OCAI
Competing Values Framework for assessing current and desired culture.
PURPOSE
Organizations often don't know exactly what culture they currently live and what they should aspire to. The OCAI makes this gap measurable and provides a data-based foundation for cultural change. It helps concretely name the difference between current and desired culture and derive action areas.
HOW TO USE
Employees fill out a standardized questionnaire assessing six cultural dimensions, each for the current and desired state. Results are visualized in a culture profile mapping the four culture types of the Competing Values Framework. Development measures are derived based on the difference between current and desired states.
WHAT IT IS
The OCAI (Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument) is a scientifically validated diagnostic tool based on the Competing Values Framework by Cameron and Quinn. It distinguishes four culture types: Clan, Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy. The instrument consists of a standardized questionnaire with six assessment dimensions.
EXAMPLE
Example: Your city administration wants to move from a bureaucratic administrative culture to a more innovative, citizen-oriented organization. With the OCAI, you have all 200 employees assess the current and desired culture, giving you a clear picture of the gap. Results show you are currently strongly hierarchical but aspire to a Clan culture.
WHEN TO USE
PREREQUISITES
- Anonymous survey possible
- Commitment to discussing results
- Skill: OCAI analysis
- Skill: Facilitating result dialogues
⚠️ WATCH OUT
- Measurement without follow-up dialogue creates cynicism instead of change
- Common mistake: Reading profiles as report cards — what's judged is fit to strategy, never the type
💡 SUCCESS FACTORS
- Plan twice as much time for dialogues as for the measurement