Organizational CultureSurvey Results

Michigan Local Government Benchmarking Consortium

Neil Simon, Leadership Forward Group, LLCEmail: NJSimon@LeadershipForwardGroup.comwww.LeadershipForwardGroup.comPhone: 248-358-0121

Leadership Forward Group, LLC

What is an Organizational Culture? Definition“The specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization.” Wikipedia

“In sociology and anthropology, the way of life of a particular society or group of people, including patterns of thought, beliefs, behavior, customs, traditions, rituals, dress, and language, as well as art, music, and literature. Archaeologists use the word to mean the surviving objects or artifacts that provide evidence of a social grouping.”

Hutchinson Encyclopedia

Value Proposition

If an organization can identify its cultural constraints and dissonance then it can remove social system barriers leading to improved employee optimization, business practices, and overall organizational performance

The Effects of Organizational Culture on Business

Structure does not support the required activitiesEmployees who know where things are and who to talk with and how to get things done leave the organization strandedSituations change, ideas change, however organizations practices do not respond to those changesEmployees who know or think they know how to improve the organization attempt to implement change and find that they are defeated by known conventions

ResultIf leadership does not orchestrate systemic

change the organization’s culture will at best remain stagnant loosing the curve on performance and productivity

Evaluation ProcessIntent (purpose)

Identify municipality social strengths that help achieve the organization’s vision/mission Identify challenges that constrain its fulfillment (performance)

Measure cultural constraints and dissonance within an organization that leads to performance limitations

Evaluation ToolTool created

Demographic informationOrganizational Design (Organizational Structure)Knowledge Management (Intellectual Capital) Strategic Direction (Employee’s Awareness and Alignment)

Proofed by the Executive CommitteeDistributed to all members

Evaluation ToolSurvey Instructions

This cultural benchmark study will explore four separate cultural areas. When responding to the survey questions please make sure that specific names are not used. The survey will reflect a profile of municipalities and key factors that help optimize how your organizations work. Responses and results from this survey may be used in the 2010 Michigan Local Government Benchmarking Consortium Report and all results will be made available to the participating local units. Only the “Culture (Organizational Culture)” section will not be reported publically in any way. Please answer the following questions to the best of your ability.

Descriptive Findings*Number of survey respondents [221]

County 1 (59)Township 1 (19)County Commission (40)City 1 (49)City 2 (39)City 3 (15)

Position [234]Employee 156Supervisor 18Manager 60

Gender [231]Female 125Male 106

Age Mean 47.56Median 49Range 21-69

Length of service Mean 13.65Median 12Range .17-41

*note: some people did not respond to the categories.

Organizational Design FindingsPercent of respondents reporting a local unit customer service model

56.3% 65.2% 50.0% 27.3% 23.1% 83.8%

Percent of respondents reporting that the local unit operates in a:

Silo fashion 18.3% 16.3% 15.0% 11.1% 21.4% 2.5% 14.1%

Work service fashion 41.7% 36.7% 50.0% 33.3% 50.0% 65.0% 46.1%

Matrix fashion 10.0% 20.4% 15.0% 13.9% 28.6% 17.5% 17.6%

Don't know 23.3% 20.4% 5.0% 27.8% 0.0% 7.5% 14.0%

Other 6.7% 6.1% 15.0% 13.9% 0.0% 7.5% 8.2%

Organizational Design Findings

Main mode local unit exhibits interest in making work processes better

•It asks for feedback

•It asks for feedback•It creates document-ation that needs to be followed to ensure consistency

•It asks for feedback

•It asks for feedback

•It asks for feedback•Creates documentation that needs to be followed for consistency•We have work process meetings

•It creates documentation that needs to be followed to ensure consistency•It doesn't seem to care

Organizational Design Findings

Percent of respondents reporting that the local unit has a formal improvement process program

43.9% 30.6% 21.1% 21.1% 28.6% 32.5% 29.6%

Organizational Design FindingsPercent of respondents reporting that a computer is necessary to complete their job function

100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 97.4% 100.0% 97.4% 99.1%

Percent of respondents reporting use of a computer at work

100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0%

Average time at work respondents spend on the computer

76-100%

76-100%

76-100%

76-100%

76-100%

76-100%

76-100.0%

Organizational Design Findings

Average ease of access to the following people: (On 1-10 scale, where 1=easy and 10=hard)

Direct supervisor 1.9 2.4 1.8 2.5 2.2 2.1 2.1

Supervisor's "boss" 2.7 4.0 2.9 3.1 3.2 2.9 3.1

Unit administrator 2.7 3.6 3.0 3.2 2.6 3.8 3.2

Median ease of access to the following people: (On 1-10 scale, where 1=easy and 10=hard)

Direct supervisor 1 1 1 1 1 1 1.0

Supervisor's "boss" 2 3 3 2 3 2 2.5

Unit administrator 1 2 2 2 1 2 1.7

Knowledge Management FindingsPercent of respondents reporting that the local unit provide training to improve their skill levels in current job

77.6% 81.6% 89.5% 47.4% 60.0% 80.0% 72.7%

Percent of respondents reporting that the local unit provides training for skills to complete new work

81.4% 78.7% 68.4% 73.0% 73.3% 67.5% 73.7%

Main mode in which respondents acquire new skills for new work or assignments

From other employeesFigure it out on own

Figure it out on own

From other employees

Figure it out on own

From other employees

Figure it out on own

Knowledge Management Findings

Average value local unit places on the following traits: (On 1-10 scale, where 1=high value and 10=low value)

Capability to contribute to your work

2.95 3.00 3.21 3.38 3.14 3.33 3.2

Knowledge needed to do your job 2.68 3.15 2.89 3.03 2.86 3.36 3.0

Skills needed to do your job 2.65 3.10 2.84 3.26 3.21 3.36 3.1

Ability to do your job 2.49 3.00 2.95 2.82 2.64 2.92 2.8

Behaviors needed to do your job 2.79 3.38 2.95 3.05 2.50 3.26 3.0 3.0

Knowledge Management Findings

Median value local unit places on the following traits: (On 1-10 scale, where 1=high value and 10=low value)

Capability to contribute to your work 2 2 2 2 3 2 2.2

Knowledge needed to do your job 2 2 3 2 1.5 2 2.1

Skills needed to do your job 2 3 2 2 2.5 2 2.3

Ability to do your job 2 2 2 2 1 1 1.7

Behaviors needed to do your job 2 2 2 2 2 2 2.0 2.0

Knowledge Management Findings

Percent of respondents reporting local unit has formal job descriptions

96.6% 100.0% 100.0% 94.7% 100.0% 97.5% 98.1%

Percent of respondents reporting that they are aware that their job description is current

61.0% 65.3% 73.7% 57.9% 57.1% 75.0% 65.0%

Knowledge Management FindingsAverage relevancy of current job description as reflected in the work actually performed (On a 1-10 scale, where 1=highly relevant and 10=not relevant)

3.16 3.41 3.16 3.26 3.36 3.64 3.3

Median relevancy of current job description as reflected in the work actually performed (On a 1-10 scale, where 1=highly relevant and 10=not relevant)

2 3 3 3 3 3 2.8

Strategic Direction FindingsPercent of respondents reporting that their local unit has a formal vision and/or mission statement

72.9% 56.3% 94.7% 47.4% 80.0% 97.5% 74.8%

Percent of respondents who know the vision and/or mission statement of the local unit

64.4% 47.9% 63.2% 38.9% 60.0% 97.5% 62.0%

Percent of respondents reporting that their department or work unit has its own vision and/or mission statement

35.6% 58.3% 78.9% 42.9% 26.7% 32.5% 45.8%

Strategic Direction FindingsPercent of respondents reporting that their department's activities appear aligned with the local unit's strategic direction

65.5% 75.0% 78.9% 55.6% 66.7% 85.0%

Average frequency that respondents report the local unit assesses and revises its current needs

Annually Annually Annually Other Annually Annually

Strategic Direction FindingsMain mode local unit assesses and revises its current needs

Don't know

Set by governing body

Set by governing body

Set by governing body

Set by governing body

Strategic planning sessions

Main mode in which employer measures success in achieve strategic goals

Don't know

Don't know

Key performance indicators

Don't know

Key performance indicators

Formal individual perform-ance feedback

Strategic Direction FindingsPercent of respondents reporting that their local unit has a formal succession plan

6.8% 20.8% 15.8% 24.3%

6.7% 27.5% 17.0%

Percent of respondents reporting that their local unit has a formal employee development plan

13.6% 22.9% 15.8% 2.7% 6.7% 55.0% 19.4%

Average frequency with which respondents report that development plans are reviewed with their supervisor

•Don't know

•Don't know

•Annual-ly•Don't have any

•Don't know

•Never been evaluat-ed

•Annually

Conclusions Organizational Design

Overall - organizations are taking a traditional management approach with some incorporating old tradition and new management practicesSome municipalities are looking at their processes and are meeting needs and some may be doing the same things expecting different results. Might this also suggest something about being concerned with getting things done, not necessarily improving processes? Staff reductions lead to just doing the tasks not necessarily looking at process improvement.Computer usage dominant

Most of the time is spent on the computer. The findings seem an inordinate amount of time. Is this much computer time vital to their job tasks or are they escaping to the computer? Or are people becoming increasingly isolated?

Fairly easy direct leader accessFair to moderate access to above leadership

Conclusions Knowledge Management

Training being provided almost 3/4 of the timeNew work being given with training almost 3/4 of the timeNew skills being figured out on own (4) or from previous employees (3)Employees seem fairly well valuedMost all employees have job descriptionsAbout 1/3 of the job descriptions are out of dateJob descriptions are fairly accurate

Conclusions Strategic Direction

Vision75% have a local unit of government visionMany (3/4) work units have their own visionOver 1/2 of the employees (62%) know their units vision

3/4 of the department personal believe the work they do is aligned with the local unitAlmost all organization review their direction annually and revise their needsNeeds driven by governing body (4) or Strategic designs (1)1/2 organizations are performance basedVery limited succession planningVery limited employee planningDevelopment plans for employees are unclear or unexpected

Summary

Initial results are not yet statistically validLonger term goal is to correlate demographic and cultural data (values and norms) and management practices to other benchmarking outcomes which should yield best practices Expanding participation will result in better findings

Impact of the Cultural Initiative

VALUE PROPOSITION

If an organization can identify its cultural constraints and dissonance, then it can

remove social system barriers leading to improvement in employee optimization,

business practices, and overall organizational performance

Question & Answer

Next Steps