the difference between engagement surveys and culture research

It is common practice for organisations today to measure employees’ level of engagement and satisfaction. However, it is important to be aware that both engagement and satisfaction are outcomes of culture—symptoms if you like.

While engagement and satisfaction surveys illustrate the extent to which your employees are emotionally connected to the organisation, they do not provide a deeper, more specific cultural perspective. Indeed, engagement surveys paint a picture only of how well the company is serving the employees, not how well they are serving the company. There is no actual connection to the execution of strategy.

A culture diagnostic gives you this connection, as well as the root causes of your cultural strengths, opportunities for development and levels of engagement. A culture diagnostic reveals the messages employees receive about what is important, how they are expected to behave, and informs the leadership about how well its people are aligned to the outcomes the business is trying to achieve.

This information can be used to identify the levers that will link your culture to your business strategy—something an engagement or satisfaction survey cannot do. Ignore culture at your peril; it really is the last true source of competitive differentiation and, therefore, advantage.