Didier Elzinga emphasizes the importance of cultivating a strong company culture to enhance morale and productivity, suggesting it leads to significantly higher returns on investment. He advocates for a culture-first approach, where understanding values and creating a positive experience for employees is paramount for success. The document also discusses the significance of effective survey design in understanding employee satisfaction and driving meaningful change within organizations.

1. Didier Elzinga
Culture by Design

2. Didier Elzinga
Culture Amp
ceo/founder
Social Profit
Atlassian Foundation
Alfred Research Foundation
In an earlier life…
Rising Sun Pictures
Slingsby Theatre Company
Brink Theatre Company
Tourism Australia

3. –Nabokov
Curiosity is
insubordination in
its purest form
“

4. Why build a culture
first company?

5. The way you
motivate people at
work has changed,
not because
people have
changed,
but because the
work we are doing
has…

6. does not
exist.

7. “Why is it every time
I ask for a pair of
hands…
they come with a
brain attached?
–Henry Ford

8. If you have low morale,
for every $1 you spend,
you get about 25 cents of
value.
If you have high morale,
for every $1 you spend,
you get about $3 of value.
Companies should pay
much more attention to
morale…
“
–Brad Bird

9. culture?

10. Culture is not
soft & fluffy

11. It is built for
a purpose

12. What do all these companies have in common?
1,000,000+ people surveyed
2,500+ surveys launched
300+ companies

13. DNA of a Culture First Company
Sees a world that others don’t
Builds on a promise
Knows what it will hurt for

14. Sees a world
that others
don’t

15. Brand is a promise to a
customer, culture is how you
deliver on it.
Builds on a
promise

16. Knows what it
will hurt for

17. DNA of a Culture First Company
Sees a world that others don’t
Builds on a promise
Knows what it will hurt for

18. Mission
We believe the world should be a better place to work
Promise
Learn how to build a better culture
Values
Create better people geeks
Have the courage to be vulnerable
Trust people to make decisions
Learn faster through feedback

19. Our brand marque takes
cues from the circular
brush stroke of the ensō,
in form and intention.
The Culture Amp platform
captures moments in time
in a person’s journey,
both professionally and
personally.
Over time, these
snapshots tell a story. The
process of asking and
answering questions
becomes a ritual or
practice from which
emerge opportunities for
change and growth.
In Zen Buddhism, an ensō (円相 ,
“circle”) is a circle that is hand-
drawn in one or two uninhibited
brush strokes to express a
moment when the mind is free to
let the body create.

20. #peoplegeek

21. “
- Edward Deming
In god we trust.
All else bring data.

22. Ask the right questions
Build the case for change
Fix one thing
Do it again…

23. How often
should I survey?
P&L
Balance
Sheet
Cash flow
Pulse
Surveying
Diagnostic
Survey
Tracking Surveys

24. It is an intentional
description
of the experience
you want your
people to have…
and measuring if
they are having it.
Survey design is not just a
psychologist in an ivory tower
telling you what makes
people happy

25. When asking the
hard questions,
be prepared for the
responses.
If you're not ready,
don't ask.
Survey design is not just a
psychologist in an ivory tower
telling you what makes
people happy

26. What happens if
you do … nothing?

27. Focus on fixing
one thing

28. Nothing happens
until you do it
again.

29. Culture First
The world of work is changing. So should you.
Understand your DNA
What do you want your people’s experience to be?
Learn -> Act -> Repeat
Ask the right questions
Build the case for change
Fix one thing
Do it again…

30. –George Bernard Shaw
People who say it
cannot be done
should not interrupt
those who are doing
it
“
Thank you.