Circumplex Culture Scan (CCS)
Culture has many layers—values, beliefs, assumptions, artifacts. But the most observable, measurable, and changeable aspect of culture is interpersonal behavioural norms: how people actually interact and communicate with each other.
WHAT IS THE CIRCUMPLEX CULTURE SCAN (CCS)
Measuring the BehavioUral Reality of Your Culture
The behavioural norms in your organisation are the true manifestation of your culture.
They reveal what’s really valued, what’s really tolerated, and what actually drives behaviour, regardless of what’s written on your walls or in your values statements.
The Circumplex Culture Scan (CCS) is a scientifically validated tool that measures organisational behavioural norms across 8 (eight) distinct culture styles: Courageous & Confident, Timid & Hesitant, Engaged & Open, Evasive & Guarded, Respectful & Modest, Rude & Combative, Competitive & Pushy, and Yielding & Cautious.
The CCS doesn’t just tell you how people feel about your culture (like engagement surveys do). It tells you how people actually behave—and how that aligns with the culture you need.
We measure both:
- Current Culture: The behavioural norms shaping how people work together today.
- Ideal Culture: The behavioural norms needed to support your strategy and values.
The gap between current and ideal shows you where behaviour needs to shift.
THE 8 (EIGHT) ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE STYLES
Courageous & Confident
Members act boldly, decisively, and fearlessly. They’re comfortable being assertive and taking charge.
Engaged & Open
Members welcome opportunities to interact and communicate. They’re involved and eager to share perspectives.
Respectful & Modest
Members support and care for each other. They’re mindful not to behave in ways others might consider boastful or annoying.
Yielding & Cautious
Members are very conflict-avoidant. They’re careful not to say or do anything that might provoke controversy or negative attention.
Timid & Hesitant
Evasive & Guarded
Members tend to ignore or avoid each other. They may avoid contributing because they doubt their contributions would be positively received.
Rude & Combative
Members forcefully struggle among themselves for power and dominance. They sometimes undercut, belittle, and bully each other.
Competitive & Pushy
Members compete with each other for attention and prestige. They strive for opportunities to distinguish themselves and advance their careers.
SIGNS YOUR ORGANISATION MIGHT BENEFIT FROM THE CIRCUMPLEX CULTURE SCAN (CCS)
| You're launching culture transformation | Before you can change culture, you need to know exactly what you're changing from and to. The Circumplex Culture Scan CCS provides your baseline and target. |
| Your strategy requires different behaviors | Your strategy has shifted (innovation focus, customer-centricity, digital transformation) but you don't know if your culture supports it. |
| You suspect culture is blocking performance | Teams aren't collaborating. Innovation is stifled. Change isn't sticking. You suspect culture is the problem but need data to prove it. |
| You need to measure culture change progress | You've been working on culture and need to know if it's actually changing—not just whether people are happier, but whether behaviour is shifting. |
| Post-merger culture integration | You need to understand the behavioural norms of both organisations so you can intentionally design the integrated culture. |
| You're addressing specific culture issues | Problematic behaviour, psychological safety concerns or recurring culture issues—you need to understand the behavioural patterns contributing to them. |
| Leadership needs objective culture data | Anecdotes and opinions aren't enough. You need behavioural data to understand what's really happening across your culture. |
| You want to prevent culture drift | You've built a strong culture and want to track it over time to catch drift before it becomes a problem. |
Who is this for?
The Circumplex Culture Scan (CCS) is designed for...
Organisations Shifting Strategy
When strategy changes, the culture and everyday behaviour need to move with it.
Organisations with Strong Values but Weak Follow-Through
When values are clear, but everyday behaviour doesn’t consistently reflect them.
Merging, Scaling, or Restructuring Organisations
When new structures, new leaders or rapid growth are disrupting established behavioural norms.
Organisations Embedding New Ways of Working
When new ways of working need to become everyday habits and norms—not just announcements.
Organisations Experiencing Fragmentation or Mixed Signals
When teams, leaders and systems are pulling in different directions and cultural consistency is breaking down.
Organisations Serious About Culture Change
When you need a clear, evidence-based picture of the behavioural norms helping or hindering your strategy.
Organisations Integrating Cultures
When you need to understand different behavioural norms and intentionally shape the culture you want to create together.
Organisations Measuring Culture Change
When you need to know whether behavioural norms are actually shifting—not simply whether sentiment has changed.
Organisations Preventing Culture Drift
When you want to track culture over time and identify drift before it becomes a bigger problem.
WHAT MAKES THE CIRCUMPLEX CULTURE SCAN (CCS) DIFFERENT
| Behavioural Focus, Not Sentiment | The CCS focuses on behavioural norms—how people interact and work together—not simply how they feel about the organisation. This makes the findings directly relevant to behaviour change. |
| Current AND Ideal Culture | The CCS measures both current and ideal behavioural norms, making the gap between where you are and where you need to be visible. |
| Scientifically Validated | The CCS is built on the interpersonal circumplex—a well-established model for understanding interpersonal behaviour. |
| Benchmarked | Your results are compared against other organisations, giving you context for interpretation. |
| Fast to Complete | Each survey takes approximately 10 minutes to complete and can be deployed in real-time in workshops or as part of a facilitated workshop.be done |
| Visual and Intuitive | The circumplex visual makes complex culture data easy to understand and discuss. |
| Outcome-Linked | The CCS includes 12 culture outcome measures, helping teams explore the relationship between behavioural norms and important organisational outcomes. |
| Actionable | The current-to-ideal gap identifies priority behavioural shifts, providing a clear starting point for culture change. |
How This Integrates with Our Programs
The Circumplex Culture Scan (CCS) is used in a range of our Sprints and programs.
The Culture Shift Sprint
We use the CCS to establish the current and ideal culture profiles, focus the Sprint on priority behavioural shifts, and measure progress.
Custom Culture Programs
CCS insights help us design targeted programs around the specific behavioural patterns and priorities revealed by the data.
Measure Culture Change
Repeat the CCS over time to see whether behavioural norms are shifting and where further attention is needed.
Post-Merger Integration
CCS can be used to understand the behavioural norms of both organisations and track how the integrated culture evolves over time.
A Standalone Snapshot
Use the CCS independently when you need a clear behavioural picture of your culture, with comprehensive reporting and interpretation to inform your own initiatives.
HOW IT WORKS
The Circumplex Culture Scan (CCS) Process
1. Define the Scope and Objectives
- We We work with you to determine:
- What you need to understand about your culture and why
- Which parts of the organisation will participate
- What decisions the data needs to inform
- How the results will be used
2. Configure the CCS
- We configure the CCS for your context:
- Define the organisational groups to be measured
- Establish how current and ideal culture will be assessed
- Set up comparison groups where required
- Confirm deployment, reporting and debrief approach
3. Deploy the CCS
We have two deployment options:
Option A: Real-Time Workshop Collection
- Participants complete the CCS during a facilitated Culture Workshop
- Current and ideal culture surveys are completed during the session
- Results are available immediately for facilitated interpretation
- ✓ Enables discussion and action planning while the team is together
Option B: Online Collection
- Participants receive an invitation to complete the CCS online
- A defined collection window allows participation across locations and schedules
- Results are analysed once the collection period closes
The CCS:
- 64 items measuring behavioural norms
- Measures 8 (eight) culture styles across a circumplex model
- Includes 12 culture outcomes (e.g., quality, adaptability, goal achievement)
- Current and ideal culture are assessed separately with each one taking approximately 10 minutes to complete
- Benchmarked against other organisations
4. Analyse the Data
- We analyse your results to identify:
- Current Culture Profile: The behavioural norms that define how your organisation operates today
- Ideal Culture Profile: The behavioural norms your people believe are needed for success
- Culture Gap Analysis: The specific behavioural shifts required to close the gap
- Culture Outcomes: How your current culture impacts quality, innovation, morale, and performance
- Comparison Analysis: How different departments, divisions, or groups compare
- Benchmark Comparison: How your culture compares to other organisations
5. Debrief and Action Planning
We present findings and facilitate action planning:
Option A: Real-Time Workshop Debrief
- Immediate display of results during the Culture Workshop
- Facilitated discussion of what the data means
- Real-time action planning based on findings
- High engagement and immediate momentum
Option B: Cascade Communication
- Comprehensive debrief presentation to leadership team
- Detailed culture feedback reports (organisation, division, department level)
- Facilitated action planning sessions
- Communication cascade to the broader organisation
6. Create Culture Change Roadmap
- The findings provide the foundation for a focused culture change roadmap. We help you:
- Prioritise the behavioural shifts that matter most
- Explore the organisational factors reinforcing current behaviour
- Define the behaviours that need to become more or less prevalent
- Identify practical interventions and reinforcement mechanisms
- Establish measures for tracking progress over time
WHAT'S THE CCS CAN PROVIDE
Comprehensive Culture Data
Quantified data on organisational behavioural norms across the 8 (eight) culture styles and 12 culture outcomes.
Current Culture Profile
Visual Circumplex profile showing the behavioural norms shaping your culture today.
Ideal Culture Profile
Visual Circumplex profile showing the behavioural norms considered necessary to support future success.
Culture Gap Analysis
Analysis of the most significant gaps between current and ideal behavioural norms.
Culture Outcomes Assessment
Data on how your current culture impacts quality, productivity, adaptability, innovation, morale, and goal achievement.
Comparison Analysis
If measuring multiple groups: comparison of culture profiles across departments, divisions, or organisational units.
Benchmark Data
Comparison of your culture against other organisations.
Culture Feedback Reports
Clear reporting designed to support interpretation and discussion of the findings.
Debrief and Interpretation
Facilitated session to understand what the data reveals and identify priorities.
Action Planning
Facilitated translation of insights into clear behavioural priorities and next steps.
Culture Change Roadmap
Prioritised plan for shifting behavioural norms, with specific interventions and success metrics.
