New McLean & Company Guide Helps HR Leaders Turn Culture Data Into Actionable Insights
A new resource from global HR research and advisory firm McLean & Company explains how organizations can use culture measurement to assess alignment between stated values, day-to-day behaviors, and strategic goals, while identifying culture strengths and gaps over time.
TORONTO, Oct. 21, 2026 /CNW/ -- As organizations seek to better connect culture to strategy, performance, and employee experience, HR leaders need more than stated values to understand whether culture is being reflected in daily work. In McLean & Company's new guide, Measuring Organizational Culture, the global HR research and advisory firm explains how organizations can use culture data to establish a baseline, surface strengths and gaps, and track progress toward desired behaviors and outcomes.
"Culture measurement is often treated as an afterthought, but it's what helps organizations understand whether culture is actually enabling strategy and performance," says Leann Schneider, director, HR Research & Advisory services at McLean & Company. "By combining employee feedback, organizational data, and progress measures, leaders can see where culture is taking hold and where action is needed."
The insights published in the new guide highlight a persistent gap between an organization's stated culture and employees' lived experience. Without a clear way to measure that disconnect, leaders may struggle to identify where values are being reinforced, where culture gaps may be limiting progress, and which priorities require closer attention.
According to data findings from the firm's 2025 Employee Engagement Survey, 66% of employees report that their organization's stated mission, vision, and values are reflected in day-to-day activities, and 64% report that their executive team models organizational values. However, those perceptions are not consistent across the organization, with leaders of leaders tending to view culture and the employee experience more positively than nonmanagers.
In the Measuring Organizational Culture guide, McLean & Company outlines how HR leaders can embed measurement throughout culture design by conducting a culture assessment and applying targeted culture measurement. The firm advises the approach can help organizations understand current culture, translate priorities into measurable goals, and monitor progress over time. The key steps include:
- Conduct a culture assessment: Review organizational artifacts, qualitative data, and survey data to understand espoused, current, and desired culture, then identify strengths, gaps, and key themes.
- Create a culture assessment report: Synthesize findings into a clear narrative that highlights the most important culture insights and prepares leaders to align on priorities and next steps.
- Apply targeted culture measurement: Translate culture priorities into measurable goals, connect existing metrics to desired behaviors and outcomes, establish baselines and targets, and refine actions as new data emerges.
McLean & Company also notes in the guide that measurement is most valuable when it connects culture signals with organizational outcomes. By establishing baselines, setting realistic targets, and tracking progress through a sustainable cadence, HR leaders can identify early signs of misalignment and adjust culture actions before issues escalate.
The firm's recently refreshed Articulate Organizational Culture blueprint supports the Measuring Organizational Culture guide as a companion resource for culture design. It includes tools and templates for defining desired culture, confirming values, identifying behaviors, preparing for change, and planning communications. McLean & Company also offers a related Articulate Organizational Culture workshop to help HR teams work through the process with expert guidance.
To access the resource, please visit McLean & Company's Measuring Organizational Culture research page.
Media seeking research-backed insights or commentary from McLean & Company experts on organizational culture, leadership alignment, employee experience, strategic HR, or culture's impact on organizational performance can contact [email protected].
About McLean & Company
McLean & Company is a global HR research and advisory firm and trusted partner to people leaders navigating today's most pressing workforce challenges. Informed by its work with thousands of HR professionals and executives, the firm provides evidence-based research, diagnostics, practical tools, hands-on support, and services spanning advisory, learning, and coaching. From workforce strategy and leadership to culture, engagement, retention, and AI adoption, McLean & Company helps leaders move from direction to execution and deliver measurable results for their people and organizations.
McLean & Company is a division of Info-Tech Research Group.
Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software, and hundreds of industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].
SOURCE McLean & Company
Media Contact: Kelsey King, Senior Communications Manager, McLean & Company, [email protected]
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