Unique methodology guides an environmental management office toward a thriving workplace culture

A large energy and environmental management office spread across multiple geographies and home to a diverse workforce had a clear vision: to create a supportive, welcoming, and fair workplace. With over 1,700 employees ranging from entry-level employees to senior executives, they recognized the challenge and importance of every team member feeling connected to the mission and empowered to contribute at their full potential. However, despite their existing efforts, they recognized gaps in how connected, engaged, and supported employees felt across the organization.

Determined to turn their vision into reality, they sought a partner capable of assessing their culture and identifying opportunities to strengthen employee connection and organizational cohesion. Together, they aimed to develop a long-term roadmap to promote a healthy, inclusive, and values-aligned culture across the organization.

We partnered with the organization to deliver a comprehensive, engagement-driven culture transformation strategy, addressing their immediate and long-term goals. Drawing on our signature organizational culture methodology, we worked closely with organizational senior leaders to offer strategic advice focused on employee experience, leadership alignment, and organizational values. Our team conducted a thorough compilation, analysis, and synthesis of quantitative and qualitative data. We assessed the organization’s culture across multiple dimensions, providing a clear view of current strengths and areas for growth. Using these two tools, we provided a report with actionable recommendations for creating a more connected and collaborative culture, along with training to support the organization in implementing changes.

As we delved deeper into their approach, it became clear that to truly understand the employee experience, we needed to go beyond data alone and engage directly with the people who lived it every day. We evaluated five key areas: (1) Communication and Training, (2) Culture and Engagement, (3) Compensation, Recruitment, Hiring, and Promotion, (4) Commitment and Accountability, and (5) Constructs of an Organization. Alongside a thorough review of existing documentation and practices, this methodology helped us establish a comprehensive baseline of the organization’s current DEIA environment, ensuring that our recommendations were grounded in real experiences and meaningful dialogue. To that end, we conducted employee focus groups, engaged in one-on-one interviews with supervisory employees, distributed an employee culture-focused survey to 315 employees, and met with senior leadership representatives.

Identifying opportunities

Our analysis uncovered critical gaps and areas for improvement in the organization’s business, communications, and cultural practices. Our findings helped shape the foundation for a culture evolution strategy aligned with leadership goals and employee needs. 

Our detailed roadmap for implementing culture-building efforts provided clear steps for senior leaders to create a sustainable, positive environment. This roadmap emphasized continuous engagement, accountability, and the ongoing development of a skilled, empowered workforce. The roadmap included establishing communication plans, listening sessions, and supervisory culture-focused communities of practice to develop a strong commitment to a culture of transparency that reflects shared values.

To ensure all employees understood the organization’s vision for culture, we recommended training programs and toolkits for employees at all levels. We also recommended an ongoing evaluation strategy to assess hiring practices, assess employee engagement, and ensure long-term sustainability.

Developing a culture takes time. To support that effort, we provided initial coaching to senior leaders, offering our expert insights on how to develop and maintain a healthy organizational culture. As senior leadership can sometimes be removed from employee culture within an organization, we supported them in creating an awareness of their employees' feelings and experiences, developing the ability to speak to any dynamics they were hearing within the agency. We also recommended ongoing training and coaching for employees to prepare them to maintain and execute the culture transformation strategy over time. We recommended ongoing coaching, peer-to-peer support, and continuous improvement plans that would create opportunities to adapt and adjust plans and strategies as they learned more about their organization’s progression and effectiveness in implementing the approach.