Organizational Culture Survey Template
Sixteen questions on values, fairness, decisions and teamwork, all on one agreement scale. Answer it below before you send it.
- 16questions
- About 4 minto complete
- 5-pointagreement scale
- 6-itemshort form
The 16 culture survey questions
A culture survey asks employees whether the values an organization states are the ones people work by. This one has fifteen statements on values in practice, what gets rewarded and tolerated, decisions, teamwork and direction, plus one open question. Every statement is about the organization, and all sixteen open ready to edit in the online questionnaire maker.
Values in practice (3 questions)
The overall read, then whether people and leaders act on the values.
- Overall, the culture at this organization is healthy.The one number to track from year to year.
- I understand what our values mean in day-to-day decisions.
- Senior leaders act in ways that match our values.Swap in the name your organization uses for its top team.
What gets rewarded and what gets tolerated (3 questions)
Culture shows in what an organization rewards and what it lets pass.
- Good work here gets recognized.
- When someone here behaves against our values, it gets dealt with.Keep this one: it shows what is allowed, beyond what is said.
- People are treated fairly here.
How decisions get made (3 questions)
Who decides, whether they explain, and whether people can speak up.
- It is clear who makes which decisions here.
- Senior leaders explain the reasons behind decisions.
- I can raise a problem here without being blamed.
How people work together (3 questions)
Across departments, between colleagues, and for people who are different.
- Departments here keep each other informed.
- People here help each other out without being asked.
- Someone who is different from most people here would still fit in.
Direction, and the story from outside (3 questions)
Where the organization is going, and the story it tells about itself.
- I know what this organization is trying to achieve.
- How things are done here changes when they need to.
- The way this place is described to outsiders matches what it is like to work here.Share this result with recruitment: it checks the story candidates hear.
In your words (1 question)
One open question with a 90-day window.
- What is one change we should make in the next 90 days to improve how work gets done here?Group the answers by theme and publish the top three.
How to use the culture survey
Send it to everyone in the organization at the same time, once a year on a date you keep. It asks for no name, team or job title, so it goes out anonymously as written. The fifteen statements are required and the open question is optional.
For each statement, report the average and the share who chose 4 or 5, then set both beside last year's. For a shorter run, use questions 1, 6, 9, 12, 15 and 16. Between annual runs, a few of the statements fit an employee pulse survey.
When the question is how one person feels about their own work, send the employee engagement survey. To compare answers between groups, the DEI survey questions add an optional identity block. If the cross-department statement scores lowest, an organizational network analysis survey maps who works with whom.
Organizational culture survey FAQ
What is the difference between a culture survey and an employee engagement survey?
Culture is the set of assumptions a group teaches new members as the correct way to do things.[1] A culture survey asks what is true here for everyone. An engagement survey asks how one person feels about their own work.
How many questions should a culture survey have?
Sixteen here: fifteen statements in five groups and one open question. Each statement asks about one concept,[2] and asking the same sixteen next year lets you compare the two runs.
Should a culture survey be anonymous?
Yes. This one asks for no name, email, team or job title, so it can go out anonymously as written. Tell people that before question 1.
What questions should a core values survey ask?
Ask whether people can apply the values, whether leaders act on them, and whether breaking them has consequences. Questions 2, 3 and 5 here do that. To check named values one by one, repeat question 2 with each value in place of "our values".
Michael Hodge, survey methodology · Updated 2 October 2026 · How templates are reviewed
Sources (2)
- Schein, E. H. (1984). Coming to a New Awareness of Organizational Culture. MIT Sloan Management Review 25(2). sloanreview.mit.edu
- AAPOR. Best Practices for Survey Research. American Association for Public Opinion Research. aapor.org
Run your culture survey
Sixteen questions, about four minutes, one scale. Open it in the editor and put your own names for leaders and values in before it goes out.
Use this template