Kilmann-Saxton Culture-Gap Survey (Newport Coast, CA: Organizational Design Consultants, 1991)
by Ralph H. Kilmann and Mary J. Saxton
Assessing Actual versus Desired Cultural Norms
The culture of a work group is the invisible force that guides behavior. It is not what the formal policies, rules, procedures, and job descriptions mandate. Rather, culture is the unwritten—often unconscious—message that fills in the gaps between what is formally decreed and what actually takes place. Culture, therefore, determines how formal statements get interpreted and provides what the written documents leave out. As a result, culture affects the quality of decision making and action taking, which in turn affects work group morale and performance.
While culture manifests itself in several ways, it is most subject to measurement and change through work group norms. These norms are the unwritten "rules of the game," what really counts in order to get ahead or, alternatively, how to stay out of trouble. The Kilmann-Saxton Culture-Gap Survey provides a systematic tool for pinpointing cultural norms. Part 1 of this survey assesses the actual norms that are operating in your work group. Part 2 assesses the desired norms that would improve your group's performance, job satisfaction, and morale. Any differences between actual and desired norms are referred to as "Culture-Gaps."
Once you complete Parts 1 and 2 of the Culture-Gap Survey, you will be able to graph your own Culture-Gap Profile. If you have access to the other members in your work group, department, or the entire organization, you can graph additional Culture-Gap Profiles. These various profiles will enable you to pinpoint the particular Culture-Gaps that are barriers to organizational success. Specifically, four culture-gaps are identified:
- Task Support includes cultural norms that are technical in nature with a short time frame. For example: "Share information with other groups only when it benefits your own work group" versus "Share information to help other groups." "Concentrate only on your own tasks" versus "Help others complete their tasks."
- Task Innovation includes cultural norms that are technical in nature with a long time frame. For example: "Keep things the same" versus "Make changes." Discourage creativity" versus "Encourage creativity."
- Social Responsibility includes cultual norms that have a people orientation with a short time frame. For example: "Don't participate in social activities with others in your organization" versus "Participate in social activities with others in your organization." "Don't bother getting to know the people in your work group" versus "Get to know the people in your work group."
- Personal Freedom includes cultural norms that have a people orientation with a long time frame. For example: "Live for your job or career" versus "Live for yourself and your family." "Believe in the organization's values" versus "Believe in your own values."
Since the two underlying dimensions of cultural norms—(1) technical versus people and (2) short term versus long term—cover such a broad spectrum of experience in an organization, the resulting four types of Culture-Gaps are expected to capture the great variety of cultural norms that affect both morale and performance.
The Kilmann-Saxton Culture-Gap Survey takes only fifteen minutes on average to complete and another ten minutes or so to graph the Culture-Gap Profile of a work group of five to fifteen members. Following completion of the graph, the members of the work group can begin discussing how to close the largest Culture-Gaps that were identified, which have previously thwarted their best efforts and intentions.
To Order the CULTURE-GAP SURVEY
(32 Pages)