledge they need to change their behavior. They make sure that leaders support this and have ongoing learning programs to encourage continuous growth. Employees who are dedicated to learning and development are rewarded and recognized for their contributions, aligning company values with their actions.

This creates a high-performing organizational culture based on appreciation, trust, resilience, integrity, and psychological safety, while also adjusting based on employee feedback.

Keeping Culture Alive Over Time

How does our team talk to each other.

Team members communicate in various ways, like email, Slack, or face-to-face. The organization values diverse communication. Team members prefer face-to-face, virtual, or phone/email. The key is the willingness to adapt and remain agile. There are minimal barriers due to strong emphasis on psychological safety. This approach encourages feedback, input, and sharing ideas. By prioritizing open dialogue, the organization supports both individual and team growth.

Keeping Track: Culture Metrics

Analyzing email, Slack messages, and Glassdoor postings can be used to measure and track the company’s culture. These tools provide insights into employee communication and attitudes, shedding light on cultural aspects that are hard to quantify.

The effectiveness of the culture-building initiatives can be evaluated over time by assessing employee behavior. This includes identifying whether they are adopting the new cultural norms and measuring how these changes impact the company’s performance.

Additionally, regularly conducting employee surveys and feedback sessions can help in evaluating the success of culture-building initiatives.

Key indicators of a strong and positive company culture include alignment, trust, resilience, integrity, and innovation. Organizations that prioritize and excel in these indicators are more likely to have a strong culture that drives business success. Furthermore, continuously recognizing employees’ contributions, fostering open communication, and aligning company values with employee behaviors are important qualities that contribute to a positive and strong company culture.

Answers to Your Company Culture Questions

What kinds of cultures do companies have.

Organizational cultures come in different types, such as clan culture, adhocracy culture, market culture, and hierarchy culture. To thrive in the fast-paced business environment and improve performance, companies need to adjust their culture. This involves recognizing and comprehending any culture gaps, creating a plan for a new culture, and reinforcing it.

With the correct strategy, tools, and employee development programs, companies can effectively transform their culture, leading to innovation, productivity, and business success.

Why Is It Important to Change Our Culture?

Changing an organizational culture is important for a company. It helps the company stay competitive and keep up with the fast-paced business world. Adapting to changes in customer needs, market trends, and technology can set the company up for future success. The company’s culture affects its ability to attract top talent, boost productivity, and drive innovation. A culture shift can also improve financial performance and sustainable growth.

Can Our Company Really Change Its Culture?

Organizational culture is important for business success. It influences all aspects of the business. A strong culture can lead to revenue and stock growth. It also impacts productivity and attracts and retains talent.

Studies show that studying language through electronic communication provides new insights into organizational culture. However, only 31% of HR leaders believe their organizations have the culture needed for future business.

Building a high-performing organizational culture involves prioritizing recognition, open communication, and aligning company values with employee behaviors. It is a continuous process that aligns all activities toward the organization’s vision and mission. Culture change is vital for the business.

Implementing continuous learning programs, ensuring leadership buy-in, and adapting based on employee feedback can help organizations successfully change their culture. This creates an environment that fosters resilience, teamwork, integrity, innovation, and psychological safety, ultimately leading to business success.

How Does a New Culture Make Us Feel?

Experiencing a new culture can bring up many emotions and impact how we feel like we belong. It can be exciting and make us curious, but also sometimes uncomfortable as we figure out different customs, traditions, and social rules.

Getting used to a new culture can also change how we think and act. It can make us more adaptable, open-minded, and help us appreciate diversity more. But it might also make us feel confused, resistant, or like we don’t fit in as we get used to new ways of doing things.

Adapting to a new culture can have big effects on how we see ourselves and how we fit into a new place. It can mean changing our sense of self, getting used to new cultural ideas, and finding new friends and support. It can also help us become more aware of ourselves, understand others better, and learn how to talk and connect with people from different cultures. In the end, this can help us grow both personally and professionally.

Do Different Companies Have Different Cultures?

Different companies can have various cultures. They may range from traditional and hierarchical to innovative and collaborative.

The language used in electronic communications, along with the values, attitudes, and beliefs guiding employee behavior, can vary significantly between organizations.

While cultural fit is important, the rate at which employees adapt to evolving cultures is a more accurate predictor of success than simply fitting in.

Leaders play a fundamental role in shaping the culture within a company. Their involvement, decision-making approach, communication style, openness to innovation, and actions during change management all contribute to the overall culture of the organization.

Effective leadership involvement in establishing and reinforcing the desired culture is a critical aspect of shaping the culture within a company.

How Do Our Leaders Help Shape Our Culture?

Leaders show the company’s values by being role models and making decisions that match those values. They also make sure all policies reflect those values.

Leaders create a positive work culture by recognizing and appreciating employees, encouraging open communication, and promoting psychological safety.

They also set the tone for teamwork, communication, and collaboration within the organization by encouraging effective teamwork, promoting transparent communication, and fostering a collaborative environment where employees feel empowered to work together.

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Understanding and Assessing Organizational Culture

• First Online: 03 January 2022

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• Sonja A. Sackmann   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0001-7846-652X 2  

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

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Chapter 7 addresses the topic of culture assessment. A culture assessment entails gaining knowledge about an organization’s culture by analyzing it and its evaluation. First, the chapter outlines those characteristics of organizational culture relevant to its analysis because analysts’ conception of culture and its characteristics influence the approach they choose for a culture analysis, including methods. Second, the chapter explores different kinds of data collection methods, including their strengths and related challenges, for collecting information about an organization’s culture. Third, the chapter addresses standards helpful in evaluating the quality of a given culture, and it provides two examples of a culture assessment in practice.

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A paradigm is comparable with a worldview that influences the choice of questions that researchers investigate and the methodology and methods they consider most appropriate for investigating the research question.

Selective perception means that the perceiving person never sees the whole surrounding reality but unconsciously selects excerpts of the reality. For example, personal experience, attitudes, interests, or social status steer this selection process. That explains why, e.g., after a car accident, three witnesses may tell three different stories to describe what happened.

The halo-effect is a type of cognitive bias that describes how people perceive one seemingly central quality in a person and align other assumed characteristics with that quality. So, for example, someone who lies will also steal.

The appendix of Sackmann and Bertelsmann Fondation ( 2006 ) provides another checklist for a detailed interview.

Sackmann ( 2011 ) describes 25 different methods for analyzing organizational culture, including several questionnaires.

Non-reactive methods use data that the researcher did not influence during their collection, and the data sources did not react to the researcher in the data collection process.

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Sackmann, S.A. (2021). Understanding and Assessing Organizational Culture. In: Culture in Organizations. Contributions to Management Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-86080-6_7

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Organizational Culture: Definition, Examples, & Best Practices

By: Grace He | Updated: December 10, 2023

You found our article on organizational culture: definition, examples, & best practices .

Organizational culture is the rules, values, beliefs, and philosophy that dictate team members’ behavior in a company. The culture consists of an established framework that guides workplace behavior. Examples include integrity, teamwork, transparency, and accountability. The purpose of organizational value is to differentiate your organization from others and act as a model for decision-making processes.

The ideas in this article are similar to improving company culture , employee engagement activities , having fun with employees , and creating a positive work environment .

This article includes:

• definition of organizational culture
• types of organizational culture
• organizational culture examples
• organizational culture best practices
• importance of organizational culture
• workplace culture examples

Let’s get started.

Definition of organizational culture

Organizational culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, norms, behaviors, and practices that characterize a particular workplace or company. This culture is the collective personality of an organization that shapes the way employees interact, make decisions, and approach their work. Essentially, corporate culture serves as a blueprint for how business is done within the organization and influences the overall work environment and employee experiences.

At its core, company culture reflects the company’s history, leadership style, and values. These cultural elements create a sense of identity and belonging among employees, as they collectively align their actions with the established norms and expectations. Office culture can be explicit, with clearly defined and communicated values. Alternatively, this culture can be implicit, existing in the unspoken behaviors and attitudes of employees. Either way, this system greatly influences employee perceptions of roles, camaraderie, collaboration, problem-solving approaches, and the organization’s external reputation.

Understanding and managing this culture is crucial because it directly affects employee engagement, performance, and overall organizational success. A positive and healthy culture can foster employee satisfaction, motivation, and loyalty, increasing productivity and innovation. On the other hand, a toxic or misaligned culture can result in high turnover, internal conflicts, and hindered performance. Organizations that actively shape their culture tend to have a more engaged and cohesive workforce. In turn, this system helps firms navigate challenges and adapt to changes more effectively.

Several factors can determine your company’s culture, including the following.

1. Leadership Principles

Leadership principles are like the guiding rules that leaders follow to shape an organization’s culture. Good leaders are honest, open, and accountable. These supervisors encourage open communication and value different ideas. Additionally, good leaders believe in the strength of a diverse team. Strong leaders inspire and empower their teams, setting an example of continuous learning and adaptability, which promotes a culture of growth and resilience. In essence, leadership principles are the foundation of an organization’s culture.

2. Type of Business

The type of business greatly influences its organizational culture. For example, a tech startup often fosters an innovative and agile culture that encourages experimentation and risk-taking. In contrast, a more traditional, established company may prioritize stability and hierarchy. Similarly, service-oriented businesses often focus on customer-centric cultures, while creative industries emphasize individuality and creative expression. Regardless of the business type, the firm’s values and practices shape the culture, influencing how employees interact, collaborate, and innovate within the organization.

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3. Clients and Staff

Clients and staff significantly impact work values. Clients influence culture by shaping products, services, and communication based on their preferences. Positive client experiences foster excellence and innovation, while challenges can prompt cultural shifts. Staff contribute to culture through values, behaviors, and collaboration. Engaged employees create a culture of teamwork and dedication, with leadership playing a key role. Prioritizing employee well-being cultivates a culture of empowerment and growth.

Types of organizational culture

According to professors Robert Quinn and Kim Cameron at the University of Michigan, there are four main workplace culture types. These types are the Adhocracy Culture, Clan Culture, Hierarchy Culture, and Market Culture.

1. Adhocracy Culture

This culture type is characterized by innovation, risk-taking, and adaptability. Organizations with an adhocracy culture value creativity, experimentation, and a dynamic approach to problem-solving. These firms thrive in fast-changing environments and encourage employees to explore new ideas and initiatives. Flexibility and a willingness to take calculated risks are key features of this culture.

For instance, Google is known for its adhocracy culture. The company encourages employees to pursue innovative ideas and projects, even allowing them to dedicate some of their work time to personal initiatives. This culture of experimentation and risk-taking has led to the development of products and services beyond its core search engine, such as Google Maps and Google Glass.

2. Clan Culture

Clan culture centers around collaboration, teamwork, and a sense of community. Organizations with a clan culture prioritize employee engagement, open communication, and mutual support. There is a familiar atmosphere where employees often refer to each other as a “family.” This culture values employee well-being, personal growth, and long-term relationships.

Zappos, an online shoe and clothing retailer, is often cited as an example of clan culture. The company places a strong emphasis on employee happiness and engagement. The firm’s core values include “Deliver WOW Through Service” and “Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit.” Zappos’ commitment to creating a positive and collaborative work environment is a hallmark of clan culture.

3. Hierarchy Culture

Hierarchy culture is characterized by structure, stability, and a strong focus on processes. Organizations with this culture type have clear lines of authority, well-defined roles, and standardized procedures. These firms often value efficiency, predictability, and maintaining stability through established protocols.

IBM is an example of a company with a hierarchy culture. With a history of engineering and technology, IBM emphasizes structured processes and a clear chain of command. The company’s approach to innovation is often more planned and methodical, focusing on research and development driven by a defined hierarchy of expertise.

4. Market Culture

The market culture emphasizes competition, results, and achievement. Organizations with a market culture prioritize goals, performance metrics, and the bottom line. These firms encourage individual initiative, assertiveness, and a strong focus on delivering customer value. This culture type is often associated with a results-driven and competitive environment.

Amazon is a prime example of a market culture. The company is highly results-oriented and customer-focused, prioritizing efficiency, productivity, and competitive success. Amazon’s leadership principles, such as “Customer Obsession” and “Bias for Action,” underscore its market-driven approach to decision-making and achieving results.

Organizational culture examples

Adopting a positive team spirit affects a company’s success. It is little wonder why several companies develop cultures that align with their goals. Here are five examples of companies with great work cultures.

Netflix has an admirable work culture. The entertainment company is popular for its culture that emphasizes people over process. At Netflix, all employees can participate actively in important decision-making processes. There are no inhibiting rules, and staff members can communicate freely and directly. Netflix chooses employees based on integrity, teamwork, passion, humility, innovation, and selflessness.

2. Microsoft

Microsoft has a commendable work culture mainly focused on a growth mindset. The company is popular for employees dedicating their skills, time, and money to help make a difference in the world. This difference contributes to employee diversity and inclusion, considering Microsoft has employees from all backgrounds and walks of life working to ensure customer satisfaction.

3. Patagonia

Patagonia, an outdoor apparel and gear company, is renowned for its commitment to environmental sustainability and social responsibility. The company’s work culture deeply aligns with its core values, which include advocating for environmental causes and encouraging employees to live purposeful lives. A sense of purpose and a mission-driven approach to business categorize Patagonia’s culture. The firm encourages employees to participate in environmental activism, and the company supports their involvement through initiatives such as paid environmental internships.

4. Salesforce

Salesforce, a leading customer relationship management software company, is known for its Ohana culture. This system emphasizes inclusivity, philanthropy, and community engagement. The company’s strong commitment to social impact is reflected in its 1-1-1 model, where it donates 1% of its equity, time, and products to charitable causes. Salesforce fosters a culture of innovation and creativity by encouraging employees to think outside the box and take risks. The company’s work culture promotes continuous learning through its Trailhead platform, which offers various courses and resources for skill development.

Adobe is a multinational software company and has cultivated a culture of creativity, innovation, and employee development. The company’s culture encourages employees to explore their passions and experiment with new ideas. Adobe’s “Kickbox” initiative provides employees with resources to pursue innovative projects, fostering a culture of experimentation and risk-taking. The company promotes diversity and inclusion and provides platforms for employees to share their unique perspectives. Adobe also values work-life balance, offering various programs to support employees’ well-being. This culture of creativity and employee support has contributed to Adobe’s reputation as a leader in creative software and a desirable workplace for creative professionals.

6. Nordstrom

Nordstrom, a high-end fashion retailer, has a strong customer service culture and commitment to employee empowerment. The company values a customer-centric approach and empowers employees to make decisions that prioritize customer satisfaction. Nordstrom’s culture is built on trust and autonomy, allowing employees to take ownership of their roles and contribute to the company’s success. The company also focuses on employee development, offering opportunities for advancement and growth within the organization.

7. Wegmans Food Markets

Wegmans is a regional supermarket chain known for its culture of employee development, community engagement, and work-life balance. The company places a strong emphasis on treating employees like family and providing growth opportunities. Wegmans offers extensive training programs, mentorship opportunities, and pathways for advancement within the organization. The company’s culture features a supportive and collaborative environment. Leaders encourage employees to excel and contribute to the community. Wegmans also prioritizes employee well-being through initiatives such as flexible work schedules and wellness programs.

Organizational culture best practices

Many companies seek best practices to help adopt a healthy culture. However, this process involves more than printing your new values on the office handbook, distributing it to employees, and expecting an instant change. Adopting a thriving work culture does not work like magic. Rather, culture building requires consistency and a roadmap that helps build these best practices. Here are useful organizational cultural best practices to help you rebrand your company culture.

1. Communicate with your Employees

Communicating with your employees is the first step in adopting a healthy work culture. You should discover what employees like or dislike about the work process, leadership, and environment. You should also find out what motivates team members and redesign the existing work culture that is not serving these needs. Similarly, it would help if you encouraged employees to engage more in decision-making. If you can get employees to feel great working with you, then there is a high chance you will notice an increase in productivity.

2. Encourage Creativity and Innovation

A company that encourages employees to be risk-takers, creative, or innovative will likely experience more growth. A single idea may be all you need to launch your company to the next level, and it could be sitting in an employee’s head. You can make a difference in your corporate culture by encouraging employees to undertake personal tasks that align with the company’s goals.

3. Create a Diverse Workspace

Companies like Microsoft did not just become influential overnight. Diversity is a major part of workplace culture. You can incorporate diversity by creating a fun and inclusive workspace where workers from different walks of life can collaborate on impactful projects. By encouraging an equitable onboarding process, you can create a diverse company culture that encompasses all employees and gives them a sense of belonging. You can also conduct confidential surveys or meetings where employees candidly communicate their feelings.

4. Hire Employees With Similar Values

To promote a long-lasting and successful business culture, hiring workers with similar values is one practice you should take seriously. You cannot sustain a positive work culture if new hires think and act differently from existing employees. Hiring based on qualifications or talent is not enough. You should also pay attention to your worker’s personal beliefs and principles, like honesty, innovation, passion, and creativity. You should ensure employees have what it takes to treat clients in a way that mirrors the company’s culture. Before hiring new staff, these questions should always be on your mind.

5. Recognize and Reward Culture-Aligned Behavior

Recognizing and rewarding culture-aligned behavior is like a boost for the right workplace atmosphere. When leaders praise employees for showing the values that the company believes in, it makes a big impact. Sometimes, this praise can be public, like in team meetings, or it can be in private one-on-one talks. Sometimes, managers can offer actual rewards like bonuses, making the connection between good behavior and appreciation even stronger. Doing this process consistently creates a cycle where leaders encourage good behavior, and workers begin to act accordingly.

6. Let Leadership Reflect the Company’s Culture

If you want a healthy company culture, then you must model it yourself. It is advisable to access your personal values and work behavior to ensure they align with the new work culture you want. Your HR team and other high-ranking executives should also mirror these new values. For instance, you cannot encourage punctuality in employees when you are always the last to arrive at work. Healthy culture practices work when team members obey the rules and regulations. Your employees tend to follow suit if the leadership structure embraces this healthy work culture.

7. Invest in Employee Development

Investing in employee development is like putting effort into helping employees grow. For instance, offer training and chances to learn new skills. Also, show employees how they can move up in the company to give them a reason to work hard. Implementing mentoring programs where experienced employees guide newer ones and discuss performance can also help. When companies take care of work skills and overall well-being and balance, it shows they really care about employees. These steps build a culture where employees want to stay, work hard, and succeed together.

Importance of organizational culture

Aside from increasing a company’s success rate, corporate culture produces a well-structured and highly functional workspace. Here are some reasons why culture is important for every company.

1. Improves Your Brand Identity

A company’s culture influences its inner workings and how others see it, affecting its reputation. A positive corporate culture should focus on more than just satisfying your employees. Your culture can also be a great marketing strategy because customers who share similar values will want to do business with you. A workplace culture speaks volumes and helps you stand out from your competitors.

2. Boosts Customer Satisfaction

Customer satisfaction is a vital pillar of a successful business climate. When employees care about customer needs and the company prioritizes quality, it leads to loyal customers who spread the word. A culture that focuses on customer satisfaction encourages employees to go beyond meeting expectations, striving to exceed them. This belief leads to repeat business and bolsters the organization’s reputation and market presence.

3. Encourages Ethical Behavior

Ethical behavior forms the moral compass of a robust office culture. When a company values honesty, openness, and integrity, it creates a workplace where employees consistently choose what is right. An ethical culture emphasizes that the means are just as important as the ends, guiding employees to act ethically even when faced with challenges. Such a culture builds trust with customers, partners, and stakeholders while also ensuring compliance with laws and regulations. Ethical behavior is the backbone of an organization’s credibility and long-term success.

4. Retains Employees

It is rare for employees to quit a company that caters to their emotional and physical well-being. A strong culture builds an employee experience that eliminates the need to quit. Some of the most influential companies have the best performers in their industries as employees. These companies have created a workspace that values every skill and helps employees reach their full potential. Besides, a good environment reduces the turnover rate and human and financial resources depletion.

5. Fosters a Healthy Workspace

A great team atmosphere eliminates disputes, chaos, or animosity between team members. A healthy culture encourages a collaborative atmosphere where employees work to achieve the company’s goals. A workspace that caters to workers’ needs and sees others as more than just colleagues is important for a company to stand out from others. A healthy workspace accelerates the decision-making process, fuels purpose, and outlines clear expectations. Therefore, you can expect top-notch results that will benefit both the company and its customers.

Organizational culture is one of many factors that determine a company’s success. A company’s culture greatly influences the perception of others about you and your team. Thankfully, this article provides a concise overview of corporate culture and its importance. Learning about the different types and best practices can shape your current work culture for the best.

Next, check out our guide to creating a strong remote work culture .

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FAQ: Organizational culture

Here are some commonly asked questions about organizational culture.

What is organizational culture?

Organizational culture refers to the values guiding the behavior of team members in a workspace. Corporate culture is a collection of practices that reflects the company’s philosophy and expectations.

What are the best examples of organizational culture?

The best examples of workplace culture include Netflix, Microsoft, and Wegmans.

How do you improve organizational culture?

You can improve your own culture by encouraging open communication with your employees. Creating a diverse and inclusive workspace as well as encouraging innovation and creativity also helps.

Author: Grace He

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com. Grace is the Director of People & Culture at teambuilding.com. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com.

Grace is the Director of People & Culture at teambuilding.com. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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How Do You Analyze Organizational Culture? 3 Steps for Success

When you assess your organizational culture, you will be looking at the values, beliefs, and behaviors of leaders and employees. While some characteristics of your culture may be evident, others may be harder to define. It can be a challenge to analyze organizational culture, but it is a worthwhile exercise because understanding culture can help you identify which aspects of it are working and which may need improvement or transformation.

Examine Key Attributes of the Organization

A helpful way to analyze company culture is to explore some of the key attributes of the organization, such as how decisions are made and how employees feel about change initiatives. While each organization’s culture is a mix of different attributes, here are some examples that will facilitate a deeper understanding of your corporate culture:

Leadership involvement:  Leaders are often key catalysts for driving a particular kind of culture. They model corporate values and deliver feedback that shapes employee behavior. When looking at organizational culture, it’s helpful to observe whether leaders demonstrate the behaviors that are needed to support the culture or if they take a “do as I say, not as I do” approach.

Decision-making:  When you examine the role of critical analysis and the degree to which multiple stakeholders have a voice in decision-making, you can pick up useful clues regarding the type of organizational culture that exists. For example, centralized decision-making may be more prevalent in a hierarchical culture, but, as one researcher  points out , the same organization may have pockets of consensus-driven decision-making.

How people communicate:  How employees communicate internally says a lot about your culture. It can be helpful to observe not only the most common forms of communication (for example, whether most employees communicate face-to-face or via email) but also the degree to which open, honest, and two-way communication is common among employees and leaders.

Openness to innovation:  When analyzing culture, it’s helpful to note how the organization approaches risk and evaluates new ideas. A culture of innovation is not limited to start-ups. As one venture capitalist  notes , innovative cultures in companies of all sizes share attributes such as embracing risk, accepting failure, and routinely experimenting with new ideas.

Approach to learning and development:  A culture of continuous learning is typically one where employees and leaders seek out opportunities to acquire new skills and knowledge that will help them improve their performance. To better understand your culture, examine the variety of learning and development opportunities available to employees and how they respond to the opportunities.

Approach to change management:  Change is the great constant, and how organizations approach it is an important characteristic of company culture. If leaders and employees resist change or rarely talk about it, that could be a sign of a more rigid culture. Alternatively, if change is welcomed and the organization has a strategy and detailed processes for managing it, then a more flexible culture may exist.

3 Steps to Successfully Improving Your Culture

Every organizational culture has room for improvement. Here are three steps to successfully implementing changes to your corporate culture:

#1. Identify culture gaps:  With the aid of tools like surveys and culture assessments, conduct a  gap analysis  to fully understand the culture you have and how it compares to the culture you want. A gap analysis not only helps you define the existing culture, but it can also deliver new insights into employee attitudes and beliefs that might have been previously unknown or misunderstood.

#2. Develop a plan for the new culture:  Once you’ve identified the desired culture, it’s important to develop a strategy for achieving it. Transforming corporate culture often requires  new skills training  to help leaders and employees develop the behaviors required to succeed.

#3. Reinforce the new culture:  Sustained culture change requires that leaders continue to model desired behaviors and leverage the skills and knowledge they’ve gained to support their employees. The use of  reinforcement tools  can also significantly help. These tools include mobile boost learning, multi-rater assessments, and culture impact scorecards that help manage culture on an ongoing basis.

Build a Thriving Culture

Culture is unique to each organization and analyzing it is a process of observation, asking questions, and using tools to identify a variety of organizational attributes. Regardless of the type of organizational culture you have or the one you strive for, it’s necessary to provide employees with the required skills and knowledge for adjusting their behavior. Depending on your size and the degree of  culture transformation   you’re trying to achieve, there are a variety of tools available to help you successfully analyze your culture, and if needed, change it.

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