Organisational Culture

Our four-step methodology aligns your strategy and culture. Each stage can be conducted independently or consecutively depending on your organisation’s requirements

Our Multi-Focus Model on Organisational Culture is a strategic tool aimed at helping organisations to become more effective by ensuring you get a detailed picture of:

How do employees really relate to their organisational culture – ensuring a matching picture between employee branding/recruitment texts and real life work environment.
How ready an organisation is for change – is there enough trust, not too much anxiety and are the relevant groups ready for change?
How is the actual way of working (actual culture) and the desired way of working (desired culture) aligned with the optimal culture (strategic choice on which way of working best supports the execution of a given strategy within the available resources and time)
How well management is able to use its behaviour to set the example (walk the talk)
How indirect change initiatives can assist in ensuring a better fit between the actual way of working and optimal way of working.

The Dimensions of Organisational Culture

The Multi-Focus Model consists of six autonomous dimensions or variables. This enables us to provide insights on the fit between the actual culture and any strategic direction you can think of.

DIMENSION 1: ORGANISATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS
Means-Oriented VS. Goal-Oriented

This dimension is closely connected to the effectiveness of the organisation. In a means-oriented culture, the key feature is the way in which work has to be carried out; people identify with the “how”. In a goal-oriented culture, employees are primarily out to achieve specific internal goals or results, even if these involve substantial risks; people identify with the “what”.

DIMENSION 2: CUSTOMER ORIENTATION
Internally Driven VS. Externally Driven

In a highly internally driven culture employees perceive their task towards the outside world as a given, based on the idea that business ethics and honesty matter most and that they know best what is good for the customer and the world at large.

In a very externally driven culture the only emphasis is on meeting the customer’s requirements; results are most important and a pragmatic rather than an ethical attitude prevails.

DIMENSION 3: LEVEL OF CONTROL
Easygoing Work Discipline VS. Strict Work Discipline

This dimension refers to the amount of internal structuring, control, and discipline. A very easygoing culture reveals a fluid internal structure, a lack of predictability, and little control and discipline; there is a lot of improvisation and surprises. A very strict work discipline reveals the reverse. People are very cost-conscious, punctual and serious.

DIMENSION 4: FOCUS
Local VS. Professional
In a local company, employees identify with the boss and/or the unit in which one works. In a professional organisation, the identity of an employee is determined by his profession and/or the content of the job.

In a very local culture, employees are very short-term directed, they are internally focused and there is strong social control to be like everybody else. In a very professional culture it is the reverse.

DIMENSION 5: APPROACHABILITY
Open System VS. Closed System
This dimension relates to the accessibility of an organisation. In a very open culture newcomers are made immediately welcome, one is open both to insiders and outsiders, and it is believed that almost anyone would fit in the organisation. In a very closed organisation it is the reverse.

DIMENSION 6: MANAGEMENT PHILOSOPHY
Employee-Oriented VS. Work-Oriented
This aspect of organisational culture is most related to the management philosophy. In very employee-oriented organisations, members of staff feel that personal problems are taken into account and that the organisation takes responsibility for the welfare of its employees, even if this is at the expense of the work. In very work-oriented organisations, there is heavy pressure to perform the task even if this is at the expense of employees.