If your values say one thing and your people experience another, that gap can become a business risk
Culture is what happens when no one is looking
Your organisation has a values statement. But do your people live by it?
Culture can be hard to pin down, but its impact is real. It shows up in how decisions are made, which behaviours are rewarded, whether people feel able to speak up and, ultimately, how an organisation performs. When what an organisation says matches what its people experience, culture can support performance and help people navigate change. When the two diverge, the consequences can extend to risk, reputation and trust.
That gap was the focus of Culture at the Edge: When Values, Behaviour and Reality Don’t Match, a recent Positive Change Group webinar run in partnership with the School of International Financial Services (SIFs). Harriet Rumball, Investor and Sustainability Communications Director at Black Sun Global, and Amity Fisher, Strategy Director and Research & Insights Lead at People Made explored how organisations can understand and report on the culture they have. They also looked at how to define the culture an organisation needs, and how to recognise when the two begin to drift apart.
Start with three questions
Values only tell part of the story. Culture is revealed in everyday choices: what gets prioritised, rewarded or tolerated, and what people feel able to challenge.
Understanding it starts with three questions. What kind of culture do we want? How is it showing up today? Where are the gaps, and what needs to change?
The answers begin with business ambition. Where is the organisation trying to go, and which behaviours, mindsets and ways of working will help it get there? Then comes people’s real experience, gathered through engagement data, interviews, focus groups, listening and what happens day to day. Together, these show where the current culture supports the organisation’s direction and where it gets in the way.
There is no need to change everything. The focus is on identifying the areas where a shift in culture will make the biggest difference.
Four lenses, one picture
In their work with clients, People Made tend to assess culture from four angles. The first is how people show up: how they collaborate, connect and interact. The second is how they achieve, covering performance, growth and what enables people to deliver. The third is how the organisation leads and decides, which takes in leadership, decision-making and accountability. The fourth is how it adapts and grows, through its openness to change, innovation and learning.
None of these works in isolation. They overlap, and together they shape the culture people experience. Taken together, they offer a more useful way to ask where an organisation is strong, where it is misaligned and what needs to shift to support its direction. Once that picture is clear, the next question is how to evidence it and communicate it clearly.
Culture belongs in the boardroom
For UK listed companies, culture is a core governance responsibility. The UK Corporate Governance Code expects Boards to establish purpose, values and strategy, assess and monitor culture, and take action where behaviours or practices fall short.
That requires Boards to look beyond what is written in a values statement or captured in a survey. They need to understand the evidence of how culture is actually experienced. That evidence comes from combining workforce insight, relevant people and conduct data, direct engagement and appropriate independent challenge. They must also identify areas of concern and understand how the organisation is responding.
Reporting is where that accountability becomes visible. Good reporting gives stakeholders insight into the evidence behind the culture an organisation describes. It shows where reality does not match intention and what action is being taken in response to feedback. A perfect picture isn’t the aim. What matters is showing that culture is being actively understood, monitored and addressed.
Culture does not stand still
Even a well-established culture can shift as leadership changes, strategies evolve, incentives move or organisations respond to new pressures. That makes culture an ongoing process.
During the webinar, the speakers shared examples of what can happen when culture drifts, and the benefits of getting it right. The business case is clear: a statistic from the Harvard Business Review, shared on the day, found a 20–30% performance advantage for companies with strong cultures.
What matters is alignment: a culture that fits where the business is trying to go and supports people in delivering it.
Culture should be more than words
Culture shapes how your strategy is delivered, how your people experience the organisation and how stakeholders perceive it. Getting it right starts with understanding where you are today and being clear about where you need to go.
Positive Change Group works with organisations to define, embed, communicate and report on culture. That work connects what they say with what people experience and what the business needs to achieve.
Want to understand what your culture is really telling you? Get in touch with our team.