Understanding your engagement score

The engagement survey is still the best way to measure how people feel about working for a team or organisation. The real work for leaders is in understanding what the score means and then putting real investment into a programme of work to address the feedback.

I’ve spent years studying what the scores mean and there are broadly five different types of culture - categorised by their scores - that all require different actions. They are as follows:

<20% = Toxic

These cultures can destroy lives and lead to significant brand damage if not dealt with quickly. Leadership change is likely required to fundamentally alter the conditions over which they have presided and to return to a positive, respectful culture.

20-40% = Stagnant

In these cultures, there is little to no teamwork as many employees are only interested in their own responsibilities or creating situations that suit them and not that of the team. Little productive work gets done and opportunities to improve are missed.

40-60% = Pleasant

In these cultures, emotional intelligence is high, so team members treat each other with respect. However, in a bid to please and involve everyone, teams lack intrinsic motivation, priorities aren’t clear and teams will frequently miss targets or deadlines.

60-75% = Combatant

In these cultures it is often not safe to speak up or challenge. Managers like to give orders and whilst there is a broad understanding of the work that needs to be done, people demonstrate poor behaviours in order to achieve it. Everything is a priority in these cultures.

>75% = Vibrant

These cultures are fantastic to work in. The team has a sense of purpose and a commitment to values, and team members understand their role in this and are motivated to improve. The focus here is on continual evolution so as not to fall back.

To find out what kind of culture you have right now and to receive a report on the actions you can take, head to https://www.fiveculturesquiz.com