1. Denison Culture Survey Results Debrief and Action Planning
Prepared by:
Insert Your Name Here
Insert Unit Name and/or Logo here
Note: This template is designed to help you as the presenter to deliver the results of the Denison Organizational Culture Survey.

2. Debrief and Action Planning Agenda
Welcome (5 minutes)
Purpose/Objectives
Overview of the Denison Model (30 minutes)
Case Study: The 100 Year Old Manufacturing Company (10 minutes)
Your Results
Group reactions and insights (60 minutes)
Discussion of implications (10 minutes)
Developing areas of priority (45-60 minutes)
Creating action plans (45-60 minutes)
Group reports (10 per report minutes)
Next steps (agreement on follow-up) (15 minutes)

3. Data Analysis & Action Planning
Welcome
Data Analysis & Action Planning

4. Key Steps in the Culture Development Process
You are Here
What
So What
Now What
Step I
Assessment
(collecting survey data)
Goal: To fully explore the current culture. To surface overall strengths and weaknesses and identify possible sub-cultures/areas of opportunity
Step II
Creating Understanding
Goal: To create a common understanding of the data and the associated beliefs & assumptions driving the current cultural strengths and weaknesses
Step III
Choosing to Shift the Culture?
Goal: To establish true alignment around the need for culture change AND to focus efforts on areas of maximum impact
Step IV
Action Planning
Goal: To generate ideas for moving the culture forward; prioritizing and developing specific action plans
Step V
Implementation & Evaluation
Goal: To execute against the action plans and measure progress – with a constant link back to organizational or group performance

5. Objectives
Discuss your Denison Culture Survey Results
Create a common understanding of the results
Reach agreement on the need to change
Establish areas of priority
Develop your action plans

6. The Parallel Paths Approach to Driving Culture Change
Division-Wide Actions
Unit Actions
Say:
Many times as you begin to action plan in organizations, different areas or functions of the organization will be embarking on the process at the same time so you will have the “parallel path” approach to driving change. You may be involved in Organization-wide actions as well as actions at the department or team level. Leaders and managers may have developed their own actions to drive change at the individual level. In the best scenarios, these actions work together to drive change in the organization as a whole. Today we are concentrating on driving change at the ______________________.
Team Actions
Leader/Manager Actions

7. Overview of the Denison Model

8. What Counts… Mission Direction..Purpose..Blueprint
Adaptability Pattern..Trends..Market
Translating the demands of the educational environment into action
“Are we listening
to the students/clients?”
Mission Direction..Purpose..Blueprint
Defining a meaningful
long-term direction
for the Unit
“Do we know where
we are going?”
Say:
The Denison Model answers four key questions about our organization:
Mission – Do we know where we are going?
Involvement – Are our people aligned and engaged?
Adaptability – Are we listening to the marketplace?
Consistency – Do we have the systems and processes in place to create leverage?
Each Trait (Mission, Involvement, Adaptability, Consistency) is further broken down in to 3 indexes.
(additional detail if needed)
Mission
High Performing organizations have a Mission that tells employees WHY they are doing the work they do, and how the work they do each day contributes to the WHY. Vision is the ultimate reason you are in business – what you are ultimately trying to achieve. Strategic Direction refers to the year strategies – high priorities established to ‘operationalize’ the vision. Goals and Objectives are the short-term, specific goals established that help every employee see how his/her work connects to the vision & the strategy.
Adaptability
High performing organizations are Adaptive – they look for new and better ways to do their work. They welcome new ideas and are willing to try new approaches to doing things. They see Creating Change as an important part of the way they do business. Consumer Focus is critical. Employees recognize that they are in business to serve their customer – both internal & external. They continually look for new and improved ways to meet and exceed customer expectations. ‘Calculated’ risk taking is encouraged. Organizational Learning means we gain knowledge from successes and failures.
Involvement
High performing organizations encourage and support employee Involvement. They clarify those areas where employees can make decisions, have input, or those areas that are beyond an employee’s scope of responsibility. This promotes ‘informed’ Empowerment. Teamwork is encouraged so that creative ideas are captured and employees support one another in accomplishing the work that needs to get done. Capability Development is practiced in a variety of ways, including training, coaching, and giving employees exposure to new roles and responsibilities.
Consistency
All high-performing companies do some things Consistently well. Specifically, they have a clear set of Core Values that help employees and leaders make decisions and set priorities. By engaging in dialogue and getting multiple perspectives on the table they are able to reach Agreement when difficult issues and problems arise. Employees understand how the work that they do impacts others – and how other’s work impacts them. They do not just ‘throw things over the fence’. They make sure that work is Coordinated and Integrated to serve the organization as a whole.
Consistency Systems… Structures… Processes
Defining the values
and systems that are the
basis of a strong culture
“Does our system
create leverage?”
Involvement Commitment ... Ownership … Responsibility
Building human capability, ownership, and responsibility
“Are our people aligned
and engaged?“

9. High Performing organizations have a Mission that tells employees WHY they are doing the work they do, and how the work they do each day contributes to the WHY.
Vision is the ultimate reason you are in education – your purpose - what you are ultimately trying to achieve.
Strategic Direction typically refers to the multi-year strategies – high priorities established to ‘operationalize’ the vision.
Goals and Objectives are the short-term, specific goals established that help every employee see how his/her daily activities connect to the vision & the strategy.
MISSION
This is a great slide that helps dispel questions about what Mission is referring to.

10. All high-performing organizations have aspects of their culture that provide Consistency and stability.
Specifically, they have a clear set of Core Values that help employees and leaders make consistent decisions and behave in a consistent manner.
By engaging in dialogue and getting multiple perspectives on the table they are able to reach Agreement when difficult issues and problems arise.
Employees understand how the work that they do impacts others – and how other’s work impacts them. They do not just ‘throw things over the fence’. They make sure that work is Coordinated and Integrated to serve the organization as a whole.
CONSISTENCY
This is a great slide that helps dispel questions about what Consistency is referring to.

11. High performing organizations encourage and support employee Involvement.
They clarify those areas where employees can make decisions, have input, or those areas that are beyond an employee’s scope of responsibility. This promotes ‘informed’ Empowerment.
Teamwork is encouraged so that creative ideas are captured and employees support one another in accomplishing the work that needs to get done.
Capability Development is practiced in a variety of ways, including training, coaching, and giving employees exposure to new roles and responsibilities.
INVOLVEMENT
This is a great slide that helps dispel questions about what Involvement is referring to.

12. High performing organizations are Adaptive – they look for new and improved ways to do their work.
They welcome new ideas and are willing to try new approaches to doing things. They see Creating Change as an important part of the way they do business.
Customer Focus is critical. Employees recognize the need to serve their customers/students – both internal & external. They continually look for new and improved ways to meet and exceed customer/student expectations.
‘Thoughtful’ risk taking is encouraged. Organizational Learning means we gain knowledge from successes and failures. Our first reaction to reasonable mistakes is not ‘Who is to blame?’, but rather ‘What can we learn?’
ADAPTABILITY
This is a great slide that helps dispel questions about what Adaptability is referring to.

13. Culture Example: 100-Year-Old Manufacturing Company
This is a great case study to use to help introduce the topic and discussion of change and how to make change happen, even when we are very comfortable in our ways. You can choose to include this case study in your presentation, if you feel it would be helpful in getting your group thinking, or you can choose to delete it from the presentation. 13

14. 100-Year-Old Manufacturing Company
Culture Example:
100-Year-Old Manufacturing Company
Let’s take a look at an organization in action.

15. This is one of the four key traits that impact business performance.
This is a percentile score. A percentile is your organization’s score as a percentage benchmarked against the average of other organizations. (This average is called a norm.) This organization, for example, scored better than 68 percent of all of the companies in the database in the area of Goals and Objectives.
This is one of the four key traits that impact business performance.
Talk around the sample to show them how to read it (counter clockwise):
Center: Beliefs and assumptions are at the heart of culture, but are too hard to measure; Survey focuses on measuring visible managerial behaviors & practices based on those beliefs and assumptions.
Trait example Adaptability: This is one of the four primary components that impact business performance.
Index example Empowerment: This is one of the three dimensions that measure behaviors for the “Empowerment” bucket. Each index consists of five survey items.
Quartile example 3rd quartile: The profile is colored to show the quartile in which the percentile falls. This score in Agreement, for example, falls in the third quartile.
Percentile example – 68 in Goals & Objectives: This is a percentile score and ranges from It is the organization’s score benchmarked against the average of all other organizations in the database. (This average is called a norm or benchmark.) This organization, for example, scored better than 68 percent of all of the companies in the database in the area of Goals and Objectives.
The profile is colored to show the quartile in which the percentile falls. This score, for example, falls in the third quartile.
This is one of the three indices that measure behaviors for this trait. Each of the twelve indices consists of five survey items.

16. Case Study: 100 Year Old Manufacturing Company
What patterns do you see in this organization?
What are their strengths?
What are their weaknesses?
What might be the implications for their business?
What would it be like to be an employee in this organization? A leader?
Say:
Now, knowing the little bit of information you know about the organization, take a look at the profile and think about these questions:
What patterns do you see in this organization?
What are their strengths?
What are their weaknesses?
What might this mean for their business?

17. Case Study: 100 Year Old Manufacturing Company
First in industry, but declining
Trying to hold on to the past
1st time in 20 years failed to meet targets
Targeted by new competitors
President ‘operationally’ focused
“We’re a team going down together”
Say:
Let’s take a quick look at this case and see what you can tell about this company just from looking at the overall picture. Let me tell you a little bit about this company:
First in industry, but declining
Trying to hold on to the past
1st time in 20 years failed to meet targets
Targeted by competitors
President operationally focused
“We’re a team going down together”

18. Insert Your Results Here
Here is where the discussion and presentation changes from the case study to your individual unit results.

19. Moving the Group Forward
From What… to So What…
to Now What
Say: We often describe the data analysis and action planning process as a ‘Co-Creation’ effort in which you share your insights and expertise with the people who know the culture from ‘living it’ every day – and together you create a common understanding of the current culture and agree on priorities and areas of action.

20. Small Group Discussion: Report Analysis & Action Planning
What are your first impressions of the data?
Better than expected? Worse? Other impressions?
What do the reports suggest in regards to strengths and weaknesses?
Is one half of the model stronger than the other? Is the circumplex in balance or out of balance?
What are the strongest Traits (quadrants)? Weakest?
What are the strongest Indices? Weakest?
Do the highest and lowest items offer any additional insights?
Facilitator Notes: Ask the group to answer the following questions in pairs or in small groups.
After the small group discussion – debrief with the larger group. Capture responses on flip charts – one for 1st impressions, one for strengths and one for weaknesses.
These are some great questions to get the discussion rolling.

21. Large Group Discussion: Report Analysis & Action Planning
What key themes seem to be emerging?
What might be some of the underlying Beliefs & Assumptions that may have led to our current results?

22. Large Group Discussion: Unit Goals
Setting the data aside for a moment, what are our key objectives over the next months?
Do we have agreement that making progress with respect to our culture will better position us to reach our key objectives?
Facilitator: Capture the answers to the first questions on the flip chart.

23. From What… to So What… to Now What
Say: Take a few minutes (individually or in your small groups) to identify where you think we should focus our efforts over the next 12 months

24. Now What: Culture Prioritization
Goal: Translate your Culture Results into Action
“Organizations react to where they place their attention.”
Say:
It is important to translate your culture data into action.
Organizations react to where they place their attention. It is important to select the critical few (2-3) areas that you wish to focus on. Trying to work on too many areas results in a lack of focus and a lack of results.

25. Focusing Attention
Identify two Denison Indices that you believe will best help us achieve our goals over the next months:
Which indices are critical to achieving our goals and objectives AND are currently strengths of our group? (Areas to ‘keep doing what we’re doing’)
Which indices are critical to achieving our goals and objectives AND are weaker based on the survey findings? (Areas that require our attention and action planning)
Use the worksheets on the next two pages to help you think through this process.
Say:
In your pairs or small groups, identify the TWO (2) Denison Cultural Areas that you believe will best help us achieve our objectives over the next 12 months. To assist you in determining the areas of highest priority you may want to ask yourself the following questions:
Which indices are critical to achieving our goals and objectives AND are currently strengths of our group? (Areas to ‘keep doing what we’re doing’)
Which indices are critical to achieving our goals and objectives AND are weaker based on the survey findings? (Areas that require our attention and action planning)

26. Prioritization Notes
What are our most critical objectives over the next 12 months?
Which indices are critical to achieving our goals and objectives AND are currently strengths of our function? (Areas to ‘keep doing what we’re doing’)
Which indices are critical to achieving our goals and objectives AND are weaker based on the survey findings? (Areas that require our attention and action planning – these typically become the highest priority areas)
This can be used as a worksheet (that you may want to print for your team) or you can include it as a slide in your presentation.

27. Cultural Index Prioritization (Individual or Small Group Exercise)
Denison Cultural Index
Place a check mark (√) in the space provided below for the TWO culture indices that you believe should be prioritized areas of focus over the next 12 months
Vision
Strategic Direction & Intent
Goals & Objectives
Coordination & Integration
Agreement
Core Values
Capability Development
Team Orientation
Empowerment
Creating Change
Customer Focus
Organizational Learning
NOTE: Lower priority does not = low importance. All areas are important for performance. The checked indices reflect those areas that you believe need the most attention because they are critical to our ability to achieve our current objectives AND may be areas of relative weakness.

28. Cultural Index Prioritization (Individual or Small Group Exercise)
Denison Cultural Index
Potential Areas of Focus
Vision
Strategic Direction & Intent
Goals & Objectives
Coordination & Integration
Agreement
Core Values
Capability Development
Team Orientation
Empowerment
Creating Change
Customer Focus
Organizational Learning
This is a duplicate slide to simply indicate that you would want a facilitator to draw this up on a board or flip chart to help tally the results. This will help the group visually see the direction in which the unit should move next, with most urgency.
Facilitator: create a chart like the one above on a flip chart and capture the groups areas of priority by placing checks in the appropriate boxes based on the priorities of the participants

29. Create an Action Plan for 2-3 Areas of Focus
Action Planning
Create an Action Plan for 2-3 Areas of Focus

30. Progress in One Area Often Brings Progress in Others
It is helpful to note that focusing on 2 or 3 areas of the culture model does not mean that you will not see progress in the other areas. Experience has shown that as you raise your capabilities in one area – it often has a positive impact on other areas of the model as well!
This is a great slide to reiterate that the unit does not have to attack all concerns simultaneously, as addressing one to three concern areas will produce changes and results in other areas as well.

31. Action Planning Guide Have a FACILITATOR and a TIME KEEPER.
Spend time Clarifying the focus area so that everyone understands the nature of the issue being addressed.
Discuss what it would look like if you were making noticeable progress in this area.
Brainstorm as many options for how to move forward in the targeted area. (Focus on Quantity NOT Quality)
Select the (2-3) ideas/options that you believe will have the most impact
Criteria might include:
We can generate some short-wins to gain momentum
We have the resources to do it
We have the authority to do it
It will have an impact on one or more of our Key Objectives
Decide how you will move forward:
Who needs to be involved?
Who will lead the effort?
What specific actions are needed?
When does this need to be done?
What potential roadblocks might we encounter?
How will we address/overcome those road blocks (if encountered)?
Who else do we need to ‘keep in the loop’ as we proceed?
How will we monitor our progress?
Say:
These Guidelines are to help you in your Action Planning teams.