There are all kinds of metrics for the financial side of your business or workplace. There are also good metrics for most aspects of your operations, ranging from productivity to turnover. But culture is a little harder to quantify - even when it has a dominant role in how successful your other metrics are. At the same time, there are key indices that you can measure to provide an overall snapshot of your existing culture.

The following simple test will provide an overview of the strengths of your own culture. There are two choices for each statement, representing different but equally valid perspectives on workplace values. Choose which statement applies more accurately to your own environment, and mark your answer as appropriate.

1. Answer: ______

1. We have a "system" behind what we do.
2. We take pride in figuring things out as we go along.

2. Answer: ______

1. There is one clear guiding principle that drives our daily operations.
2. We make most decisions situationally.

3. Answer: ______

1. We primarily measure how well people reach overall quality and service goals.
2. We primarily measure individual productivity and output.

4. Answer: ______

1. We feel that treating our employees well comes first.
2. We feel that treating our customers well comes first.

5: Answer: ______

1. Our front line employees have a great deal of autonomy and authority.
2. Things work more smoothly when managers approve variations from procedure.

6: Answer: ______

1. We have a wider variety of job titles and responsibilities than similar places.
2. We don't believe in having too many specialties within our workforce.

7: Answer: ______

1. Our projects often cross departmental boundaries.
2. We promote a great deal of departmental autonomy.

8: Answer: ______

1. We have a very structured recruiting process with substantial team involvement.
2. We leave the details of hiring to individual managers.

9: Answer: ______

1. People are primarily evaluated on how well they serve others in the organization.
2. People are primarily evaluated on how well they do their jobs.

10: Answer: ______

1. We are willing to "bend the rules" to react quickly to competition.
2. We are very careful about putting proven processes at risk for the sake of expediency.

11: Answer: ______

1. We are ahead of similar firms in our use of technology.
2. We are content to let others make technology mistakes and be "late adopters."

12: Answer: ______

1. We spend more time analyzing customer trends than competitors.
2. We spend more time analyzing competitors than customer trends.

13: Answer: ______

1. We feel that excellent customer service is primarily a process.
2. We feel that excellent customer service is primarily an attitude.

14: Answer: ______

1. We benchmark our processes by being "customers" ourselves.
2. We rely on customer feedback to benchmark our processes.

15: Answer: ______

1. We capture data about customer transactions and react to it strategically.
2. We respond to customer issues as problems arise.

16: Answer: ______

1. We foster job-related outside activities
2. We believe in keeping work life and outside activities separate.

17: Answer: ______

1. We are very active in using our professional talents in the community.
2. Our charitable and community activities are mostly financial in nature.

18: Answer: ______

1. We see even the most humble of jobs as professions.
2. We see entry positions as stepping stones rather than ends unto themselves.

19: Answer: ______

1. We develop most leaders from within.
2. We hire the best leaders we can find, and many come from the outside.

20: Answer: ______

1. Our employees are focused on the "big picture" of our organization.
2. Our employees are focused on their specific jobs.

21: Answer: ______

1. Our upper management communicates with all employees at least weekly.
2. Our upper management communicates with all employees as events arise.

To interpret your score, count up the number of "A" choices you answered, and use the chart below to assess your own specific cultural traits.

Which of these traits are the most important ones? All of them. But every organization is different, just like every human being - which means that each one has its own unique set of cultural traits, and each has factors that are more important to their own business environment. This test represents a quick scan of where your culture aligns with the best practices of many of today's leading firms, and where you may find new ideas to learn and grow from. (And if none of these areas score highly for your organization, don't worry - you have plenty of company, and some great new things to learn.) Each of these areas is discussed in chapter-length detail in the rest of the book - so read on, and see how other workplaces from all walks of life have built their own success around these core business culture traits.