A thorough corporate culture assessment typically involves collecting information about employees’ emotional and physical reactions to working in the organization. By considering both of these elements, it is possible to develop a complete assessment of the current culture. This information can be compiled via observation, statistical analysis, and direct questioning.
In order to properly conduct a corporate culture assessment, it is wise to attempt to view the organization as impartially as possible. If it is not possible to do this, an outside contractor may be necessary in order to perform the most effective assessment. The goal is to observe workers in their daily environment in order to get a sense of how they feel about the tasks they regularly perform, their co-workers, and the organization as a whole.
When using observation to perform a corporate culture assessment, it can also be helpful to analyze the physical atmosphere. This can include the overall environment in the workplace, from artwork and lighting to workspace arrangement. It may also be useful to observe the way employees arrange their personal workspaces. Observation of employee interactions, including meetings, small groups, and one-on-one conversations, can also be helpful.
Another method of corporate culture assessment is to survey or interview employees. Asking all workers the same set of questions can help to develop an overall picture of how individuals feel on a personal, departmental, and company-wide basis. This data will often reveal how unified the corporate culture is and whether there are departments or individuals who appear to contrast too strongly with the values of the organization overall. After this sort of questioning, it will typically be clear whether or not the company has a unified culture.
It can also be useful to analyze the difference between what is observed in the workplace and how the employees view their environment. While there will inevitably be some kind of gap between these viewpoints, if it is too dramatic it can be problematic. If observed negative behaviors or patterns are not acknowledged by employees, there will likely be issues that need to be addressed.
Analysis of human resources data will often also provide insight into corporate culture. The percentage of employee retention can reveal how satisfied employees appear to be and whether they view the company as a career destination or a stepping stone. It may also be useful to determine how often the human resources department has been approached for conflict management assistance and what in general have been the most common issues.
