Tag: Sam Silverstein

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Transforming Culture: Part 2 – The Role of Leadership

Boeing is not the first company to find itself amid a massive scandal. You can think of Siemens’ bribery and corruption scandal, the VW emissions-testing scandal, the Wells Fargo fraudulent accounts scandal, or any other myriad of corporate scandals where culture failed and created a toxic culture. The question for any organization in such a situation is how to transform its culture. Currently running on the Culture Crafters podcast on the Compliance Podcast Network is a 5–part of podcast series with myself and Sam Silverstein, the most trusted voice in America on accountability. (The Culture Audit™ is the sponsor of this blog post series.)

In this companion, 5-part blog post series, we look at how a company in the depths of such a toxic culture can begin to make a comeback by planning and taking concrete steps to turn around and rebuild its culture. In Part 2, we consider the role of leadership in any cultural transformation.

Exploring the pivotal role of senior leadership in driving cultural change underscores the top-down approach necessary for successful transformation. In organizational culture, the influence and accountability of senior management and the Board of directors cannot be overstated. Leaders at the helm of an organization must demonstrate unwavering commitment to shaping a positive culture by embodying the values and behaviors they wish to instill throughout the company.

But what are the implications of leadership beliefs and actions on cultural transformation? Leaders must consistently demonstrate their commitment to ethics, quality, and employee well-being. Leaders serve as the ultimate culture architects. Senior leaders set the tone for the entire organization through their decisions, communication, and actions, influencing every aspect of the workplace culture and employee behavior. This underscores the direct correlation between leadership effectiveness and the successful transformation of a toxic culture into one that thrives on trust and accountability.

Sam Silverstein encapsulated the essence of the discussion: “Well, everything rises and falls on leadership.” This highlights the significant impact that leadership has on organizational culture and success. This simple yet profound statement encapsulates how influential leaders set the tone for organizational culture. Whether steering the ship toward a new direction or reinforcing existing values, senior leadership is the guiding force that shapes the managerial ethos.

The Board’s strategic imperative is upholding and championing organizational culture and its transformation. A Board must protect and defend the culture as the first point in its strategic plan. A committed board can set the tone for a culture transformation that attracts and retains top talent while fostering sustained success.

Aligning corporate beliefs with action is critical as well.  There is a stark contrast between leaders who merely pay lip service to values like quality and ethics and those who actively embody and champion these principles. True leadership requires a deep commitment to values that resonate throughout the organization. A CEO must engage in trust-building and fostering accountability within an organization. This includes demonstrating an unwavering commitment to their people, earning their trust, and enabling them to perform at their best.

One way to do so is the cascade effect of organizational cultural change. Leaders at every level must uphold and prioritize a company’s defined values. By holding everyone accountable and ensuring alignment with the organization’s cultural ethos, leaders can drive meaningful change from the top down and engender trust. Trust catalyzes organizational success. When leaders prioritize building trust with their teams, they empower individuals to move forward confidently and speedily, ultimately driving higher productivity and engagement.

Key takeaways for leaders include the well-worn maxim that Actions Speak Louder Than Words. This means they must not simply state their values but actively demonstrate them through their actions. Leaders must visibly display actions and make decisions that connect to and support them. This authenticity and consistency in behavior are essential in fostering a culture of trust and accountability.

CEOs are accountable for fostering cultural change by prioritizing their people and standing up for values such as quality and ethics. The accountability is to his people or her people and for their people. This accountability involves being accessible, listening to employees, and taking decisive action to uphold the desired culture.

In conclusion, effective cultural transformation requires strong leadership commitment, visible actions aligned with values, and a cascading effect of cultural priorities from the top down. Organizations can create a positive workplace environment that drives success and employee satisfaction by prioritizing ethics, valuing people, and fostering a culture of trust. As Sam Silverstein aptly puts it, “When your people fully trust you, they can go forward at a much faster speed.”

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Culture Crafters

Culture Crafters – Turning Around a Toxic Culture: Part 1 – The Problem

Boeing has recently seen one of the most public meltdowns over corporate culture. In 2024 alone, there have been multiple incidents, allegations, and reports about the company in the public arena. The company is under investigation by numerous governmental agencies. Several news organizations have reported a ‘toxic’ culture at the company, and there are ripples throughout the worldwide aviation industry. In such a situation, the question for any organization is how it thinks about turning around its culture. In this special five-part podcast series, Sam Silverstein, the most trusted voice in America on accountability, and Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance, look at the ways a company in the depths of such a situation can plan out and take concrete steps to turn around and rebuild its culture. In Part 1, we consider the steps that led Boeing to the current state of its corporate culture.

A culture does not go toxic overnight. There are always multiple steps, roads taken (or perhaps not taken), and sometimes years for the toxicity to manifest itself. The cultural problems of Boeing can be traced back to its 1997 merger with McDonnell Douglas, which has since manifested in significant safety and quality issues. This issue highlights the importance of prioritizing quality over stock performance, a lesson to be learned for the future of the commercial airline industry. The root of Boeing’s problems lies in this shift in culture post-merger, from a quality-driven ethos to a profit-centered one, leading to a compromising situation for safety and quality. The company needs a cultural transformation that values quality, safety, and employee feedback for an improved company reputation. Silverstein highlights that the company’s cultural problem stems from a shift towards short-term financial gains after the merger. Drawing on his expertise in accountability, Silverstein underlines the importance of a culture that values quality, safety, and open communication, which is vital for attracting top talent, enhancing productivity, and, ultimately, maximizing profitability.

Key Highlights:

  • Shift in Boeing’s Prioritization Towards Stock Performance
  • Impact of Culture on Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Workplace Culture’s Influence on Business Outcomes

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Transforming Culture: Part 1 – From Merger to Culture Toxicity

Boeing is not the first company to find itself amid a massive scandal. You can think of Siemens’ bribery and corruption scandal, the VW emissions-testing scandal, the Wells Fargo fraudulent accounts scandal, or any other myriad of corporate scandals where culture failed and created a toxic culture. The question for any organization in such a situation is how to transform its culture. Currently running on the Culture Crafters podcast on the Compliance Podcast Network is a 5–part of podcast series with myself and Sam Silverstein, the most trusted voice in America on accountability.

Over this companion, 5-part blog post series, we look at how a company in the depths of such a toxic culture can begin to make a culture comeback by planning and taking concrete steps to turn around and rebuild its culture. In this concluding Part 5, we explore the dynamism of culture, assessing culture through The Culture Audit™ (the sponsor of this blog post series), putting together a plan to remediate your culture and implementing that plan, and conclude with why ongoing monitoring and continuous improvement are so critical for a true culture transformation. In Part 1, we consider the steps that led Boeing to the current state of its corporate culture.

Boeing’s cultural miasma led to the 737 MAX crisis, which has tarnished the company’s reputation and raised doubts about its future in the commercial airline industry. Yet the company’s slide into cultural toxicity began long before the 737 MAX disasters. From these pre-pandemic disasters, the company now finds itself in one of the worst places in recent memory for a company’s reputation.

The slide began with the merger with McDonnell Douglas back in 1996. This led to a shift in leadership, which transformed the company’s culture by prioritizing stock performance over quality. This emphasizes the importance of cultural due diligence in mergers and acquisitions, with the need to evaluate existing cultures, plan post-merger integration, and uphold a robust culture within the acquiring firm. The significance of workplace culture was highlighted as a pivotal factor influencing stakeholders, from employees to customers, impacting talent retention, productivity, and overall profitability.

The culture that permeates an organization’s operations plays a pivotal role in determining its outcomes. A toxic culture characterized by shortsightedness, a profit-over-quality mentality, and a lack of ethical standards can have catastrophic consequences for the organization as a whole. Such cultures often prioritize immediate gains at the expense of long-term sustainability, leading to compromised quality, ethical dilemmas, and damaged stakeholder relationships.

The merger with McDonnell Douglas in 1997 marked a turning point for Boeing. A shift towards a culture focused on stock performance and short-term gains took precedence over a culture of engineering excellence. This shift strayed from Boeing’s legacy of quality and engineering excellence, resulting in significant setbacks like the 737 MAX crisis. The Boeing situation underscores the importance of upholding a culture that values integrity, quality, and long-term success to avoid such catastrophic outcomes.

 Mergers and acquisitions are complex processes that extend beyond financial considerations to encompass cultural integration. The compatibility of organizational cultures is a critical factor that can significantly impact the success or failure of such strategic decisions. To mitigate risks and facilitate a smooth transition, assessing cultural alignment, creating a clear roadmap for integration, and ensuring a strong, cohesive culture in the new entity are essential steps that leaders must prioritize during mergers and acquisitions.

In the context of mergers and acquisitions, culture synergy is critical, and indeed, the Boeing-McDonnell Douglas merger is a cautionary tale. The takeover of Boeing by McDonnell Douglas’s leadership brought about a cultural shift that veered away from Boeing’s core values, leading to subsequent challenges. Organizations embarking on such endeavors must pay close attention to cultural compatibility and actively work towards fostering a unified culture built on shared values and objectives. All of this underscores the critical role of culture in shaping the success of strategic business decisions like mergers and acquisitions.

The bottom line is that the best cultures are always the ones where senior leadership at the top always asks, how can we improve this culture?” This emphasizes the need for organizations to continually prioritize ongoing efforts to enhance their workplace culture. Action follows belief. This underscores the notion that an organization’s outcomes are rooted in its beliefs and values. Companies like Boeing can drive positive actions and results by fostering a culture that prioritizes quality and safety.

When you create a fantastic workplace culture, it goes home with your people. It impacts their spouses. It affects other businesses in the community. This serves as a poignant reminder of the far-reaching influence of workplace culture on individuals and broader societal interactions.

With this unique narrative, Boeing demonstrates the profound impact of leadership on culture and the overall organizational environment. Yet this sets the stage for exploring strategies to transform toxic cultures into thriving, ethical ones for CEOs and organizational leaders seeking actionable insights. I hope you will join us for the rest of the blog posts this week, in which we show how a company can transform its culture.

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Culture Crafters

Culture Crafters – How to Repair the Broken Culture at Boeing

Seeing the regulators catch up to the business world is always interesting. That is what has happened to corporate culture. The Department of Justice is now assessing the corporate culture of any company under investigation. Yet, more than simply complying with this mandate, companies should strive to foster the best culture they can. The reason is deceptively simple: the better the culture, the better the company. However, many business executives and even compliance professionals do not know how to craft a culture that allows your employees and your organization to implement such strategies. How can you unlock the power of a thriving workplace culture?

In this podcast series, Sam Silverstein, the most trusted voice in America on accountability, and Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance, discuss ways companies can elevate their culture to new heights. This episode examines the current Boeing scandal from a cultural angle.

The recent FAA report on Boeing has shed light on a worrying culture of fear, inadequate training, and mistrust within the company, leading to compromised safety standards. Tom points to management and cultural issues as the root causes of these safety failures. He insists that Boeing needs to foster a culture of safety, transparency, and open communication, without which it cannot rectify its current predicament. Sam emphasizes leadership’s crucial role in shaping a safe and open culture, arguing that leaders must take responsibility for any existing fear or retaliation. Drawing on his extensive experience advising leaders on accountability, Silverstein believes in the necessity of a culture where employees feel valued and can voice their concerns, suggesting that tough love may be the key to navigating Boeing’s safety issues.

Key Highlights:

  • Boeing’s Culture Impacts Safety Standards
  • Encouraging Safety Concerns Through Open Communication
  •  Leadership’s Role in Shaping Organizational Culture
  • How can Boeing start to rebuild its culture?

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The Culture Audit™

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Culture Crafters – Continual Culture Assessments

Seeing the regulators catch up to the business world is always interesting. That is what has happened to corporate culture. The Department of Justice is now assessing the corporate culture of any company under investigation. Rather than simply complying with this mandate, companies should strive to foster their best culture. The reason is deceptively simple: the better the culture, the better the company. However, many business executives and even compliance professionals do not know how to craft a culture that allows your employees and your organization to implement such strategies. How can you unlock the power of a thriving workplace culture?

In this podcast series, Sam Silverstein, the most trusted voice in America on accountability, and Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance, discuss ways companies can elevate their culture to new heights. They discuss the power of continual assessments.

The importance of culture within organizations cannot be overstated; it serves as the backbone for organizational success and growth. Leadership’s power in shaping an organization’s culture requires leaders to live by the values they preach and ensure these values are mirrored in their actions. The existing culture should be continuously assessed through tools like culture audits. Achievements tied to the organization’s unique culture should also be celebrated.

Sam highlights that while all organizations have the potential to build a great culture, successful implementation depends mainly on leadership. He believes a strong, people-centric organizational culture can drive long-term success and growth. He urges the ongoing examination and enhancement of culture to foster a positive, high-performance work environment.

Key Highlights:

  • Cohesive Work Environment for Organizational Success
  • Cultural Audits for Organizational Success
  • The Need for Recognizing Workplace Success and Growth

Resources:

Sam Silverstein

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Sam Silverstein

The Culture Audit™

Tom Fox

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Sustaining Culture: Continually Improve Company Culture

What’s measured is treasured. If it is important, you want to know what is going on and improve on it. And it’s data; it’s factual. And so right away, we know what to do, and we can see the improvements we’re making because we can measure and improve them. Sam Silverstein.

I am in the middle of premiering a new podcast series, Culture Crafters, on the Compliance Podcast Network. In this series, together with Sam Silverstein, we are taking a deep dive into corporate culture: how to measure it, assess it, monitor it, and improve it. Through this exploration, we have uncovered the surprising truth behind sustained success in company culture. We have taken a deep dive into maintaining a high-performing culture that attracts and retains top talent. We have discussed the often overlooked strategy that propels companies to celebrate every win, big or small, and compound their growth year after year. Today, we continue our journey by considering why you should continuously audit and assess your culture to improve it.

Achieving and sustaining a great culture within organizations is foundational to long-term success. It involves creating an environment where individuals feel valued and motivated to contribute meaningfully towards shared goals. This process starts with leadership setting the tone by exemplifying behaviors prioritizing people’s well-being and professional growth. Leaders can inspire employees to engage fully and commit to the organization’s vision by fostering a culture of trust, respect, and open communication. Consistently reinforcing core values and recognizing contributions are key components in nurturing a positive culture that endures challenges and fosters innovation.

Regular culture audits are essential for organizations seeking to understand and improve their cultural dynamics. These assessments provide a baseline for measuring progress and identifying areas for growth. By gathering data on employee perceptions, engagement levels, and alignment with organizational values, companies can pinpoint strengths and weaknesses within their culture. This information allows leaders to tailor interventions, policies, and initiatives that align with the organization’s desired cultural outcomes.

Moreover, ongoing assessments enable organizations to adapt to changing circumstances and ensure that the culture remains aligned with evolving goals and external influences. Sam Silverstein’s discussion on culture audits highlights the value of using data-driven insights to inform decision-making and drive cultural improvements. He stresses the importance of combining qualitative feedback with quantitative metrics to understand the organization’s culture comprehensively.

By being transparent about assessment results, leaders can foster a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. Sam’s emphasis on the iterative nature of culture assessments underscores the need for organizations to view cultural dynamics as dynamic and evolving. The conversation underscores that continual assessment is not merely a one-time exercise but a strategic tool for maintaining a healthy and adaptive culture over time. You should develop a plan to assess and regularly improve your culture.

  • Culture Audit: Develop a culture audit to assess the current state of your company’s culture. This can help identify areas for improvement and set a baseline for future assessments.
  • Documentation: Document your culture assessment findings and improvement plans. Utilize tools to create and maintain detailed records of your culture assessment and improvement initiatives.
  • Regular Assessment: Implement a schedule for culture assessments, such as quarterly or bi-annually. Use tools to gather feedback and measure progress over time.
  • Celebrate: Incorporate a culture of celebration within your organization. This can include employee recognition programs, town hall meetings, or even small gestures like personalized notes or tokens of appreciation.
  • Continuous Improvement: Based on the results of your culture assessments, develop a plan for continuous improvement. Use project management tools like Asana, Trello, or Monday.com to track and execute improvement initiatives, ensuring that progress is ongoing and continuous.

The bottom line is that authentic leadership plays a pivotal role in shaping a thriving culture. Compliance professionals and business leaders go beyond superficial gestures and genuinely prioritize the well-being of their teams. Leaders can create a culture where individuals feel respected and valued by demonstrating care and investment in employees’ development. Key traits include actively listening to employee feedback, providing growth opportunities, and demonstrating ethical decision-making. Ultimately, the conversation reveals that sustained success in company culture hinges on leaders’ commitment to prioritizing people and consistently reinforcing a positive work environment.

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Culture Crafters

Culture Crafters – What is Culture?

Seeing the regulators catch up to the business world is always interesting. That is what has happened to corporate culture. The Department of Justice is now assessing the corporate culture of any company under investigation. Yet, more than simply complying with this mandate, companies should strive to foster the best culture they can achieve. The reason is deceptively simple: the better the culture, the better the company. However, many business executives and even compliance professionals do not know how to craft a culture that allows your employees and your organization to implement such strategies. How can you unlock the power of a thriving workplace culture?

In this podcast series, Sam Silverstein, the most trusted voice in America on accountability, and Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance, discuss the ways companies can elevate their culture to new heights. In this episode, they discuss what culture is.

Culture is the organizational DNA that underpins every action and decision, with leaders playing a pivotal role in its creation and sustenance. Tom strongly believes that culture is a top-down approach that commences at the highest echelons and permeates all levels. Fox underscores the power of repeated positive actions in shaping culture and questions how leadership’s cultural focus sets the tone for the rest of the organization.

Similarly, Sam emphasizes that culture reflects what is accepted and repeated within an organization. He advocates for a “culture by design,” a strategic and considered approach that aligns with the organization’s core values and goals. To Silverstein, trust and communication are central to a robust culture, which everyone is aware of and contributes towards maintaining and enhancing.

Key Highlights:

  • Cultivating Trust Through Organizational Leadership
  • Valuing People: The Heart of Leadership
  • Preserving Organizational Culture Through Leadership Succession
  • Cultural Values Upheld Through Individual Responsibility
  • Enhancing Organizational Culture Through Audits

Resources 

Sam Silverstein

Sam Silverstein is on LinkedIn

Sam Silverstein

The Culture Audit™

Tom Fox

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Culture Crafters

Culture Crafters: Assessing Your Culture Through The Culture Audit™

It is always interesting to see the regulators catch up to the business world. That is what has happened around corporate culture. The Department of Justice is now assessing corporate culture for any company under investigation. Yet more than simply complying with this mandate, companies should strive to foster the best culture they can. The reason is deceptively simple: the better the culture, the better the company. But many business executives and even compliance professionals do not know how to craft a culture that allows your employees and, thereby, your organization to implement such strategies. How can you unlock the power of a thriving workplace culture?

In this podcast series, Sam Silverstein, the most trusted voice in America on accountability  and Tom Fox, the Voice of Compliance, look at the ways companies can elevate their culture to new heights.  In this inaugural episode, they discuss how to assess your culture through the Culture Audit™.

The concept of a culture audit is a transformative tool that assesses an organization’s critical areas such as ethics, engagement, accountability, and diversity, offering valuable insights for improvement and fostering a high-performance work culture.

Tom posits that the culture audit not only measures these critical areas but also guides action plans for improvement, emphasizing continual assessment and prioritization of key cultural drivers for genuine change.

Similarly, Sam Silverstein underscores the necessity of conducting a culture audit to discern an organization’s cultural strengths and weaknesses. He asserts that culture directly affects an organization’s bottom line, citing instances where cultural improvements have significantly boosted performance, profits, and employee retention. For Silverstein, a comprehensive culture audit from the boardroom to the shop floor is fundamental for developing a positive and high-performing work environment.

Key Highlights:

  • Enhancing Organizational Culture for High Performance
  • Cultivating Accountability and Excellence for Success
  • Enhancing Workplace Culture through Detailed Assessment
  • Transparent and Traceable Culture Audit Findings
  • High-Performance Culture: Driving Financial Success

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Sam Silverstein

Sam Silverstein on LinkedIn

Sam Silverstein

The Culture Audit™

Tom Fox

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Auditing Culture

Why should you audit your culture? A compliance professional can utilize a comprehensive approach to evaluate various aspects of a company’s culture, including ethics, engagement, accountability, and diversity. Tom Fox and Sam Silverstein took up this topic in the inaugural episode of the Culture Crafters podcast. Silverstein emphasized the pivotal role of a high-performance culture in attracting and retaining top-tier talent, ultimately leading to improved company performance and profitability. According to Silverstein, the shortest and quickest path to organizational transformation is through culture, as it forms the core of all change.

Beginning with the speech by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in October 2021, they recognized the need for companies to assess, manage, monitor, and improve their corporate culture. This was memorialized in the 2023 Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs (ECCP) update, announced in January 2023. In the ECCP, the DOJ asks the following questions: how often and how does a company measure a culture of compliance? What are your hiring and incentive structures around compliance? What steps have you taken in response to your measurements of compliance?

All these questions posed by the DOJ lead to the requirement that every company assess its culture because the DOJ will take any enforcement action or review. However, it can be done using the same current compliance processes, as culture is just like any other risk. As a risk, it can be assessed. This is why a culture audit is a necessary first step in determining where your culture is, what needs improvement, and how to do so.

As important as it is to meet these DOJ expectations, the real power is to create a high-performing culture to allow your organization to grow to its potential. Focusing on a high-performance culture can lead to an 80% increase in performance, profits, and employee retention, fostering a productive work environment and driving overall success. The bottom line is that a high-performance culture is essential for attracting and retaining top-tier talent and can significantly improve a company’s performance and profitability.

Every compliance professional understands that you must first assess your risks in risk management. When you have assessed a risk, you can start to put together a risk management strategy. The same is true for corporate culture. You must first assess where your culture is and then move forward to improvement through culture and a culture management strategy. With your culture strategy in place, you can train your employees and monitor their performance, determining the results. From there, you can improve your culture strategy as needed. But it all starts with a culture audit.

The steps are familiar to every compliance professional.

  1. Assess Every Level. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the company’s culture, you must assess everyone in the organization, not just senior leadership.
  1. Continuous Improvement. After conducting the culture audit, organizations must receive a detailed Culture Audit Report, which includes responses and action plans. This report serves as a roadmap for companies to focus on key drivers, enhance alignment, and continuously improve their workplace culture.
  1. Sustain High Performance. Focus on building a high-performance culture can yield remarkable results, including an 80% increase in performance, profits, and employee retention. Creating a culture that inspires individuals to excel and be accountable is essential for long-term success.

To facilitate this, Silverstein created Culture Audit™. The Culture Audit is a software solution that assesses critical areas of a company’s culture, such as ethics, engagement, accountability, and diversity, providing actionable insights for improvement. Available in over 20 languages, it aids in transforming a company’s culture for sustainable high performance. A high-performance culture is essential for attracting and retaining top-tier talent and can significantly improve a company’s performance and profitability. The Culture Audit Report, a detailed document with responses and action plans, enables organizations to enhance their workplace culture effectively. The audit results are auditable, ensuring accurate conclusions and data traceability, adding credibility to the process. Focusing on a high-performance culture can lead to an 80% increase in performance, profits, and employee retention, fostering a productive work environment and driving overall success.

Silverstein encapsulates the essence of culture transformation: “The shortest, quickest path to seeing transformation in an organization is always through the culture because that’s at the core of all transformation.” Every business is incumbent upon preparing a comprehensive document that takes a deep dive into its culture assessment results and guides it on the path to improvement. This report is a foundation for implementing educational initiatives, training programs, and organizational transformation.

In conclusion, the culture audit is not a one-time fix but a continuous process that requires regular assessment and improvement. By prioritizing a high-performance culture, companies can create a productive work environment, attract top talent, and drive overall success.

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Assessing and Improving Corporate Culture Through the Culture Audit™

I am hugely pleased to announce a dynamic new tool for compliance professionals, the Culture Audit™ which is a software tool designed to help companies evaluate their corporate culture and identify areas for improvement. Developed by Sam Silverstein, founder of the Accountability Institute, the Culture Audit™ allows a compliance professional or any business to assess their corporate culture quickly and efficiently as mandated by the Department of Justice (DOJ). (Full disclosure-I do work for and with Sam Silverstein and the Accountability Institute.)

Beginning with the speech by Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco in October 2021, the recognized the need for companies to assess, manage, monitor and improve their corporate culture. This was memorialized in the 2023 update to the Evaluation of Corporate Compliance Programs (ECCP), announced in January 2023. In the ECCP, the DOJ asks these following questions how often and how does a company measure a culture of compliance? What are your hiring and incentive structures around compliance? What steps have you taken in response to your measurements of compliance?

All these questions posed by the DOJ lead to the requirement that every company needs to assess their culture, because the DOJ is going to do in any enforcement action or review. However, it can be done using the same compliance processes currently in place, as culture is just like any other risk. As a risk, it can be assessed. This is why the Culture Audit™ is such a game-changer in compliance as it provides you a software tool to perform that initial risk assessment. When you have assessed a risk, then you can start to put together a risk management strategy in place. With your culture strategy in place, you can train your employees on it and then monitor their performance, determining the results. From there you can improve your culture strategy as needed. But it all starts with a culture assessment, and that’s what the Culture Audit™ allows you to do.

The Culture Audit™ can be set to 20 languages, which makes this the best possible tool, not just for international companies, with offices around the world, but also those in places like in South Dakota, where there might be a production facility and there could actually be three or four languages spoken on the production floor. This allows all employees in an organization the opportunity to communicate, to provide the vital feedback, and makes this a very powerful tool.

The Culture Audit™ is simple for all employees to use as a link is provided used throughout the organization. Moreover, it is an anonymous survey. The Culture Audit™ does collect any specific Personal Identifiable Information (PII). The Culture Audit™ does not know who is responding, and there is no ability to track back to individual employees. This provides an environment where employees are free to share what they really think about the organization, what they really feel about what’s happening inside in their workplace culture.

The Culture Audit™ measures various aspects of a company’s culture, including compliance practices, hiring processes, and employee engagement. It generates a comprehensive report that highlights gaps and provides actionable steps for improvement. The tool is particularly beneficial for global organizations as it supports international language communication.

One key feature of the Culture Audit™ is its emphasis on auditability and transparency. In the event of a regulator’s inquiry, the Culture Audit™ provides a detailed report that can be shared to demonstrate the company’s commitment to assessing and improving its culture. The questions and the results are fully auditable. The raw data collected during the audit is also retained for future reference, allowing organizations to track their progress over time.

One of the key benefits of the Culture Audit™ is its ability to identify areas for improvement and provide actionable insights. The Culture Audit™ report includes an action plan that guides organizations on specific areas to focus on and steps to take for improvement. Silverstein emphasized that all companies should be either improving because they are underperforming or reinforcing what they are already good at. By continuously reinforcing positive aspects of their culture, organizations can prevent a decline over time.

The Culture Audit™ can also be a valuable tool for companies considering acquisitions. By using the tool to assess the culture of a potential target, companies can gain insights into the target’s values, ethics, and decision-making processes. This information can help inform the decision-making process and identify potential risks or areas of alignment.

The Culture Audit™ is a true game-changer in compliance as it provides organizations with a powerful tool to assess and improve their corporate culture. By measuring various aspects of culture, providing actionable insights, and emphasizing auditability and transparency, the Culture Audit™ helps organizations create a positive and productive workplace environment. With the increasing focus on corporate culture by regulators, the Culture Audit™ can also help companies demonstrate their commitment to ethical behavior and compliance. By utilizing this tool, organizations can drive better leadership, improve employee engagement, and ultimately enhance their bottom line.

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Culture Audit

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