A Map of Workplace Culture

Providing Cultural Description, Prediction and Prescription
To Accelerate Your Company’s Desired Future


Credit: Daniel R. Denison, Ph.D. & William S. Neale, M.A.

The Denison model measures four critical traits of culture and leadership (Mission, Involvement, Adaptability, & Consistency). Each of these traits is further broken down into three indices (for a total of 12).

Mission is the degree to which the organization is crystal clear about its business direction.

Involvement is the degree to which individuals at all levels are truly engaged in and "own" the business direction, and the degree to which they are positioned to help the business succeed.

Adaptability is the degree to which the organization understands the customers' needs, can change in response to changing demands, and can learn new skills and technologies to support business success.

Consistency is the degree to which the organization has shared values, systems, and processes which support achievement of the business mission and goals.

Review the chart below to see which of the four key traits impacts various business success measures:

Research conducted by Caroline J. Fisher, Ph.D.