Audit Culture
Why is Culture Important?
In the words of a famous business guru, “culture eats strategy for breakfast”.
To put it another way, nothing can be designed, built or executed unless the human condition is taken into account.
Risk Audit defines “culture” as “a pattern of repeated behaviours”. We believe businesses need to develop sustainable methodologies for managing the risk of inappropriate behaviours. Inappropriate in relation to the strategic demands of the business, its expressed values and the expectations of its various stakeholders including employees.
We passionately believe that a positive culture will have a profound impact on the long term success of the enterprise. For this reason, we have partnered with behavioural scientists to bring a pragmatic methodology to helping organisations manage behaviour risk.
For behaviour to be effectively managed, an organisation needs to have the following components in place:
- A clear sense of purpose that corresponds to the demands of its key stakeholders – this goes beyond just generating profit.
- Arrangements for explaining to its employees the expected behaviours in a language that each person can understand.
- Mechanisms for understanding the actual behaviours in the business and their underlying drivers.
- Projects to addressing the actual behaviours versus the aspired behaviours.
These components need to be underpinned by a series of “artefacts” including:
- Visible representations as to what good looks like (including value statements and objects that represent these values).
- Tone at the Top and Middle – in other words consistent messaging from people in power that employees are compelled to follow in a way that the “talk is walked”;
- A system of incentivisation and disincentivisation.
- A programme of emotionally compelling training.
Our Offering
Risk Audit, in partnership with our behavioural scientists, bring a practical approach to helping clients manage culture and associated behavioural risk.
Our services include:-
Cultural Audit
A review to help a client determine areas for improvements in the way employees are inspired and managed with practical action plans for addressing issues.
Cultural Measurements
Using our behavioural model, we conduct a series of interviews, focus groups and surveys to help the client understand what is driving behaviour and provide clear and practical action plans for addressing areas of concerns.
Purpose
The development of a clear purpose statement with measures to solicit buy-in.
Cultural Transformation
The design and execution of plans for addressing areas of concern.