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This survey consists of 20 different question sets. Each set has 5 possible options.
Rank order the options within each set using the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5. Where:
- 1 means “This is the most like us.”
- 5 means “This is the least like us.”
- Use the 3 other numbers to indicate your order of preference in between.
Each item in a set gets a unique number. Do not duplicate numbers within the set.
To change a ranking you already assigned, click on the original number you selected (to free up that response) then click on the number that better reflects your choice.
Make sure you haven’t left any items blank.
Think about your company as it exists today when making your decisions.

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Step 1 of 21

1. In our Company...

We work to maintain our culture, keep the trains running, and collaborating [sometimes to a fault]. Growth has flattened, but we try to maintain what we’ve built.

We are comfortable and content; we don’t consistently grow ourselves or the business. We avoid risk to keep profits steady.

We work hard; it isn’t always pretty, but we get an amazing amount of work done; growth is fast and furious.

We lost our passion and focus; we are too stuck in the past. We cut costs to maintain performance and don’t drive the needed changes.

We focus on efficiency and effectiveness; we work hard AND smart. Top line growth is important, but so is profitable growth.

2. Our attitude toward risk can be described as…

“Bring it on!” Everything we do has risk.

It’s a bit scary; we like to play it safe. We work hard to avoid failure/setbacks.

Deliberately avoided; we don’t have the strength now to take chances – we play not to lose [more].

Some is fine, but don’t over rock the boat.

We accept it, but with control and thoughtfulness.

3. Our Company expects and rewards…

Compliance and conformity. Do what we’ve always done the way we’ve always done it. Cutting or controlling cost is our approach to growth.

Safe and predictable efforts; maintain existing business. Security, stability, tenure, and trust are highly valued.

Consistent growth. Efficiency and effectiveness.

Rapid growth. Effort, improvisation, and results.

Profitable and predictable performance. Collaboration, consistency, predictability.

4. Leaders here…

Drive efforts. Are quick, resourceful, and receptive to new approaches; tend to do the work themselves; push for rapid growth.

Like things the way they are. Content, cautious, conservative. Slower to tackle problems (people or process). Less sure how to grow.

Utilize a shared leadership model; support continuous improvements; personify our culture; growth isn’t their main focus.

Encourage process, procedures, and standard work. Appreciate the need for robust tools and practices; make data-driven, push for smart, deliberate growth.

Unaware, unwilling, or unable to grow. Stuck in the past, less receptive, overly cautious.

5. Our Culture…

Is strong, but tired. What were once strong cultural influences have become restrictions – “That’s not how we do things here” stymies innovation and risk.

Is established, palatable and known. Our norms drive the behavior we desire. Culture is robust and influential.

Hurts us more than helps us. Culture values safe, risk-free efforts, but we need change and innovation. Too conservative and conventional.

Reflects effort to work smarter not harder. Values process-driven effort and thinking. We work to improve and scale how we run our business.

Is like a start-up – fast paced, chaotic, energetic. You do whatever needs to be done any way you can. We muscle results.

6. Overall, I’d say our business is…

Rapidly growing.

Stabilized, established, and comfortable. Growth isn’t a priority.

Steadily and profitably growing.

Plateaued; growth is stalled, stuck, or eroding.

Shrinking, struggling, hurting, declining.

7. In our company, if you need to know what to do you…

Do what you have always done; wait and watch for changes, but things tend to stay the same.

Our culture is strong - it guides behavior. Collaboration is high, someone will help. Patterns are well established – watch for the consistent expectations.

If you don’t know, don’t ask. We keep a low profile and avoid risk. Change isn’t common, so don’t rock the boat.

Follow the process - look to established practices, roles, and responsibilities. Our consistent growth requires regularly improving how we operate.

Ask the people in charge – leaders drive decisions, priorities, and actions. A smaller core leads the way.

8. Process here is viewed as…

Not important; our priority is to quickly grow the business - however we need to do it.

Constraining. We have plenty of processes, but we don’t challenge their effectiveness nor upgrade enough.

Important. We regularly add process or standards to professionalize our business.

Limiting. Our processes hurt us more than help us; we’re too bureaucratic and change avoidant.

Established and effective. Processes help maximize our effectiveness. We optimize - not too few and not too many.

9. Our growth can be described as…

Flat, but consistent and controlled. Decent margins. Established customers are the norm, much less new business.

Flat to slightly down. No longer trending upward. We started managing bottom line via cost cuts and added restrictions.

Very good; manageable and forecasted. Better balance between revenue and margin. Exciting but controlled.

Inadequate or missing. Don’t have revenue to fuel growth. Not funding sales or R&D.

Rapid, fast-paced, a bit chaotic. New business, customers, and opportunities are the norm.

10. Currently, we don’t have much tolerance for…

Bureaucracy; rules, restrictions, indecisiveness, overly cautious decisions, poor performers.

Non-conformity; outliers, inconsistency, bad culture fit, constant or radical new ideas.

Risk, innovation, cowboys, contrarians.

Rapid or regular change, too much innovation, impulsive actions, higher risk.

Shooting from the hip; lack of data-driven decisions, workarounds (instead of fixing it the ‘right’ way).

11. Our organizational structure is…

Unchanged and outdated; we slowed/stopped questioning, challenging, evolving, or improving how we run the business.

Missing or undefined; we do whatever it takes to get the job done (regardless of structure, process, or standards).

Well established – we have honed the way we work and people know what to do.

Restricting; too much structure, rules, and limitations. Our established ways of working/thinking hold us back.

Evolving – we add structure where needed to gain efficiency and effectiveness in the way we work.

12. Today, our Company doesn’t have much tolerance for…

Chaos, surprises, unplanned, lone wolf behavior. People who challenge the culture and how we do things here.

Risk, rapid change, fast decisions. Safe is better than sorry so don’t bet the farm or grow too much.

Cowboys, MacGyvers, Superheroes, Musclers, people who figure it out as they go.

New ideas, radical thinking, risk, curious people, or those who challenge what we do and how we do it.

Rules, regulations, structure, formal roles/responsibilities, committees, slow decisions, excessive data or analysis.

13. A person who works here is expected to…

Adhere to the culture and standards established.

Not rock the boat or challenge the norms.

Do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Work smarter not harder.

Follow the rules and do what you are told.

14. Our company’s sales are…

Steadily growing, predictable, forecasted. We have well-established customers and we still regularly win new business.

Flat to slightly down; we aren’t really growing, but sales are okay. Revenue primarily from well-established customers; not much new business.

Flat but solid; consistent. Few surprises (good or bad). Lots of legacy work with consistent customers.

Fast, but inconsistent. Growth is our biggest challenge, worry, focus. Top-line sales are more important than bottom line profit. Sales ebb and flow – feast or famine.

Waning and decreasing; we maintain some mature accounts, but we aren’t winning new business anymore.

15. In this company, we view risk as…

Needing to be closely monitored, controlled, and minimized.

The norm.

Not acceptable – need to avoid wherever we can.

Something to be managed and controlled.

Minimal; we are well-established.

16. Most commonly, our employees are…

Deliberate, thoughtful, process-oriented, and data-driven.

Comfortable, compliant, less tolerant of risk, quite content with how they think, work, and behave.

Not curious nor courageous; stick to what they know; risk avoidant.

Collaborative, consistent, balanced, conservatively curious.

Energetic, resourceful, adaptable, and passionate.

17. Our culture influences us to…

Stay steady and predictable. All for one; one for all. Shared leadership and collaboration.

Muscle results – work harder; work faster; work more. Do whatever it takes to get the job done.

Work smarter not harder. Grow with efficiency in mind.

See nothing, say nothing, do nothing. If you don’t know what to do, don’t do anything. Stick to what we know, avoid risk/change.

Be safe not sorry; don’t blow it - steady as she goes. Security is better than risky growth.

18. Our rules, guidelines, process, procedures, and structure are…

Restrictive; Have become more controlling and limiting and don’t drive growth nor innovation.

Valued and useful in order to manage and organize our efforts and growth.

Clear, strong, but a bit restrictive. Intended to protect us from mistakes, but they can curtail growth.

Well established and helpful. Have a nice balance of structure while also looking for improvements.

Frowned upon and not highly valued. They prevent the pace and adaptability we prefer.

19. Our work environment can be described as…

Predictable, consistent, comfortable, steady, collaborative.

Deliberate, efficient, data-rich, process-driven.

Bureaucratic, slow, resistant, rudderless, out of date.

Cautious, conservative, content, familiar, safe.

Chaotic, fast paced, exciting, stressful, energetic.

20. Sales at our Company seem to be…

Steady and consistent, solid margins, forecasted, growing, robust, but manageable. Have established customer relationships.

Rapid and fast paced with peaks & valleys. Revenue matters more than profit right now – need cash to fuel growth.

Well established, consistent, and steady. More flat than growing. Profitability is solid but there is pressure on our margins.

Declining. We don’t have the growth we used to. Losing some profitability as products age. Don’t see the hunger for sales we used to have.

Inadequate. Without sales revenue, our focus is on cutting costs. We protect what we have more than build what we need.

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Developed by Chip Valutis, Ph.D.