I love working with leaders who genuinely care about culture. I also work with a lot of technical leaders. So typically, the conversation goes something like this:
Leader: Bhakti, I want to build a culture of high-performance (or innovation/collaboration/fast decisions)
Bhakti: And what culture is it now?
Leader: “…Well, I’m not sure exactly. I just know it’s not that yet.”
OR
Leader: “Honestly? I think it depends who you ask.”
I love this moment in the conversation because I feel like we are standing on the edge of real clarity.
When a leader says they don’t fully know the culture they have, we know the next and the best step: Discovery
That’s usually when I know we’re in interesting territory.
Because here’s the truth: You can’t build the culture you want until you understand the culture you have. And most leaders are trying to change something they’ve never truly seen.
69% of leaders believe their organization’s culture is well-understood, yet only 41% of employees agree.(Source: PwC Global Culture Survey)
Why Discovery Matters
Especially in growth-stage or fast-scaling organizations, it’s critical to take a pause and examine the culture signals already present. Because the culture you’re aiming for can only emerge from a deep understanding of the one you’re living right now.
his disconnect costs more than alignment.70% of transformation efforts fail—and culture is the silent blocker in most of them.(McKinsey)
So how do you go about understanding your culture?
I’d typically start the Discovery with these 3 steps:
Step 1: Identify business priorities
What outcomes are most important right now—speed, innovation, trust, accountability?
Step 2:Identify the Culture Dimensions to target
Engagement, Decision making, Connection, Leadership behaviours etc
Step 3: Gather Data
1:1 interviews and Focus group interviews across the organization. (include a pulse survey if required)
This kind of in-depth dialogue with your employees is the only way to go beyond surface level behaviours and truly understand how your employees feel, define and live the culture.
Culture Discovery ≠ Culture Fixing
This is not about diagnosing dysfunction. It’s about uncovering the invisible operating system of your organization—how people actually work together, make decisions, and feel empowered (or not).
And that’s the most powerful information a leader can have: Not just to steer culture… …but to align your people with your strategy in a way that actually sticks.
Get in touch with us if you need help with running a “Culture Discovery Process”.
Happy Discovering!
