This document discusses organizational culture and how it can impact an organization's success. It suggests that thoroughly analyzing and addressing organizational culture issues will lead to sustainable improvements, while half measures will be a waste of money. It provides definitions of organizational culture and describes Hofstede's model for analyzing culture. A five-step process is outlined for assessing an organization's current and optimal cultures, reporting gaps, and developing a change strategy. Key aspects that will be analyzed include means vs. goals orientation, internal vs. external focus, control levels, professional identification, and openness to newcomers. The results will show discrepancies between actual and optimal culture scores to help prioritize areas for change.

1. IS YOUR COMPANIES
ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE
YOUR
BIGGEST THRESHOLD
FOR SUCCESS ???

2. SHOULDN'T YOU QUICKLY
TACKLE THIS?

3. WILL YOU DO THIS
THOROUHLY
OR
WITH HALF MEASURES?

4. THOROUGHLY WILL WORK
OUT WELL AND WILL GIVE
SUSTAINABLE
IMPROVEMENTS
HALF IS JUST A WASTE OF
MONEY

5. IF YOU UNDERSTAND YOUR
CULTURE, THEN YOU MAY
HAVE SOME CHANCE OF
INTERACTING SUCCESSFULLY
AND MAYBE EVEN CHANGING
IT

6. BUT WHAT IS MY
FOUNDATION FOR THE
CHANGE?
CAN ORGANIZATIONAL
CULTURE PRECISELY BE
MEASURED?

8. What is ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE
“Organizational culture is the collective
programming of the human mind that
distinguishes the members of one organization
from those of another.
Culture in this sense is a system of collectively
held values.”
IT MAKES OR BREAKS YOUR ORGANIZATION
Geert Hofstede

9. The function of organizational culture:
There are no good or bad cultures. Cultures
are functional or dysfunctional depending on
who we want to be
Culture only exists by comparison. Culture
has no meaning by itself
The Hofstede Model is a tool of analysis to
assist us in realizing our objectives in the best
possible way

10. The different levels of culture
E. Schein
Symbols Organizational Culture
The Hofstede Model
Heroes
Rituals
Values
Practices
National Culture
6-Dimensional Model

11. From on-line quick scans to change
journey
How to realize our objectives in the most
successful way
A concise presentation of:
o Process of analysis
o Content of the reporting

12. The process
of analysis

13. The process: Five step program
1. Quick scan - assessment of our actual culture;
Where are we?
2. Assessment of the optimal culture; Where do
we want to be?
3. Reporting and gap analysis between actual and
optimal culture and change strategy
4. Making change happen; getting from where we
are to where we want to be
5. Monitoring the degree of success of our change
journey

14. Step 1
Assessment of our actual culture
1. Define number of quick scans in terms of hierarchical levels,
units, functions and/or locations, based on differences in
behavioral group patterns. Note; Any company of any size
and complexity doesn’t have just one culture, but a few or
many subcultures
1. Quick scans will be conducted on-line by inviting our
colleagues to describe their work reality
1. Our answers are treated confidentially as we want to receive
a description of our work reality being as precise and
objective as possible.
1. Actual scores will be automatically loaded into the system

15. Step 2 workshop 1
Assessment of our optimal (sub-)cultures
1. The environment in which each (sub-)culture is embedded
will be assessed on-line
1. Based on the answers given to these questions strategic
windows will be defined for the first six dimensions in the
Hofstede Model
1. Management (and others) will be invited to translate
vision, mission, objectives and strategy in terms of optimal
positions within those strategic windows
1. Optimal scores will be loaded by our external consultants
into the system

16. Step 3 workshop 2
Reporting and gap analysis
1. The report generating software will produce on-line separate
reports for each unit scanned and assessed
1. If more than one report will be generated, a consolidated report will
be supplied automatically in which the results of all separate
reports will be com- pared, normally containing additional
information based on such comparison
1. During the second workshop we are asked to do the following:
a. Discuss findings in report
b. Reassess our optimal culture(s)
c. Define communication policy regarding results
d. Define change strategy
e. Make a choice of aspects we want to change if presented in
reports and if deemed necessary; see diagram with asterisks
below

17. Step 4
Making change happen
Discussions with top management and HR to define the road
map for changes in order to get where we want to be.
Distinction is made between:
1. Indirect change based on choices made during workshop 2
directed at all those working below senior management
level; the on-line tool to be used is called “change levers”
2. Direct change directed at top managers and senior
managers if deemed necessary; the on-line to be used is
called “360 degrees feedback mirrored against the optimal
culture”

18. Step 4 (continued) workshop 3
Making change happen
1. If aspects have been chosen during workshop 2 which we
want to change, then these will be translated on-line into
change levers, creating focused interventions
1. During workshop 3 we are asked to translate these change
levers into real life work activities which will support us in
realizing our tasks and activities in an optimal way
1. For a program of work shop 3 see next slide. Note that
are many ways to structure workshop 3

19. Step 5: Monitoring the degree of success of our
change journey
Monitoring can be directed at the following:
1. Ensuring that intentions are being put in practice
1. Ensuring that tour change journey remains focused
1. Defining degree of ad-interim success and calibration of
change journey with help of repeat scans

20. The content

21. What will the analysis show

22. The company will be analyzed on 8 autonomous
dimensions
D1: Means versus goal oriented; We identify with the “how” versus we
identify with the “what” (Health risks versus effectiveness)
D2: Internally versus externally driven; We know what is best for the
client or we don’t need to care about them versus we do whatever the
client wants
D3: Loose versus tight work control
(Innovation and/or unpredictability versus efficiency/planning)
D4: Local versus professional; We identify with our direct boss and/or
with our work group versus we identify with our profession and/or
with the content of our work (Work life is a dangerous affair versus
we love to find out what is happening in the rest of the world”

23. The company will be analyzed on 8 autonomous
dimensions
D5: Open versus closed systems; Newcomers are welcome versus they
first have to proof themselves)
D6: Employee versus work oriented; Management takes co-responsibility
for the welfare of their people versus management believes that if
they don’t put their people under pressure nothing will happen
D7: Degree of leadership acceptance; from low to high
D8: Degree to which people identify with their organization; from
low to high
Please note that definitions define the extreme positions
Please note that combinations of dimensions will define well known topics, e.g.
D1 and D2 together define process versus result orientation
And D1 and D5 together define open versus closed communication.

24. The results against the dimensions

25. The results against the dimensions

26. The results against the dimensions

27. The results against the dimensions
Below a diagram with asterisks is shown; being in this particular case a reflection
off the discrepancy between the actual and optimal scores presented in the slide
above. The number of asterisks run from 1 to 4. 4 represents the biggest discrepancy between
the characteristic loading the actual score on this dimension and the optimal score chosen by
the client., 1 the smallest but still meaningful. The client,(that could be us) is then asked to
chose those characteristics from the list below which can be changed without too much
difficulty.

28. www.interactconsult.com
info@interactconsult