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CULTURAL AUDIT

The Cultural Audit is an exercise which allows you to assess the shared practices, values and
assumptions which inform the culture of your business.

If you started the Cultural Audit in the 10,000 Women course, Fundamentals of Leadership,
then refer back to that document for reference.

Complete the table on the next page to identify the shared patterns of action and thought that
make up your business’s culture. Make notes on each question with regard to what you see in
the culture of your business. You may be able to complete some of the table from your
understanding of your business culture alone. For some questions, you will benefit from being
observant within your business and speaking with colleagues to gather their input.

When you have completed the notes column, think about the future. Reflect on the changes you
need to make to your culture, explain how you plan to action these changes, and the impact
they will generate. You may feel that some areas do not require change. You can leave these
boxes blank.
1. YOUR BUSINESS’S PRACTICES NOTES FUTURE CHANGES NEEDED?

1. Is your business an extension of your family

and friendships, or are the relationships with
your staff more impersonal and goal-driven?

2. Do you document your processes, or do you

rely on your employees knowing when and
what tasks need to be completed?

3. Do you have a business structure, or do staff

take on any task that needs picking up,
without a specific remit?

4. How are decisions made? What happens

when you are not there?

5. Do all your people come to you with problems,

or only some of them? Why?

6. What do you celebrate in your business?

7. What are the rituals you might see at your

business that tell us about your unique
character? For example, does someone bring
in special food on certain days? Do you hold
regular meetings with your employees?

2. SHARED VALUES NOTES FUTURE CHANGES NEEDED?

1. What is the primary reason that the business

exists?
2. What values does everyone in the business
truly hold in common?

3. What are the priorities among these values?

4. When hiring a new person, how do you know

if they are ‘a good fit’?

5. What are the ‘rules’ in your business (probably

unspoken, but well understood) that, if they
were broken, would cause a person to be
seen as a cultural outsider?

6. What shared values exist in your business

that are problematic for you? For example,
does everyone value socializing at work more
than getting the work done?

7. What kind of behavior is rewarded in your

business, and therefore reflects your values?

8. What kind of behavior is criticized in your

business, and therefore reflects your values?

3. SHARED ASSUMPTIONS NOTES FUTURE CHANGES NEEDED?

1. What kind of stories do your employees tell

about the business when you are listening?
2. What kind of stories and jokes do you think
they might tell when you are not listening?

3. What do employees admire about the way the

business has developed?

4. What do your employees believe about their

ability to innovate in their jobs?

5. Do employees assume they should check with

you before making a decision?

6. Do employees believe that it is important to try

to come up with their own solutions to
problems?

7. Do employees believe the business can and

will grow?

8. Do employees believe they are a part of your

vision for the future?

9. Do employees believe they can develop within

the business?