Degrees of freedom

Simplifying the way we think about org culture

In these pages you will find an intuitive framework for org culture assessment which brings together the best thinking in the field. By simplifying the way we view culture, in relation to a single unifying factor, practitioners and managers of all levels of experience should be able to harness its positive power. This factor is “degrees of freedom” – the extent to which people are free to think and act, and more generally differ from the ideas and norms established within their local work area.

In practical work terms, org culture is about the amount of freedom or constraint exerted over the way people develop (think) and deliver (act) solutions to their customers. There is considerable academic backing for this claim, and you can read more about it here. Having said this, the framework does not cover every aspect of org culture, such as celebratory rituals, just the elements that are most relevant to an organisation’s core purpose and work. I think of culture as the “True South” of an organization, underpinning it’s “True North”. But sometimes culture can contradict purpose & strategy, rather than enable it and help drive performance. That’s where the culture survey comes in.  Leaders need to get underneath the bonnet and, with their teams, explore the cultural undercurrents that impact the execution of strategy.

Based on this practical frame, and drawing on my observation of classic organisational dilemmas, I’ve developed a simple 12 point culture survey that helps teams to identify the culture they need to get their work done effectively, and also register how they perceive current culture in their locality. What is then needed is an honest, interactive discussion to work out the shifts in mindset and action needed to close the gap. Although this approach can surface tricky issues and trade-offs, no specialist training is required to get things moving, just a simple briefing. The Org Culture Survey is fully confidential, and the focus on culture rather than individuals de-personalises the issues so that they can be discussed openly.

What this offers is the coherence and simplicity needed to quickly mobilise leaders and their teams, and enable them to harness the power of culture. The framing of culture in relation to the practicalities of solution development and delivery makes it relevant for all employees, as well as providing a clear line of sight to business strategy, organisational agility and performance. Although many of the ideas I use are already well established, I believe that the way things are set out makes all the difference to whether a tool can be applied easily. My main aspiration is that leaders of all levels of experience will find this to be the case, and are galvanised to use the Org Culture Survey with their teams.