How can you measure the effectiveness of your company's culture for global expansion?

1 Assess your cultural alignment

The first step is to evaluate how well your company's culture aligns with your global strategy, vision, and goals. You can use tools such as the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI) or the Denison Organizational Culture Survey (DOCS) to measure four dimensions of culture: adaptability, involvement, consistency, and mission. These dimensions reflect how your company responds to change, engages employees, coordinates actions, and articulates purpose. You can compare your results with industry benchmarks or best practices, and identify any gaps or misalignments that need to be addressed.

2 Survey your global stakeholders

The second step is to gather feedback from your global stakeholders, such as customers, suppliers, distributors, regulators, and competitors. You can use surveys, interviews, focus groups, or online platforms to ask them about their perceptions, expectations, and preferences regarding your company's culture. You can also ask them about their own cultural values, norms, and practices, and how they differ from yours. This can help you understand how your company's culture is perceived and received in different contexts, and what adjustments or improvements you need to make.

3 Monitor your cultural outcomes

The third step is to track and analyze the outcomes of your company's culture in terms of performance, satisfaction, and retention. You can use metrics such as sales, profitability, market share, customer loyalty, employee engagement, turnover, and innovation to measure how your company's culture contributes to your global success. You can also use qualitative data such as testimonials, stories, reviews, or awards to capture the impact of your company's culture on your global reputation and relationships. You can then use this data to evaluate the effectiveness of your company's culture, and identify any areas for improvement or celebration.

4 Learn from your cultural experiences

The fourth step is to learn from your cultural experiences and apply them to your future actions. You can use methods such as after-action reviews, debriefs, or lessons learned sessions to reflect on what worked and what didn't work in your global expansion, and why. You can also use tools such as the Cultural Intelligence (CQ) model or the Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) to assess and improve your company's ability to adapt and communicate across cultures. You can then use this knowledge to enhance your company's culture, and prepare for new or emerging global opportunities or challenges.

5 Involve your cultural champions

The fifth step is to involve your cultural champions in your global expansion efforts. These are the people who embody, promote, and support your company's culture in different locations, markets, or networks. They can be leaders, managers, employees, customers, or partners who have a high level of cultural awareness, sensitivity, and competence. You can leverage their skills, insights, and connections to help you navigate the cultural nuances, expectations, and dynamics of your global expansion. You can also empower them to share, teach, and learn from other cultural champions, and create a global community of practice around your company's culture.

6 Review your cultural evolution

The sixth step is to review your cultural evolution and update your company's culture accordingly. As you expand globally, your company's culture will inevitably change and evolve, as you encounter new situations, challenges, and opportunities. You need to monitor and manage this change, and ensure that your company's culture remains relevant, consistent, and effective for your global expansion. You can use tools such as the Culture Map or the Culture Canvas to visualize and communicate your company's culture, and how it differs or aligns with other cultures. You can also use feedback, data, and learning to revise and refine your company's culture, and align it with your global strategy, vision, and goals.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?