A thorough corporate culture analysis typically requires a deep understanding of the core values of the company. This includes goals, philosophies, and how work is approached. It can also encompass knowledge of administration, sales, and customers. The overarching goal is to uncover how and why things are done in a particular organization.
While it is possible for a corporate culture analysis to uncover practices and values that are common among most employees, it cannot fully account for the quirks of individual departments, teams, and workers. These aspects of a company culture may ultimately have a large impact on the organization as a whole. For this reason, it can be helpful to study the culture both as it exists company-wide and in these smaller groups.
The nature of a corporate culture analysis will usually change with the company. This means that the manner in which the company is examined may also need to change. One of the best ways to accommodate for a changing culture is to study a previous analyses and note how the company functioned then in comparison to the present. If an analysis has not been conducted before, a general knowledge of the changes in company culture over the years can also be useful.
An effective corporate culture analysis will acknowledge that company culture is fluid. While some core principles may remain unchanged, values will often shift in reaction to changes in society, customer behavior, and economic success. The actions of competitors may also alter corporate culture.
Changes in technology can also have a dramatic effect on corporate culture. Understanding how employees view and use the tools of their trade may enable easier troubleshooting and more efficient use of resources. It can be useful to study how employees adjust to new innovations in addition to how they affect the developing culture.
The effects of external market conditions can be another important part of a thorough culture analysis. As the economy fluctuates, personal, departmental, and company-wide needs will also change. This can result in some of the most powerful shifts in organizational values.
A corporate culture analysis can serve several purposes. It can help executives to determine what changes may be necessary to improve the overall climate in an organization. An analysis may also be used to provide guidance as to how a company can best use its resources. Effective culture analysis can give an organization the tools necessary to help the company become more unified as well.
