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In a previous article, I introduced the idea of “Principled Entrepreneurship” and its power to transform workplace culture. The first step on this journey is a crucial one: assessing your current culture. Only by gaining a clear picture of your organization’s existing values, norms, and behaviors can you craft a truly effective transformation plan.

Why is a Culture Assessment Important?

1. Baseline Understanding: A culture assessment provides a starting point for your journey, highlighting both the strengths you can build upon and the areas in need of improvement.
2. Data-Driven Approach: Informed decision-making is essential. Assessments provide qualitative and quantitative data, giving you a better understanding of your culture’s intricacies.
3. Employee Engagement: A well-designed assessment demonstrates to employees that their voices matter, fostering buy-in from the outset of the change process.

Beyond Surveys: The Power of Focused Culture Discussions

Traditional culture assessments often rely on surveys. While surveys can be helpful, they can also feel impersonal and may not fully capture the nuances of your team’s experiences. This is where “Focused Culture Discussions” offer a powerful alternative.

Here’s how this strategy works:

• Leadership-led Discussions: Assign leaders to conduct one-on-one conversations with team members using a structured discussion guide. Click here to download a copy of our Focused Culture Discussion Template.
• Targeted Questions: The guide combines standard questions to gauge perceptions of core cultural beliefs with open-ended questions focused on strengths, weaknesses, barriers, and solutions.
• Data Analysis and Action Planning: After the discussions, leadership analyzes the collective feedback to identify themes, generate solutions to overcome barriers, and enhance positive cultural attributes.
• Feedback Loop: The results and action plan are transparently shared with the team, inviting their input and further solidifying their participation in the culture change process.

Why I Advocate for Focused Culture Discussions

• Dialogue over Data: This method prioritizes honest conversations, fostering a connection between leaders and employees that surveys cannot match.
• Demonstrates Commitment: Asking team members for their candid feedback signals leadership’s genuine commitment to creating a better workplace.
• Fosters Collaboration: Sharing the analysis and collaboratively building action plans reinforces the idea that everyone plays a role in shaping the desired culture.

Initiating the Cultural Transformation

“Focused Culture Discussions” provide a powerful starting point for your culture transformation journey. This technique demonstrates the leadership’s willingness to listen, take action on team feedback, and create the collaborative change environment essential for nurturing a culture of Principled Entrepreneurship.

Is your organization ready to take the leap toward a culture of Principled Entrepreneurship? Click here to schedule a complimentary strategy session where we can talk about your opportunities and provide some specific strategies and tools that might be helpful. Or check out our website, where you can access several free videos and download useful tools and templates.

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Chris Seifert is the founder of Enabling Empowerment and is an operations leader with 25+ years of experience managing high-risk, complex manufacturing operations and advising senior executives on strategy, leadership, culture, and execution. Prior to founding Enabling Empowerment, Chris led manufacturing operations for a large manufacturer of renewable biomass fuel during a 6-year period in which revenue grew from $450MM to >$1B, plant production increased by >200% through commissioning new assets, integrating acquisitions, and organic growth, while reducing safety incident rates by more than 85% and growing adjusted EBITDA by >250%. As a Partner at Wilson Perumal and Company, Chris founded and grew an Operational Excellence Consulting Practice and became recognized internationally as a leading expert on Operational Excellence (OE), Operational Discipline (OD), and Operational Excellence Management Systems (OEMS). Chris has also served as a Plant Manager for Georgia Pacific and Owens-Corning and as a Supply Officer in the US Navy Nuclear Submarine Force.