Illuminating the invisible culture

23plusone can provide a missing piece in the puzzle of many people, organisations and situations. But what concrete applications are there? 

We’re going to answer this question in as many ways as possible through blog posts with the hope that it will provide you with an application that is relevant to your own experience. Because that is the beauty of 23plusone. It really can be relevant in the lives of everyone, both personal and professional. This time we want to touch upon an influential application for most organisations. The application to organisational cultures. 

Most managers, executives, and CEOs probably know how challenging it is to pinpoint a culture. Actually, most employees probably do too. Due to the inherently fuzzy nature of culture, things aren’t always as they seem. Codes of conduct or vision documents say one thing. But on the floor, the culture feels different. And with good reason. Because most elements of a culture are intangible, tangible elements can only go so far in capturing it. Here’s where the magic of 23plusone comes to life.

Ask people how they view the organisation using the 23plusone cards. This way, you’ll discover how the culture is actually perceived. The more people are included in this process, the more accurate your picture will be. CEOs and executives are generally quite aware of the culture that’s supposed to exist and can reproduce the ideal image. But the same doesn’t hold true for the whole organisation. So it’s always best to include as many people as possible. 

And it can be valuable to ask for instant associations first, without even using the cards. Just ask people the first three things that come to mind when thinking about your organisation. Then ask them to label these as positive, negative or neutral. This will get them in the zone for the next phase, where the magic happens. Show them all the cards and ask which cards suit your organisation best. Now cross-reference this with the other answers and Viola. You’ll have your organisation’s emotional profile.

Of course, this still gives you a broad overview of the culture. But by answering the same question yourself, you’ll have a good indication of how closely aligned the actual culture is with your picture of it. And this same process can also be applied in many different ways.

For example, to show the culture that people would like there to be. Or the cultural difference between different departments or business units. Or even between managers and their employees. The possible applications are endless.

In case you got excited reading this but aren’t sure where to get started in your own organisation, please reach out to us. We can then connect you with one of the licensed friends that best suits your needs. Or feel free to reach out to any of them directly, as they are happy to help you apply the magic of 23plusone to your organisation. Have fun!