his means the staff can only change the culture the way the company wants it to change. Now some may argue that that is okay. The company makes the rules and reserves the right determine how staff act, behave and work. BUT, and it’s a big but, the staff are the company. And remember, the staff are there for their reasons, not the company’s.

So, in a nutshell:

• the company wants the staff to be happy - good!
• the staff want to be happy - good!
• the company takes responsibility for the change through the survey - bad!
• the company initiates change through the staff - bad!
• the company perpetuates it’s role as the master of the staff - very bad!
• the staff come to rely upon the ‘company’ for the security and safety - extremely bad!

So what do you do?<Culture Surveys. A very powerful tool to get inside the minds of your staff … and then remove all responsibility from them.

I was speaking with a friend the other day and the subject of culture survey came up. His company had completed one recently and the numbers were down … way down!

To the company’s credit they decided a no holds barred approach was the solution to find out what is really going on. They hired a consultant to interview who he wanted about what he wanted, within the context of the survey.

In terms of Culture Surveys you have to applaud the company for taking such a candid approach. The CEO is keenly interested in what his staff think and feel and takes steps to engage them personally when he can.

He only has one problem … Culture Surveys don’t work!

In fact, while the premise of a culture survey is clear and the intentions are correct, the application and follow up couldn’t be more off base in most cases.

To discover why it’s off base you need to go back to some fundamental thinking about why people do the work they do. You also need to look at the drivers behind a culture survey.

You’ll then see that many of the current crop of culture surveys are incorrect from the start. And, as most managers, leaders and researchers will tell you, if you start off from the wrong premises you are in no way, except by a giant fluke, going to achieve your outcome.

Okay, I’ve been clear about my view, now let’s look at why Culture Surveys don’t work.

1. I’m here for me … not you - this is a premise which everyone will acknowledge at a base level. Staff work in your company for their reasons, not the company’s. Yes, there are a few altruistic souls who believe in the vision and will work for ‘next to nothing’ - but not many. And, they will only work for next to nothing to a point. If there is nothing in it for them, they’ll soon become discouraged.

Where do companies go wrong? Basically the error is one of viewpoint, or perspective. The Survey is termed a ‘company survey’ or a ’staff survey’ but delivered by management - generally the HR department. It is done by the company to the staff. This means the staff have little ownership of the process.

It becomes a “oh, the company wants to know what I think, huh” and immediately the battle lines are drawn. Staff begin looking for ways to influence the company by the way they answer the question. The problem is, they are the company. And therein lies the point.

Staff are led to believe they can influence management to change the working rules through a culture survey. The reality is, they can’t (or don’t).

As soon as staff realise this, the positive intentions fail and it becomes another “survey exercise” and as soon as that happens, the value of the survey actually goes into the negative.

It turns negative because the survey itself initially raises expectations that staff and their lot in life are important. Yet when initiatives to improve fail or are not followed through, the point of managerial disinterest in magnified. The survey can become a point of dissatisfaction - not satisfaction.

2. It’s not you … it’s me - When it comes to implementing change it’s the company, generally, doing it with the staff. But the company is the driver. Therefore, while the staff are involved, it is with strict guidelines along company lines. This means the staff can only change the culture the way the company wants it to change. Now some may argue that that is okay. The company makes the rules and reserves the right determine how staff act, behave and work. BUT, and it’s a big but, the staff are the company. And remember, the staff are there for their reasons, not the company’s.

So, in a nutshell:

• the company wants the staff to be happy - good!
• the staff want to be happy - good!
• the company takes responsibility for the change through the survey - bad!
• the company initiates change through the staff - bad!
• the company perpetuates it’s role as the master of the staff - very bad!
• the staff come to rely upon the ‘company’ for the security and safety - extremely bad!

So what do you do?<lear and the intentions are correct, the application and follow up couldn’t be more off base in most cases.

To discover why it’s off base you need to go back to some fundamental thinking about why people do the work they do. You also need to look at the drivers behind a culture survey.

You’ll then see that many of the current crop of culture surveys are incorrect from the start. And, as most managers, leaders and researchers will tell you, if you start off from the wrong premises you are in no way, except by a giant fluke, going to achieve your outcome.

Okay, I’ve been clear about my view, now let’s look at why Culture Surveys don’t work.

1. I’m here for me … not you - this is a premise which everyone will acknowledge at a base level. Staff work in your company for their reasons, not the company’s. Yes, there are a few altruistic souls who believe in the vision and will work for ‘next to nothing’ - but not many. And, they will only work for next to nothing to a point. If there is nothing in it for them, they’ll soon become discouraged.

Where do companies go wrong? Basically the error is one of viewpoint, or perspective. The Survey is termed a ‘company survey’ or a ’staff survey’ but delivered by management - generally the HR department. It is done by the company to the staff. This means the staff have little ownership of the process.

It becomes a “oh, the company wants to know what I think, huh” and immediately the battle lines are drawn. Staff begin looking for ways to influence the company by the way they answer the question. The problem is, they are the company. And therein lies the point.

Staff are led to believe they can influence management to change the working rules through a culture survey. The reality is, they can’t (or don’t).

As soon as staff realise this, the positive intentions fail and it becomes another “survey exercise” and as soon as that happens, the value of the survey actually goes into the negative.

It turns negative because the survey itself initially raises expectations that staff and their lot in life are important. Yet when initiatives to improve fail or are not followed through, the point of managerial disinterest in magnified. The survey can become a point of dissatisfaction - not satisfaction.

2. It’s not you … it’s me - When it comes to implementing change it’s the company, generally, doing it with the staff. But the company is the driver. Therefore, while the staff are involved, it is with strict guidelines along company lines. This means the staff can only change the culture the way the company wants it to change. Now some may argue that that is okay. The company makes the rules and reserves the right determine how staff act, behave and work. BUT, and it’s a big but, the staff are the company. And remember, the staff are there for their reasons, not the company’s.

So, in a nutshell:

• the company wants the staff to be happy - good!
• the staff want to be happy - good!
• the company takes responsibility for the change through the survey - bad!
• the company initiates change through the staff - bad!
• the company perpetuates it’s role as the master of the staff - very bad!
• the staff come to rely upon the ‘company’ for the security and safety - extremely bad!

So what do you do?<ruistic souls who believe in the vision and will work for ‘next to nothing’ - but not many. And, they will only work for next to nothing to a point. If there is nothing in it for them, they’ll soon become discouraged.

Where do companies go wrong? Basically the error is one of viewpoint, or perspective. The Survey is termed a ‘company survey’ or a ’staff survey’ but delivered by management - generally the HR department. It is done by the company to the staff. This means the staff have little ownership of the process.

It becomes a “oh, the company wants to know what I think, huh” and immediately the battle lines are drawn. Staff begin looking for ways to influence the company by the way they answer the question. The problem is, they are the company. And therein lies the point.

Staff are led to believe they can influence management to change the working rules through a culture survey. The reality is, they can’t (or don’t).

As soon as staff realise this, the positive intentions fail and it becomes another “survey exercise” and as soon as that happens, the value of the survey actually goes into the negative.

It turns negative because the survey itself initially raises expectations that staff and their lot in life are important. Yet when initiatives to improve fail or are not followed through, the point of managerial disinterest in magnified. The survey can become a point of dissatisfaction - not satisfaction.

2. It’s not you … it’s me - When it comes to implementing change it’s the company, generally, doing it with the staff. But the company is the driver. Therefore, while the staff are involved, it is with strict guidelines along company lines. This means the staff can only change the culture the way the company wants it to change. Now some may argue that that is okay. The company makes the rules and reserves the right determine how staff act, behave and work. BUT, and it’s a big but, the staff are the company. And remember, the staff are there for their reasons, not the company’s.

So, in a nutshell:

• the company wants the staff to be happy - good!
• the staff want to be happy - good!
• the company takes responsibility for the change through the survey - bad!
• the company initiates change through the staff - bad!
• the company perpetuates it’s role as the master of the staff - very bad!
• the staff come to rely upon the ‘company’ for the security and safety - extremely bad!

So what do you do?<hey can influence management to change the working rules through a culture survey. The reality is, they can’t (or don’t).

As soon as staff realise this, the positive intentions fail and it becomes another “survey exercise” and as soon as that happens, the value of the survey actually goes into the negative.

It turns negative because the survey itself initially raises expectations that staff and their lot in life are important. Yet when initiatives to improve fail or are not followed through, the point of managerial disinterest in magnified. The survey can become a point of dissatisfaction - not satisfaction.

2. It’s not you … it’s me - When it comes to implementing change it’s the company, generally, doing it with the staff. But the company is the driver. Therefore, while the staff are involved, it is with strict guidelines along company lines. This means the staff can only change the culture the way the company wants it to change. Now some may argue that that is okay. The company makes the rules and reserves the right determine how staff act, behave and work. BUT, and it’s a big but, the staff are the company. And remember, the staff are there for their reasons, not the company’s.

So, in a nutshell:

• the company wants the staff to be happy - good!
• the staff want to be happy - good!
• the company takes responsibility for the change through the survey - bad!
• the company initiates change through the staff - bad!
• the company perpetuates it’s role as the master of the staff - very bad!
• the staff come to rely upon the ‘company’ for the security and safety - extremely bad!

So what do you do?<his means the staff can only change the culture the way the company wants it to change. Now some may argue that that is okay. The company makes the rules and reserves the right determine how staff act, behave and work. BUT, and it’s a big but, the staff are the company. And remember, the staff are there for their reasons, not the company’s.

So, in a nutshell:

• the company wants the staff to be happy - good!
• the staff want to be happy - good!
• the company takes responsibility for the change through the survey - bad!
• the company initiates change through the staff - bad!
• the company perpetuates it’s role as the master of the staff - very bad!
• the staff come to rely upon the ‘company’ for the security and safety - extremely bad!

So what do you do?

The best company’s turn the process on its head. The staff become responsible for the culture - not the management of the company. In fact, each layer of employee can become responsible for their own culture.

A little psychology …

People feel more in control of their own lives when they take on responsibility. If you feel you make the decisions and bear the consequences of your life you will be more prepared to make better decisions simply because those decision affect you directly. In the end, success or failure, it’s our own doing.

This responsibility actually enables people to feel good about themselves and in control of their destiny.

The result of this ‘good feeling’ is a heightened self esteem and a willingness to take more calculated risks, because we feel comfortable and confident in ourselves. We learn/know, that even if we do screw up, we’re a good enough individual to relocate the ‘right track’ and makeup for any mistakes. In fact, the mistakes become learning events. And so we continually build our confidence and achievements and success.

We call it the virtuous cycle. We continually grow, reinforcing our ability to accept challenges and opportunities.

This is nothing new and most people reading this might say: “What’s your point?”

My Point (finally)

Culture surveys, initiated by the business and driven by the business remove that central point of responsibility. In such a way that they cannot work, based on human psychology.

For people to grow, they need to be able to take full responsibility for their actions. Culture Surveys, administered by the company don’t allow this.

So, how should culture surveys be administered?

Firstly, the job function needs to be driven more by the individual than the business. Sure, the business has to define the outcomes of the job, no problem. But, the individual once they know the job must be able to determine how it gets done. They take responsibility. But it is what I term “full-responsibility”. They understand the consequences of non-completion or extended failure to deliver. Measurements are different to job performance. Don’t confuse the two.

What to do

• Pick a small team within your company.
• Meet with them to discuss the job they do.
• Agree with them on the results the team is required to deliver.
• Handover the function to the team.
• Update their progress regularly.
• Provide support where necessary.
• Conduct a culture survey.

Okay, for some people this might be a little scary. Almost bordering on irresponsibility. So here are some safety nets for you (sheesh!) …

1. Pick a mature team
2. Meet regularly
3. Select a good team leader
4. Keep the deliverables visible
5. Address issues as they arise

In Conclusion

Handing over responsibility to the staff will not cause your business to go bankrupt. You do it with professionalism and accountability for results. But, the level of energy when people are in control of their destiny will revolutionise many managers view of people and may even exceed your expectations.

You may not even need a Culture Survey, the results will be obvious.