Frequently Asked Questions

The SIO Culture Model is a framework for understanding organizational culture across three dimensions - Social Culture, Ideological Culture, and Operational Culture. It was developed by organizational culture expert Jessica Jaymes Purdy.

The model provides a methodology for deeply understanding organizational culture dynamics. It identifies 18 specific cultural elements to assess. This allows for tailored culture initiatives based on granular insights.

It distinguishes between intended and permitted culture gaps as well as macro and micro culture alignment issues. This facilitates targeted culture interventions.

It is designed to work with the Organizational Culture Quality Assessment survey which assesses culture across the 18 elements. The assessment provides data to inform culture initiatives.

Social Culture looks at how employees experience and feel within the organizational culture. It covers areas like diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, authenticity, and psychological safety.

This dimension examines the values, principles, hierarchies, communication, decision-making, and collaboration that shape the culture.

Operational Culture focuses on how work gets done within the existing cultural values and environment. It looks at innovation, productivity, agility, ethics, community, and wellbeing.

The SIO Model examines culture along three dimensions with many nuanced elements within each, allowing more complexity and realism. Handy's mutually exclusive types don't address inclusivity, diversity and employee experience like the SIO Model's Social Culture dimension. Handy's model identifies four distinct culture types, while the SIO Model examines culture along three broad dimensions with many nuanced elements within each Handy's types are mutually exclusive, whereas the SIO Model allows an organization to have qualities of multiple culture types. This provides more complexity and realism. The SIO Model focuses more on inclusivity, diversity, and employee experience through its Social Culture dimension. Handy's types don't explicitly address these. Both models acknowledge culture flows from leadership styles and organizational priorities. The SIO Model expands this by differentiating intended vs permitted culture.

The SIO Model provides more granular analysis with 72 distinct qualities across macro and micro cultures. Quinn and Cameron's theoretical types lack the focus on inclusivity, diversity, equity and belonging covered in the SIO Model's Social Culture dimension. ​ Quinn and Cameron's model maps four culture types, while the SIO Model looks at culture through a multidimensional lens. The SIO Model provides a more nuanced view by assessing 72 distinct cultural qualities across macro and micro cultures. Quinn and Cameron's types are theoretical abstractions, while the SIO Model draws from extensive organizational research to identify elements that shape real employee experiences. The inclusion of Social Culture in the SIO Model allows a focus on inclusivity, diversity, equity and belonging missing from Quinn and Cameron's types.

While both models see culture flowing from underlying assumptions to espoused values to artifacts, the SIO Model makes this actionable through measurement and emphasizes assessing alignment of intended and permitted cultures. ​ Both models recognize culture flows from underlying assumptions to espoused values to artifacts and behaviors. The SIO Model makes this actionable through the audit. Schein's model identifies culture levels, while the SIO Model identifies cultural dimensions and elements. This provides greater specificity. The SIO Model emphasizes assessing alignment of intended and permitted cultures. Schein's model does not address this distinction. Schein's model is descriptive, while the SIO Model ties directly to culture measurement and initiatives.

The SIO Model provides greater specificity on culture with 18 elements across three dimensions. It also brings a lens on inclusivity and diversity absent from the Denison Model through its Social Culture component. ​ The Denison Model focuses on four cultural traits, whereas the SIO Model identifies 18 specific cultural elements grouped into three dimensions. This provides greater granularity. The SIO Model's inclusion of Social Culture brings a lens on inclusivity and diversity missing from the Denison Model. The Denison Model does not address microcultures or the gap between intended and permitted cultures like the SIO Model does. The SIO Model is tied directly to measurement and improvement of culture qualities through the audit.

The OCAI provides a useful starting point, but the SIO Model delivers greater nuance, emphasis on DEI, integration with measurement, and examining gaps between intended and permitted cultures. ​ The OCAI Model has 4 theoretical culture types based on internal/external focus and flexibility/stability. The SIO Model examines culture across 3 dimensions with 18 specific elements. The SIO Model provides more depth through 72 distinct culture qualities. The OCAI Model may lack nuance. The OCAI is primarily an assessment tool. The SIO Model emphasizes measuring and managing culture. The SIO Model addresses gaps between intended and permitted cultures. The OCAI does not. The SIO Model highlights diversity, equity and inclusion. The OCAI does not explicitly cover these. The OCAI can provide a useful starting point for assessing culture. But the SIO Model offers a more robust framework for diagnosing and transforming organizational culture.

The SIO Model draws from extensive research on real organizations, providing more nuance with 72 culture qualities. It also emphasizes diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, which are not addressed in O'Reilly and Chatman's types. ​ O'Reilly and Chatman's model has three theoretical culture types, while the SIO Model is grounded in extensive research on real organizational culture dynamics. The 72 distinct qualities of the SIO Model provide more nuance than three broad culture types. O'Reilly and Chatman's model does not address diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging, which are central to the SIO Model. The SIO Model facilitates culture measurement and change through its pairing with the audit survey.

The principles specifically elevate the employee experience through human-centered policies. The SIO Model measures culture broadly, so together they can diagnose issues and drive improvements. ​ The SIO Model provides a framework for diagnosing and transforming organizational culture across three dimensions - Social, Ideological, and Operational. The 9 Principles of Employee Care focus specifically on elevating the employee experience through more human-centered policies and practices. The SIO Model emphasizes understanding macro and micro cultures. The 9 Principles shape interactions between employers and individual employees. While the SIO Model measures organizational culture broadly, the 9 Principles address specific aspects of the employee experience like relationships, respect, recognition, and representation. The 9 Principles provide guiding tenets for employee treatment and engagement. The SIO Model offers a process for analyzing and evolving organizational culture. Used together, the SIO Model could help diagnose gaps in employee care, while the 9 Principles give direction for addressing issues to improve the employee experience.

The models overlap in some areas but the SIO Model provides more depth on culture while the 7S Framework takes a broader view of organizational effectiveness. The two can be complementary. The McKinsey 7S Framework identifies seven key elements that influence organizational effectiveness. The SIO Model focuses specifically on defining and assessing organizational culture. The SIO Model divides culture into three broad dimensions, while the 7S Framework has seven distinct elements. However, there is some overlap in the elements covered. The SIO Model goes into greater depth on organizational culture, with 18 specific cultural elements and 72 potential culture qualities. The 7S Framework takes a higher level approach. The Social Culture dimension of the SIO Model addresses areas like diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging that are not explicitly covered in the 7S Framework. The SIO Model emphasizes assessing alignment between intended and permitted cultures. The 7S Framework does not make this distinction. The 7S Framework is a strategic analysis tool, while the SIO Model is tied directly to culture measurement through the audit survey. The SIO Model focuses on the employee experience and microcultures, while the 7S Framework takes a top-down view of organizational effectiveness. Shared Values in the 7S model overlaps with the Ideological Culture dimension of the SIO Model. Both look at organizational values and norms. Overall, the SIO Model provides a more granular and actionable analysis of organizational culture, while the 7S Framework is a broader strategic analysis tool. The two can complement each other.

Contact our team today to schedule a free consultation and demo of the Organizational Culture Quality Assessment.

The assessment is a survey that measures an organization's culture across 18 elements of the SIO Culture Model. It assesses the "permitted culture" - the actual day-to-day culture experienced by employees.

The assessment provides critical insights into the gaps between your intended culture and actual culture. It identifies specific areas needing improvement to align with your values and diversity goals.

Employees take an online survey assessing their experiences of the 18 cultural elements. The aggregated results provide scores for each element along with analysis of strengths, gaps, and differences between groups.

It measures 72 distinct "culture qualities" across macro and micro cultures. You gain visibility into how employees are experiencing the culture at all levels of the organization.

Annually is recommended to track progress on culture initiatives over time. Some organizations do it bi-annually.

We provide a detailed analysis of your culture qualities, gaps to intended culture, and clear recommendations for improvement initiatives tailored to your specific needs.

Our organizational development experts partner with you to prioritize initiatives, craft implementation plans, and provide coaching to drive lasting culture transformation.

OCQA is based on the proprietary SIO Culture Model framework, while CultureAmp uses more general organizational culture dimensions. OCQA provides scores on 72 distinct "culture qualities" to give granular insights, while CultureAmp has more standard survey categories. OCQA assesses the "permitted culture" experienced by employees and compares it to the Intended Culture, while CultureAmp looks more broadly at intended and actual culture. OCQA results include custom analysis and recommendations tailored to the organization, while CultureAmp has more generalized reporting. FIC partners with organizations to implement OCQA survey recommendations, whereas CultureAmp is just a technology platform. OCQA is administered annually to track progress over time, while CultureAmp clients can run surveys more frequently. FIC Human Resource Partners offers a variety of surveys that can supplement the OCQA throughout the year. OCQA provides comparison of macro and micro culture alignment, while CultureAmp focuses more on company-wide insights.

OCQA is based on the proprietary SIO Culture Model with 18 cultural elements, while OCAI uses the Competing Values Framework with 4 culture types. OCQA assesses the "permitted culture" experienced by employees and compares it to the Intended Culture, OCAI assesses the overall organizational culture. OCQA provides granular scoring of 72 "culture qualities", OCAI has respondents allocate 100 points to assess culture. OCQA focuses on inclusion, psychological safety, equity, OCAI does not directly address those topics. OCQA results include tailored analysis and recommendations, OCAI produces general culture profiles. FIC partners with clients to implement OCQA findings, OCAI is a self-assessment tool. OCQA compares macro and micro culture alignment, OCAI looks at company-wide culture. OCQA provides more focused culture insights, OCAI gives a broader overview.

OCQA is based on the proprietary SIO Culture Model, CultureIQ uses a general framework based on 50 years of research. OCQA assesses the "permitted culture" experienced by employees and compares it to the Intended Culture, CultureIQ looks at overall organizational culture. OCQA provides scoring of 72 granular "culture qualities", CultureIQ has more standard survey categories. OCQA includes custom analysis and recommendations for the organization, CultureIQ has generalized reporting. FIC provides hands-on help implementing OCQA findings, CultureIQ is just a technology platform. OCQA compares macro and micro culture alignment, CultureIQ focuses on company-wide culture. OCQA gives highly focused culture insights, CultureIQ aims to provide a comprehensive view.

OCQA is based on the proprietary SIO Culture Model, Corporate Culture Pros uses a general framework. OCQA assesses the "permitted culture" experienced by employees and compares it to the Intended Culture, Corporate Culture Pros looks at overall organizational culture. OCQA measures 72 specific "culture qualities", Corporate Culture Pros has standard categories. OCQA provides custom analysis and recommendations, Corporate Culture Pros has generalized reporting. FIC helps implement OCQA findings, Corporate Culture Pros just provides the assessment. OCQA compares macro and micro culture alignment, Corporate Culture Pros focuses on company-wide culture. OCQA gives highly focused culture insights, Corporate Culture Pros aims for a comprehensive assessment.

Workplace culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, behaviors, and norms that shape the work environment within an organization. It encompasses the attitudes, interactions, and overall atmosphere that influence how employees collaborate, communicate, and approach their work.

Organizational culture encompasses the collective behaviors, assumptions, interactions, and values of an organization. It provides a shared framework for how employees solve problems, treat customers, collaborate, and approach their work.

Corporate culture represents the attitudes, experiences, beliefs and values that characterize a company and guide its business practices. It acts as a system shaping employee morale, engagement, productivity, and the reputation of the corporation.

A positive workplace has an engaging culture that makes employees feel welcomed, treated fairly, challenged, supported, valued, and empowered to reach their potential and do their best work.

Company culture directly impacts employee satisfaction, retention, innovation, and performance. A strong, healthy culture attracts talent, unifies teams, boosts morale, increases productivity, and creates competitive advantage.

Assessing culture through employee surveys, interviews, and observation helps uncover gaps between ideal and real culture so targeted improvements can be made to better align values, strengthen inclusion, empower people, and meet business goals.

Leaders heavily influence workplace culture through their behaviors, communication, vision, values, policies, priorities, and what they role model. They must foster cultures that bring out the best in their people.

Evolving culture requires clearly defining ideal attributes, securing leadership commitment, equipping managers, employee involvement, updating policies/processes, tracking progress, and reinforcing positive changes.

Company culture is a subset of organizational culture, referring to the unique identity, values, and practices of a particular company. It can be influenced by industry, leadership style, and the collective personality of its employees.

The workplace environment encompasses the physical and psychological conditions in which work takes place. A positive workplace environment with ergonomic facilities, open communication, and a supportive atmosphere contributes to fostering a healthy and productive culture.

Diversity refers to the variety of characteristics that make individuals unique, including but not limited to race, gender, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and abilities. Embracing diversity in the workplace promotes a range of perspectives and experiences.

Equity involves ensuring fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all individuals, regardless of their diverse backgrounds. It recognizes that different people may require different support to achieve the same outcomes.

Inclusion involves creating an environment where diverse individuals are respected, valued, and fully integrated. It goes beyond just having a diverse workforce to actively involving all employees in decision-making and collaboration.

Accessibility involves designing work environments, products, and services in a way that accommodates individuals with disabilities. This ensures that everyone can participate, contribute, and engage on an equal basis.

Belonging refers to the feeling of acceptance, respect, and comfort that individuals experience when they are part of an inclusive environment. It goes beyond diversity and inclusion by focusing on creating a sense of community and connection.

Diversity enriches workplace culture by bringing in a variety of perspectives, ideas, and experiences. It fosters innovation, creativity, and a deeper understanding of different markets and customer segments.

Equity and inclusion are essential components of a positive company culture. When all employees are treated fairly, have equal opportunities, and are included in decision-making, it leads to a more harmonious and productive work environment.

Organizations can promote diversity, equity, and inclusion by implementing unbiased hiring practices, offering training on cultural competence, establishing diverse leadership teams, and creating safe spaces for open dialogue.

An inclusive culture ensures that all employees feel valued and respected, which in turn fosters a sense of belonging. When individuals feel they can be their authentic selves, they are more likely to connect deeply with their workplace.

Creating an accessible workplace involves physical modifications for individuals with disabilities, offering assistive technologies, providing training on inclusivity, and promoting a culture that values and supports accessibility for all.

AIDE stands for Assessing Accessibility to Improve Institutional Dynamics and Employee Experiences. It's a comprehensive, data-driven approach to making meaningful, sustainable progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace.

AIDE takes a holistic view of accessibility, going beyond physical accommodations to address barriers related to neurodiversity, socioeconomic status, caregiving responsibilities, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, and ethnicity. It focuses on systematically dismantling obstacles to full participation and equitable opportunity, cultivating a culture where everyone can contribute their best.

The AIDE process consists of four main stages: Assess: Conducting a thorough assessment of the current organizational culture using the Organizational Culture Quality Assessment (OCQA) survey and other data sources. Interview: Gathering qualitative insights through interviews and focus groups to understand the employee experience across all levels and demographics. Develop: Analyzing data to identify key insights, themes, and opportunities, and developing a tailored DEI strategy and implementation plan. Engage: Providing tools, training, and support to build internal capacity, implement initiatives, and sustain long-term change.

No, AIDE delivers customized strategies and solutions aligned with each organization's specific business goals, employee needs, and cultural vision. The program is designed to meet organizations where they are and help them get where they want to go.

AIDE focuses on building internal capacity, embedding accountability, and regularly assessing progress to hardwire DEI into the organizational DNA. It's not a quick fix, but a roadmap for continuous improvement and transformative, lasting culture change.

Implementing AIDE can drive innovation, attract and retain top talent, enhance employee engagement and productivity, mitigate legal and reputational risks, build cultural competence to better serve diverse customers, and demonstrate a commitment to doing the right thing.

AIDE reframes the conversation around DEI by focusing on accessibility in the broadest sense. By proactively identifying and dismantling barriers to inclusion and belonging, AIDE positions diversity as an outcome of equitable systems, rather than the target of specialized programs. This approach helps mitigate legal risks and sidestep political backlash while still driving meaningful change.

The AIDE Culture Improvement Program provides expert consulting, data analysis, strategy development, training, coaching, and advisory services throughout the assessment, planning, and implementation phases. The program is designed to be a long-term partnership, empowering organizations to embed DEI into their culture for lasting impact.

Institutional dynamics refer to the complex interplay of social, ideological, and operational factors that shape the behavior, interactions, and experiences of employees within an organization. These dynamics are influenced by the organization's structure, culture, values, and practices.

Understanding and managing institutional dynamics is crucial for creating a positive and productive workplace culture, driving organizational change, and achieving strategic objectives. By recognizing the complex interplay of social, ideological, and operational factors, leaders can more effectively navigate challenges and opportunities within their organizations.

The Employee Care Principles, which focus on humanizing the employer-employee relationship and prioritizing employee well-being, directly influence institutional dynamics. These principles shape the social, ideological, and operational aspects of the organization, fostering a supportive and inclusive work environment that enhances employee engagement, collaboration, and performance.

The SIO (Social, Ideological, and Operational) Culture Model provides a holistic view of organizational culture by considering three key dimensions. The social dimension focuses on identity-based experiences, the ideological dimension encompasses values and principles, and the operational dimension focuses on how work gets done. The SIO Culture Model helps organizations understand and analyze institutional dynamics through these three lenses.

Organizations can assess their institutional dynamics using tools like the Organizational Culture Quality Assessment survey, which measures and identifies the culture qualities of 18 culture elements across the social, ideological, and operational dimensions. This assessment provides insights into the macro and microcultures within the organization, helping identify misalignments and areas for improvement.

By understanding and actively shaping institutional dynamics, organizations can expect improved employee engagement and loyalty, increased collaboration and innovation, enhanced organizational agility and resilience, and strengthened ethical behavior and accountability. These benefits contribute to creating a thriving, inclusive, and high-performing work environment that drives sustainable success.

Leaders can effectively navigate institutional dynamics by: Recognizing the complex interplay of social, ideological, and operational factors Embracing the Employee Care Principles to humanize the employer-employee relationship Regularly assessing institutional dynamics using tools like the Organizational Culture Quality Assessment Implementing targeted initiatives to foster positive change and growth based on the insights gained from assessments

Institutional dynamics significantly impact employee experience and performance. Positive institutional dynamics, characterized by a supportive and inclusive work environment, lead to increased employee engagement, job satisfaction, and productivity. In contrast, negative institutional dynamics can result in disengagement, high turnover rates, and poor performance.

Yes, institutional dynamics can change over time due to various factors, such as leadership changes, organizational restructuring, shifts in market conditions, or the implementation of new policies and practices. Regular assessment and proactive management of institutional dynamics are essential to ensure that the organization maintains a positive and productive workplace culture.

Annual Culture Surveys holistically assess organizational culture health, alignment and impact on employees to drive data-driven culture management and improvement efforts. They include the OCQA (Organizational Culture Quality Assessment) and Employee Care Survey.

Employee Feedback Surveys monitor employee attitudes, engagement, and feedback to proactively manage employee relations, experiences, and organizational commitment. They include the Mattering Survey, Engagement Survey, and Pulse Surveys.

The Employee Management Surveys gather data to effectively attract, evaluate, develop, manage, and retain talent in alignment with organizational needs and culture. They include the Individual Culture Profile, Candidate Experience Matrix, Leadership Self-Assessment, Performance Evaluations, and Exit Surveys.

Forced choice statement-based questions on a 4-point Likert scale (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Agree, Strongly Agree) are used to gather quantitative data.

Open-ended and scale-ranking questions are used, frequently as follow-ups to quantitative forced choice questions, to understand the context and experiences behind the initial responses.

Survey logic is used to obtain consent, surface questions based on specific topics, identify when to ask follow-up questions, and determine what follow-up questions to ask.

Our surveys undergo an extensive testing process including reviews by DEIAB experts and practitioners. Iterative development and testing processes continue to improve the surveys to enhance user experience and the ability to drive strategic culture change.

The process includes reviews by DEIAB experts for question construction and inclusive language, input from professionals in communication, cultural studies, and clinical psychology, multiple test deployments with diverse employees for feedback, refinements between iterations, and ongoing review of changes.

In the Annual Culture and Employee Feedback surveys, no personal identifiers are collected, demographic data is aggregated to prevent identification, privacy policies are provided, responses are separated from login info, data is handled securely, and reporting prevents identification of individual respondents.

The Employee Management surveys require collection of personally identifying information such as name, role, title, and email address. Dissemination is limited to predetermined parties within the client organization and communicated to the employee at the onset of the survey.

Privacy disclosures are made on the first page of the surveys and participants are required to affirm that they have been offered a chance to review the privacy policy.

Collected data is securely stored in Microsoft cloud servers to prevent breaches. Access is restricted only to necessary personnel and protected by authentication methods like passwords, biometrics, and security keys. Sharing outside of FIC is limited to legal requests and service providers under non-disclosure commitments.

FIC implements layered technical protections for data security including anti-virus software, encryption, multi-factor authentication, and timely security updates. Employee devices accessing FIC data require passwords, biometrics, and/or security keys. Backups are maintained to prevent data loss.

The Nuance Culture Survey Platform is built in platform which utilizes Amazon Web Services' globally distributed data centers for hosting. It features secure architecture, access controls, encryption, continuous scanning and patching, robust monitoring and logging, resilience measures, secure data handling practices, and personnel controls.

The primary method of administration is through a cloud-based online survey platform. This enables access either via web browsers on desktop/laptop devices or mobile optimization for phones and tablets.

Using an online platform provides a consistent user experience, incorporates interactive survey logic, allows for question randomization and other best practices for reducing bias and measurement error. It also enables rapid data tabulation and more advanced quantification analytics post-collection.

Yes, the platform capabilities facilitate confidential save & return functionality through anonymous login credentials. This allows participants to complete the survey in multiple sessions if needed to accommodate their schedules.

The main limitations center around technology accessibility barriers for those without regular device/internet access.

Yes, alternate administration modes are available. Kiosk mode allows using a shared stationary device (computer onsite or tablet, etc) while maintaining confidentiality and login functionalities. For participants lacking reliable internet or device access, printed paper surveys can be made available.

Several additional considerations come into play for paper administration: Production: Physical printing and production of paper forms with clear layouts and quality materials involves additional upfront costs and minimum quantity orders. This includes paper documents, cover letters, and return envelopes. Distribution: Paper surveys require local manual distribution by the client. Collection: The client will be responsible for establishing clear submission drop boxes/locations for gathering completed paper surveys. This introduces additional tracking requirements rather than automated compilation with online responses. Site coordinators maintain and return batches on a weekly basis. Data Entry: Once returned, completed paper surveys require manual input by the Nuance Culture Survey team. Privacy: While data gets aggregated once entered, there is some loss of confidentiality inherent without the anonymity of online software.

For paper surveys, the content and format will mirror the online version to maintain consistency in the data collected.

Yes, all of our workshops include real-time captioning services as a standard accessibility feature.

For in-person workshops, we use automated closed captioning software that requires an internet connection. The captions are displayed on the main screen or monitor below the visual presentation. Please note that a stable internet connection is necessary for this service.

Absolutely. We are happy to coordinate ASL interpretation services upon request. ASL interpretation is an additional cost.

Our facilitators use microphones to ensure all participants can hear clearly, regardless of the size of the room or their seating location.

Yes, we offer workshop materials in various accessible formats. Digital and large print versions are available upon request.

Yes, all of our digital materials comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, making them compatible with commonly used screen readers.

Our facilitators provide verbal descriptions of all key visual content, such as key text, charts, and images, to ensure everyone can follow along. We also use high-contrast color schemes and legible fonts in our presentations.

We use a variety of learning methods – verbal, video, written – to accommodate diverse learning styles. This helps create an inclusive learning environment where everyone can participate comfortably.

We use Microsoft Teams video conferencing platform which is compatible with screen readers and supports closed captioning. Zoom is an acceptable alternative that is also compatible with screen readers and supports closed captioning.

Yes, we enable automated captions by default for all virtual workshops to enhance accessibility. Please note that this service requires a stable internet connection.

Our facilitators verbally describe all visual content and read key text from slides aloud. They also use clear, concise language and pace the session to allow for processing time.

We offer multiple ways for you to engage in our virtual workshops. You can use audio, video, or chat to ask questions, share insights, and participate in discussions. This flexibility allows you to engage in the way that is most comfortable for you.