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"Of all knowledge the wise and good seek most to know themselves." (William Shakespeare)

Transparent Corporate Culture Analysis with the Organizational Culture Inventory®

Culture is comparable - and thus, also measurable. Because measurement equals comparison. The Organizational Culture Inventory® compares the corporate culture of your own company with the culture of more than 1,000 prestigious corporations and thus, will obtain a relevant benchmark to orient yourself in your further development.
You will find out in which areas you distinguish yourself from the most successful corporations and where you are average.
What is more: In combination with the Organisational Effectiveness Inventory® you obtain three valuable indications:

  1. What is our current culture like?

  2. What is our desired culture like?

  3. What are our relevant levers that will assist us in changing our culture successfully?

The Term "Culture" in the Organizational Culture Inventory® (OCI®)
The OCI® uses a very pragmatic approach: It measures employees' thoughts about their own company. It specifically identifies which behaviour (from the employees' viewpoint) is expected and useful in order to be successful in their own corporation. After all, corporate culture results from what employees think.

Research revealed that there is something like a common denominator within a success culture which is existent in almost every successful company! Thus, it is conducive to model successful companies and define a change process which enables and supports an approximation to their success culture. "Cultivated" corporations are better corporations!

What exactly does the OCI® measure?

The OCI® measures twelve behavioural norms grouped into three clusters.

The Four Constructive Styles

The corresponding cultural styles allow the employees to act constructively and in a self-determined manner. "Task related aspects" and "humanistic aspects" are equally considered equally in decision making processes. These kinds of behaviour are particularly important for the success of the company. Successful corporations score high in this area. 

  • Achievement - attaining high quality-results on a continuous basis
  • Self-Actualizing - finding unique and individual solutions
  • Humanistic-Encouraging - coaching and counselling others and providing them with support and encouragement
  • Affiliative - developing and sustaining pleasant relationships

The Four Aggressive/Defensive Styles

These styles reflect self-promoting thinking and behavior used to maintain one’s status/position and fulfill security needs through task related activities. 

  • Oppositional - emphasizing flaws, looking for confrontation
  • Power - equating self-worth with controlling others
  • Competitive - viewing even non-competitive situations as contests and win-lose situations
  • Perfectionistic - needing to attain flawless results and placing excessive demands on oneself and others

The Four Passive/Defensive Styles

These styles represent self-protecting thinking and behavior that promote the fulfillment of security needs through interactions with people.

  • Approval - being accepted and liked by others through pleasing them, making good impressions, being agreeable and obedient
  • Conventional - conforming and "blending in", relying on established routines, and securing a predictable work environment
  • Dependent - allowing others to make decisions for oneself, depending on others for help and obeying orders willingly
  • Avoidance - withdrawing from threatening situations, minimizing risks, and reacting in an indecisive and non-committal way

What does the Organizational Effectiveness Inventory® (OEI®) measure?

The OEI® indicates and evaluates 31 levers that are aimed at supporting the organization's cultural change. Those levers are grouped into four clusters.

Structures

  • Overall Influence
  • Distribution of Influence
  • Empowerment
  • Employee Participation

Systems

  • Human Resources Management: Personnel Selection and Staffing, Training and Development, Respectful Attitude
  • Target Systems: Clarity, Challenge, Participation, Acceptance
  • Achievements and Failures: Fairness, Sanctioning

Tasks

  • Autonomy
  • Diversity
  • Feedback
  • Task Identity
  • Significance
  • Interdependency

Leadership

  • Communication: Upward/Downward, Learning Orientation
  • Power: Person/Hierarchy
  • Leadership Style: Target Focus, Integration of Employees, Facilitation

Further information on OEI and OCI

For case studies on successful applications of the OCI (mostly in English) please click here.
Information about the academic originators of the OCI and the OEI: Dr. Clay Lafferty ; Dr. Rob Cooke (English)

Original Terms here.


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