How to handle Company Culture – Culture Measurement with OCI ©

by Julia Dotzauer

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What you can and what you can’t influence: Culture vs. Climate

What do you need in order to contribute at your best? What does your colleague or your boss need? We are very individual people, we don’t all need the same, however there are things we all need. We all want to work in organizations where employees are involved and empowered. Where communication works. Where we find purpose and crystal-clear shared goals. Where people can develop further and where issues are handled fairly. These are some aspects of what we call company “climate”. Human Synergistics has defined climate factors that describe how an organization is structured and designed. These climate factors represent “the way things are done” in an organization and are relevant causal factors for company culture. Company culture is the shared beliefs, norms and expectations that govern the way people approach their work and interact with each other. Company culture cannot be influenced directly, however the climate factors can.

How to shape company culture

You shape company culture by understanding the climate factors that shape(d) that culture in the first place. But how to know what to work on to create and support the company culture you want to see in your company? One options is to aministrate the OCI (Organizational Culture Inventory ®) and OEI (Organizational Effectiveness Inventory ®) assessment developed by Human Synergistics during many years of research. It is a survey that has been created to give you a full picture of what your company culture looks like, which climate factors lead to that and what effect it has in terms of outcomes like motivation, satisfaction, stress, teamwork, inter-unit coordination and external adaptability, just to name a few. In that way the survey results enable you to understand strengths and weaknesses of your specific company culture and then take an informed and data-driven decision about what to do next: Where to invest, what to change, what to keep.

The assessment with OCI and OEI

The surveys are based on extensive research and have been used globally for many years now. They are standardized but can be supplemented with questions for topics or areas that you are especially interested in. The assessment is for organizations that are interested in long-term perspectives and sustainable success strategies. Because culture isn’t a topic for one day. It will be a process. The recommended procedure also includes re-assessment to continuously monitor progress and to see if the actions you have taken move the organization in the right direction.

Speaking of the right direction. The first step when dealing with this culture measurement is actually defining your company’s ideal culture. Taking us back to the initial question: What do you need to contribute at your best? What kind of culture does the organization as a whole need to be successful and to foster great performance as well as the well-being of their staff members? Defining that ideal culture will give you the chance to then compare the ideal with the actual culture employees describe and experience within the organization.

Closing the gap

Once you know the shape and size of this difference between ideal and actual culture you can start planning your next action steps. Face your blind spots, tackle your weaknesses, build on your strengths! It will lead to a more constructive company culture, and it will move your company closer to where it needs to be in order to reach its goals.

Things to be aware of when working with OCI/OEI

Focusing on company culture is always helpful, following the results of the OCI/ OEI ® assessment can make your company not only a better place to work but also a more effective and successful organization. Just be aware that it will not be a quick fix. Changing culture will take time and it requires a strong commitment of all stakeholders. Once you start the endeavor, make sure you got the time and resources to follow through with it. Given that it will be the most important investment you ever took and the most rewarding project you ever did. Why is that? Because the OCI/ OEI ® assessment is not only a survey about the satisfaction of your employees, it will unravel relevant comprehensive information about statistically proven connections and correlations between climate factors, company culture and outcomes on individual, team and company level. This means you will not guess what your company needs – you will know for sure.

In case you want to start your culture work journey or want to know more about how to use OCI/OEI in your organization, our team is looking forward to getting in touch with you.