Culture Assessments help leaders to understand existing culture in a way that's actionable. Most importantly, they're an essential component to understanding your remote team.
Feeling connected to colleagues, seen by superiors, and motivated to work has a direct impact on job satisfaction and performance. Taking the right steps in a mindful manner leads to greater retention rates too.
Competing Values Framework
Developed by Robert Quinn and John Rohrbaugh, the Competing Values Framework stems from research on effective organizational cultures. The model identifies four major models or cultural archetypes: Clan (collaborative), Hierarchy (controlling), Market (competing) and Adhocracy (creative). Each type has its own values, behaviors and beliefs that contribute to its success.
For example, leadership at Tom's of Maine embodies a Clan culture, which emphasizes stability and cohesion, while leaders at Pixar embrace a Adhocracy culture that is innovative and flexible. This allows them to thrive in a changing external environment and produce a high level of customer value.
Using an online culture assessment tool like OCAI can help you identify the specific attributes of your organization's current and desired cultures. The survey takes about 15 minutes to complete and provides you with in-depth, validated information about your business. Getting a clear picture of your current and preferred cultures will enable you to make strategic decisions about how to evolve them.
Collaborate Quadrant
Having a strong company culture is a must for businesses that want to grow and succeed. A culture assessment is a tool that can be used by HR executives and business owners to identify different qualities that differentiate companies and determine the type of culture that suits them. The Competing Values Framework is one of the most competent frameworks that has been tested and proven by researchers to categorize organizations into four types: Clan, Adhocracy, Hierarchy, and Market cultures (Cameron & Quinn).
Organizations in the collaborate quadrant have values such as loyalty, communication, and human development. They are a group of people that cooperate and work together to achieve goals. These organizations are often a network of different companies working together. This kind of organization is known for its unified behavior which builds trust over time. It is also a good fit for organizations that focus on relationships. However, this kind of culture is not conducive to rapid change.
Hierarchy Structure
Hierarchy cultures rely on strict procedures and rules to guide their employees. These types of companies typically have a clear chain of command, multiple management tiers that separate employees and leadership, and detailed career paths. Companies with this culture tend to be stable, risk-averse, and focused on internal organization.
These cultures also provide a clear path for professional advancement, and many people enjoy the stability of these structures. However, the lack of flexibility can be frustrating for employees who want to change things up and think outside the box.
A hierarchy culture can be a positive or negative culture depending on the needs of the company and its employees. It is important to assess the culture objectively and understand how it relates to your business goals. A professional consultant can be a valuable resource to assess the current company culture. The assessment can help identify areas of the company that need to be improved or changed.
Market Culture
Culture assessments can help leadership teams better understand what their current organizational culture looks like and what they would like it to look like in the future. They can be completed by individuals, a management team, or larger groups of people. Cameron and Quinn recommend including a wide variety of employees from all over the company to get the most accurate results.
Market cultures drive organizations toward financial success by rewarding employee achievements and fostering a competitive Human Resources Consulting mindset. However, this type of culture can lead to high turnover and a lack of empathy among employees.
Organizations that are currently in a clan or adhocracy culture may find it difficult to transition to a market-oriented environment. A successful transformation requires the development of a clear roadmap that will guide them towards this new goal and provide the leadership team with an understanding of how to change their culture. This includes identifying the skills and competencies that will be needed to support this new focus.
