Corporate culture – Assessment and effective development
A strong corporate culturer Culture is not a "nice-to-have," but rather the driving force behind performance, engagement, and change. It is often described simply as "the way things are done around here"—that is, how work is done, decisions are made, and collaboration is practiced in your company (Deal & Kennedy). And it's true: "Culture eats strategy for breakfast" (this saying is often attributed to Peter Drucker, but its historical accuracy is not confirmed). The basic premise: The best strategy is worthless if its content and requirements cannot be successfully translated into a lived culture.
We help you develop and measure your corporate culture and effectively integrate it into everyday life through clear leadership principles, corporate values and a practical mission statement – with measurable behavioral anchors and clear transfer.
Do you have specific questions about corporate culture or would you like to refine your company or leadership principles? Ask us your questions – we will usually get back to you within 2 business days.
Our approach: Top-down and bottom-up – effective together
Developing a corporate culture succeeds when leadership leads from the top down and employees actively participate (bottom up). In practice, we combine both: guidelines from management and co-creation with representative key groups. Furthermore, digital tools enable all employees to provide input, which is automatically condensed and fine-tuned in sounding boards. This process results in sustainable corporate values, mission statements, and leadership principles that align with your company goals, are accepted, and are actively practiced.
Result: A corporate mission statement with clear behavioral anchors that provides guidance, improves communication, accelerates decisions and strengthens collaboration – instead of simply vanishing as "paper"..
If you have any questions, just ask!
Do you have specific questions about corporate culture or would you like to refine your company or leadership principles? Ask us your questions – we will usually get back to you within two business days.
Guiding principle development: Process in 4 steps
Procedure in four steps:
1.
Diagnosis & Target Image
2.
Co-creation of mission statement, values and leadership
principles
3.
Pilot & Enablement
4.
Measurement & Further
winding
1. Diagnosis & Target Image
Depending on the initial situation and objectives: short interviews/workshops, document review, and (upon request) a corporate culture assessment via 360° feedback and/or employee surveys and/or other digital tools. The target vision, key topics, and priorities are clarified.
2. Co-creation of mission statement, values and leadership principles
The leadership team or top management sets the framework and direction. Input can then be gathered from all employees using simple digital tools. Cross-functional teams refine and formulate the content in one or more facilitated workshops. The result: concise, verifiable statements with behavioral anchors instead of catchy slogans and empty phrases.
3. Pilot & Enablement
Practical guides, toolboxes (feedback, 1:1s, team rituals), training programs for managers and building blocks for employees are developed, adapted and applied – focus: from guiding principles to action.
4. Measurement & Development (Learning Organization)
A first review takes place after 6–9 months: assess effectiveness (e.g. 360-follow-up, pulse), systematic integration into HR processes, especially into assessment and target agreement systems for effective consolidation.
Effective methods:
-
360° Feedback:
As the core element – multi-perspective feedback makes lived leadership principles visible, precisely identifies areas for development and increases the credibility of the overall process. -
Employee surveys & pulse checks:
They can be used to supplement existing data for gauging mood and measuring progress. And also to bring certain topics into focus and raise awareness. -
Behavioral anchors:
Values and leadership principles can only be effective if they are translated into observable examples and behaviors. This increases comprehensibility and enables measurability. The well-known motto "If you can't measure it, you can't change it" applies here.“ -
Sustainability assessment (optional):
To consciously establish sustainability as a core corporate value and embed it in our culture, we have developed a special sustainability assessment. This allows corporate values to be specifically linked to sustainability goals.
Leadership principles – how implementation works
Leadership principles are effective when they are concrete, trainable, and measurable. We condense each principle into 3–5 behavioral anchors. Based on these, we integrate them into one-on-one conversations, team rituals, and your existing formalized performance reviews, development discussions, and goal-setting meetings. This ensures attention and visibility in daily practice. We measure implementation, for example, using… 360° Feedback and brief pulse checks.
Next step
Let's talk about your company culture. Briefly outline your needs – we'll respond promptly, usually within 2 business days, and agree on a suitable roadmap with you.
INFO GmbH – Your partner for mission statement and cultural development
- Years of consulting experiencein Mission statement development, feedback systems and Change - with proven tools for organizational development.
- Measurable implementation support: From initial diagnosis to monitoring of effectiveness (e.g. 360° feedback, employee survey).
- Practical and adaptable: Suitable formats, supporting materials, concrete behavioral anchors, and seamless integration into your HR systems ensure high accessibility for HR, management teams, and employees, with a clear and consistent approach at all times.
Learning organization and cultural development
As a learning organization, you create routines that allow you to systematically monitor and develop your corporate culture. This can be achieved, for example, through regular feedback, transparent reviews, sounding boards, and updating your mission statement in response to changing circumstances (e.g., digitalization, sustainability). In this way, "cultural change" transforms from a project into an ongoing operating system.
YOUR CONTACT PERSONS FOR QUESTIONS
FREQUENTLY QUESTIONS ASKED
Here we answer the most important questions about our services and working methods. If your question isn't answered here, please write to us – we'll get back to you within two business days.
What do you understand by "corporate culture" – and why is it so important?
Corporate culture describes how work, management, and decision-making are conducted in your company – „the way things are done around here.“ It shapes performance, collaboration, and employee retention, and thus determines the effectiveness of your strategy's implementation.
How are corporate mission statement, corporate values, and leadership principles related?
The mission statement provides direction and identity, corporate values define attitudes, and leadership principles translate these into observable behavior. Effective mission statements connect all three levels – with clear behavioral anchors for typical everyday situations.
Why do you combine top-down and bottom-up approaches?
.Leadership ensures priority and consistency, while collaboration ensures relevance and acceptance. The top-down/bottom-up process allows corporate culture to be truly lived – instead of appearing "imposed," which doesn't work.
What role does 360° feedback play in cultural development?
360° Feedback It makes lived leadership principles visible, precisely identifies areas for development, and increases credibility through multiple perspectives. Optionally includes a follow-up after 6-9 months for impact assessment.
When are employee surveys useful – and when are they not?
They are useful for measuring broad sentiment (e.g., organizational issues, progress) and as a supplement to 360-degree feedback. They are not useful if no action follows. Therefore, we link surveys to transparent feedback, measures, and reviews.
How can corporate values be made concrete and measurable?
By establishing behavioral anchors in situations such as decision-making, meeting culture, or customer contact. This creates clarity, clarification of expectations, and a solid foundation for developing and evaluating corporate culture.
How do we ensure that the guiding principle doesn't "fizzle out"?
We embed content in leadership tools: 1:1 conversations, team rituals, informal and formal feedback formats. Leadership principles are made trainable, considered in target agreements, and regularly reviewed, for example, through 360° feedback and/or pulse checks.
How long does the process take – and what does it typically look like?
Typically, the process takes 8–16 weeks until the first implementation: diagnosis, co-creation of a mission statement, company values, and leadership principles. The scope and pace depend on the size and maturity of your company.
Do you also offer cultural and mission statement development in the public sector?
Yes, all the aforementioned measures for cultural development are also needed in the public sector. Here, it is essential to translate the organization's purpose—the fulfillment of specific legally defined tasks—into correspondingly positive and goal-oriented behavior in daily practice through a mission statement and guiding principles. In addition to industrial, pharmaceutical, and commercial companies, our clients also include cities, municipalities, and other public authorities.
Can we continue to use existing leadership principles?
Yes. We use a top-down/bottom-up process to check for fit and precision, reduce redundancies, and supplement and specify behavioral anchors. This way, proven methods are retained while becoming practical and measurable – also in conjunction with the company's mission statement and values.
Can you incorporate sustainability upon request?
Gladly. We combine corporate values with sustainability goals, define suitable behavioral indicators, and monitor progress, for example, through pulse surveys or key performance indicators in reviews.
REQUIRED INDIVIDUAL CONSULTATION?
Every company is unique – that's why we don't develop off-the-shelf solutions. Tell us about the challenges you face, and we'll show you how we can provide targeted support.
We are for you there
Whether you have a specific question, need advice, or have a general inquiry – simply write to us. Our team will reliably get back to you within two business days.
INFO GmbH –
Institute for Organizations
Arnsburg Monastery
35423 Lich
Telephone: +49 (0) 6404 9404 0
E-mail: info@info-home.org
