Surveys Don't Build Culture; Expertise Does
Have you ever heard of a thermometer curing a patient? Didn't think so.
Here’s the reality: HR and CEOs want the same outcomes but often speak different languages. HR tends to pitch culture as “the right thing to do”—but that approach misses the mark. The better approach is, “Hey CEO, what are your strategic and financial goals for the business? Great, this is the environment we need to create, the types of people we need to hire, and the actions we need to take to get there.” This is the conversation that should follow every survey.
You can run as many surveys as you like, but they won’t fix culture, engagement, retention, or the host of other issues companies deal with. Surveys capture a snapshot of what’s going on and point out areas that need attention, but actually turning around your people’s experiences takes real expertise and effort. So, I was surprised when a CHRO told me that, after inheriting a major issue within his new organization, his plan to fix the “toxic environment” (his words) was simply to subscribe to one of those survey platforms touting culture, engagement, and employee experience as solutions. Then I asked if he had the people who would work on the things that required to be worked on to address the results of the survey. He said, “No, I don’t.”
I believe HR and organizations have been misled about these tools and the companies selling them thinking the tool will fix all their problems. These are tech or survey companies. They offer tools to assist professionals in specific areas, but without the right expertise, these fantastic tools are virtually useless. It’s like a thermometer in the hand of a patient—it may reveal that something’s wrong, but it won’t explain the cause, how to investigate further, or how to address the issue. Every tool is as good as its user.
But we already know this, don’t we? We've been surveying organizations endlessly, yet nothing has changed. Why? Because surveys without follow-up actions accomplish nothing. And without the right expertise to address the issues revealed, surveys are a waste of money. Using employee surveys solely to earn recognition or compete with other organizations through benchmarking misses the mark entirely—it’s the wrong use of these tools.
Watch here what builds culture and how to do it.
So what builds culture?
Shocking, I know, but standards are what build culture. Without standards, culture simply can’t exist. We see this clearly in the service industry: service standards lead to specific behaviours, and these behaviours are what shape the type of culture we would like to demonstrate in our service.
The question is, how can HR or organizations talk about culture when they have nothing in place to support or cultivate it?
Organizational culture is defined as “consistent and observable patterns of behaviour.” But without standards, this consistency is impossible, no matter how much you emphasize culture. If HR and organizations want employees to have similar experiences, regardless of where they are within the company or around the world, they must establish standards that guide behaviour in these areas. At this point, HR might say, “Yes, but we have policies.” Policies and standards, however, are not the same—just look it up.
HR must ask for help!
Alright, you’ve run the survey—now what? Without the expertise and resources needed to address the key areas that drive strategic goals, the company has just wasted thousands. Without action, HR and the CEO are essentially standing side by side, staring at a thermometer and hoping the underlying issues will just disappear. Spoiler: they won’t. HR needs the support to make real change. Sometimes that’s additional resources; other times, it’s experts in specific areas. No one is good at everything, and bringing in experts shows HR’s commitment to learning and doing what’s best for the organization and its people. Why would you not give that to HR when they want the same thing as you Mr./Ms. CEO????? You guys want the same thing so let’s start working together shall we?
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