The benefits of taking a multi-method approach when evaluating organisational culture.

What is organisational culture and why is it important to measure?

Organisational culture is the collective personality of an organisation. It’s the set of values, beliefs, behaviours, and practices that shapes the way an organisation operates and interacts with its employees, customers, and stakeholders. An organisation’s culture is generally influenced by workplace leaders, and employees over time, and it effects how people work together, communicate, make decisions, and solve problems.

Measuring organisational culture is important for several reasons. Firstly, it helps in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of an organisation’s culture. This is important to know as a culture that fosters creativity, innovation, and collaboration can enhance employee engagement, productivity, and retention. Alternatively, a negative culture can lead to low morale, high turnover, and poor performance.

Measuring organisational culture can be done through various methods, with the two most popular and effective being surveys, and focus groups. In this blog post, we explore the benefits of using these two methods in combination when evaluating organisational culture.

The benefits of combining survey and focus group data when measuring organisational culture.

Surveys are a highly effective way to gather large amounts of data quickly. They are relatively inexpensive and provide tangible results that can be compared to previously corrected data or against industry norms. They also provide an opportunity for respondents to remain anonymous thus making them feel more compelled to be honest when responding. However, they don’t quite offer the same level of personalisation as focus groups can, and some survey questions (especially ones which are open-ended) tend to go unanswered. This is where the value of focus groups lie. Utilising surveys and focus groups together allows for better understanding of organisational culture as the methods provide the what and the why. Combining them is likely to deliver significant benefits.

By conducting a cultural survey and focus group together, you are able to gather more meaningful information from your respondents. There is an opportunity for you to tailor focus group questions based on survey results to gain richer data and help explain the “why?” behind participant responses. Perhaps when looking at the survey data you find that participants value open communication between departments however feel there are currently barriers to doing so. Or maybe the company culture is important to them, but they are currently dissatisfied with it. Using focus groups allows you to dig deeper and explore these survey findings.

Another benefit of combining the two methods is that together they are a great way to engage with employees and make them feel valued and heard. Survey fatigue is a real thing and can see people become demotivated to participate. However, collecting data through focus groups allows you to build rapport with participants, and it’s likely they’ll be more willing to come forward and contribute to discussions when they feel someone has gone out of their way to listen. By analysing the survey prior to facilitating the focus group, you can ask more personalised questions and get on the same page early with participants. You’re able to identify to the group that you understand, for example, that there is a lack of open communication between departments. Having an understanding of where participants generally stand regarding various aspects of the company can help in encouraging them to share their perspective, as they are not having to bring up the initial issue themself. Focus groups help to build this feeling of recognition for participants, again resulting in richer and more meaningful data collection.

Summary

Combining surveys and focus groups when measuring organisational culture offers the best of both worlds, enabling you to gather quantifiable data and qualitative insights in a meaningful way. With these insights you can see the strengths and weaknesses of your current culture and identify opportunities for improvement, driving positive change within your organisation.

By Ellie Sloan