Organizational Culture Inventory?

(OCI)

Identify your organization’s culture

and learn how to turn it into a
competitive advantage

The Organizational Culture Inventory (OCI) is the most widely used and
thoroughly researched tool for measuring organizational culture in the world.
Developed by Drs. Robert A. Cooke and J. Clayton Lafferty, the OCI provides an
assessment of an organization’s operating culture in terms of the behaviors that
members believe are required to "fit in and meet expectations" within their
organization. The OCI measures twelve types of behavioral norms that may
characterize the operating culture of an organization. Four of these behavioral
norms are Constructive and facilitate high quality problem solving and decision
making, teamwork, productivity, and long-term effectiveness. Eight of the
behavioral norms are Defensive (Passive and Agressive) and detract from
effective performance. Thus, the OCI enables organizations to analyze their
culture and identify practical strategies for enhancing their productivity and long-
term effectiveness.

How does the OCI work?

The OCI can be administered in a group setting or on an individual basis. Either

computer-scored or hand-scored versions of the OCI can be administered. The
computer-scored OCI consists of 96 items and the hand-scored OCI consists of
120 items. Results are plotted on the Human Synergistics Circumplex and reveal
a person’s individual normative beliefs (when the perspective of only one person
is plotted) or the shared behavioral expectations that operate within the
organization (when the perspectives of different people are combined).

OCI profiles can also be created at the unit level (such as region, branch,
department, or group). Unit profiles reveal whether subcultures exist within an
organization and can also help to explain why some units might be performing
better than other units.

In addition, a special form of the OCI-the OCI Ideal-can be used to create a vision
of the culture that an organization should strive toward to maximize its long-term
effectiveness. The OCI Ideal consists of the same statements that are included in
the OCI Current forms; however, instead of describing the behaviors that are
expected, people describe that behaviors that should be expected to maximize
their organization’s long-term effectiveness.

The OCI can be administered along with the Organizational Effectiveness

Inventory (OEI). The OEI measures the structures, systems, technologies, and
skills/qualities that shape the organization’s current operating culture, as well as
outcomes that are affected by the current operating culture. Subsequently, the
OEI can be used to facilitate and motivate change by revealing the potentially
negative impact of the current operating culture on outcomes and uncovering the
"levers" that can be used to move the current culture toward the ideal.

The OCI takes approximately 20 minutes to complete. An additional 10 to 15

minutes should be allowed if participants are self-scoring and profiling their
results. Alternatively, the completed surveys can be scored by HS/CAR and the
results presented in a Feedback Report.

Who should use the OCI?

The OCI is appropriate for all types of organizations.

Applications

The OCI can be used to:

?? Obtain reliable data on the behavioral norms and expectations of the

organization and/or its sub-units
?? Validate a need for cultural change on the part of participants, both
individually and collectively
?? Identify the areas where change needs to take place
?? Develop a vision for culture change
?? Create individual and organizational action plans for effecting cultural
change
?? Evaluate the impact of organizational change efforts

In addition, the OCI has been used by organizations to:

?? Identify and transfer the culture of high performing units

?? Enhance system reliability and safety
?? Facilitate mergers, acquisitions, and strategic alliances
?? Promote collaborative relationships between union and management
?? Integrate differentiated organizational units
?? Manage diversity and international relations
?? Monitor culture

Materials

To identify the current culture of an organization or unit, the OCI-Current form

should be administered to all members or to a cross-sectional sample of
members. The OCI-Ideal should be administered to all organizational or unit
members, to a cross-sectional sample of members, or to members of the
organization’s or unit’s leadership team to identify the ideal culture for maximizing
the long-term effectiveness of the organization. Both the OCI-Current and OCI-
Ideal are available in two formats: hand-scored and computer-scored. Our
scoring services are available for all of the OCI forms.
Optional OCI support materials for participants include:

?? OCI Interpretation & Development Guide (describes the cultural norms

measured by the OCI, the factors that promote these norms, resulting
outcomes, and a step-by-step plan for cultural change)
?? OCI Feedback Report (includes executive summary, description of
organization and sub-group OCI results, and planning for change
worksheet)
?? OCI/OEI Feedback Report (includes executive summary, description of
organization and sub-group OCI and OEI results, correlations between
OCI and OEI measures, historical averages and constructive
benchmarks for the OEI measures, and planning for change worksheet)
?? Cultural Change Situation
?? Envisioning a culture for Quality

Optional OCI support materials for facilitators and trainers include:

?? OCI Leader’s Guide (contains instructions for administering, scoring, and

debriefing the OCI, plus research findings and design options)
?? OCI Transparencies (set of 20 color transparencies to facilitate scoring
and debriefing of the OCI)
?? OCI Flipchart Pad (25 enlarged, blank circular graphs for easy profiling
and display)