Assessing and Optimising Organisational Culture in Local Government: The Role of the Organisational Culture Inventory (OCI)

Culture is often described as “how things are done around here,” but in local government, it is far more than a catchphrase it is the invisible force that shapes decisions, behaviours, and ultimately, outcomes for communities. A council’s culture influences everything from how staff interact with residents to how effectively services are delivered under pressure. It can foster innovation and collaboration, or it can entrench risk aversion and bureaucracy. In short, culture can make or break service delivery, staff engagement, and public trust.

While strategy sets the direction, culture determines whether that strategy succeeds. Even the most ambitious transformation plans will falter if the underlying behaviours and norms do not support change. For councils striving to improve performance, attract talent, and adapt to growing demands whether digital transformation, climate action, or financial sustainability understanding and shaping organisational culture is not optional; it is essential. Yet culture is complex. It is not written in policy documents or captured in mission statements; it lives in the day-to-day behaviours that employees believe are necessary to “fit in and succeed.” This is where robust diagnostic tools come in. One proven approach is the Organisational Culture Inventory (OCI) developed by Human Synergistics a framework that goes beyond aspirational values to measure the behavioural norms that drive performance.

What is the OCI?

The Organisational Culture Inventory (OCI) is one of the most widely recognised and research-backed tools for diagnosing organisational culture. Developed by Human Synergistics, it goes beyond surface-level statements about values and instead measures the behavioural norms and expectations that truly shape how work gets done. In other words, it asks: What behaviours do employees believe they need to display to “fit in and succeed” within this organisation?

This behavioural focus is critical for local government because culture often operates below the radar. While councils may publish mission statements and strategic plans, the real drivers of performance are the unwritten rules the implicit norms that influence decision-making, collaboration, and risk-taking. These norms can either enable transformation or create barriers that derail even the most well-intentioned strategies.

How Does It Work?

The OCI uses a structured survey to capture perceptions across the workforce, producing a clear picture of the prevailing culture. It categorises these behavioural expectations into three distinct clusters, each with profound implications for organisational effectiveness:

Constructive Styles

These styles encourage behaviours such as achievement, collaboration, and self-development. Employees in Constructive cultures feel empowered to take initiative, share ideas, and work towards common goals. For local authorities, this translates into:

• Greater innovation in service design.

• Stronger cross-departmental collaboration.

• Higher levels of accountability and ownership.

Constructive cultures are strongly associated with improved performance, staff engagement, and adaptability qualities that councils need to navigate financial pressures, digital transformation, and community expectations.

Passive/Defensive Styles

These styles promote behaviours like conformity, dependence, and avoidance. While they may reduce conflict in the short term, they often create a culture of caution and compliance rather than creativity. In local government, this can manifest as:

• Excessive sign-off processes and bureaucratic delays.

• Reluctance to challenge outdated practices.

• A tendency to “play it safe” rather than innovate.

Such norms can slow down transformation efforts and make it harder for councils to respond quickly to emerging challenges.

Aggressive/Defensive Styles

These styles drive behaviours such as competition, perfectionism, and power orientation. While they can produce short-term results, they often undermine trust and collaboration. In a council setting, this might look like:

• Departments competing for resources rather than working together.

• Leaders prioritising control over empowerment.

• A culture of blame that discourages risk-taking.

Aggressive/Defensive norms can create silos and erode morale, making it difficult to deliver integrated services or build strong partnerships with external stakeholders.

Why This Matters

By identifying which styles dominate, the OCI provides councils with actionable insights into the cultural forces shaping performance. It moves the conversation from vague notions of “values” to concrete behaviours that can be measured, discussed, and changed. This makes it an invaluable tool for leaders who want to align culture with strategy and create an environment where staff can thrive.

Why Does This Matter for Local Government?

Local authorities operate in a high-pressure environment: budget constraints, political scrutiny, and rising community expectations. In such contexts, cultural norms can either enable resilience and innovation or perpetuate risk aversion and inefficiency.

For example:

• A Constructive culture supports adaptive leadership and empowers staff to find creative solutions to housing shortages or climate targets.

• A Passive/Defensive culture may lead to excessive sign-off processes and reluctance to challenge outdated practices.

• An Aggressive/Defensive culture can result in internal competition for resources, undermining partnership working.

Effectiveness of the OCI in Practice

1. Behavioural Focus

Unlike tools that measure aspirational values, the OCI captures the reality of day-to-day behaviours. This is crucial for councils where formal mission statements often differ from lived experience.

2. Evidence-Based Insights

The OCI provides quantitative data that can be benchmarked against other organisations, offering a clear picture of where a council stands and what needs to change.

3. Linking Culture to Performance

Research shows that Constructive cultures correlate strongly with improved service outcomes, staff engagement, and financial sustainability. Councils using OCI can identify cultural barriers to transformation programmes and design targeted interventions.

Practical Examples from UK Local Government

• Digital Transformation Projects: Councils with Constructive cultures tend to embrace digital tools faster, as staff feel safe to experiment and share ideas. Conversely, Passive/Defensive cultures often delay adoption due to fear of mistakes.

• Housing and Regeneration Initiatives: Aggressive/Defensive norms can lead to siloed working between planning, housing, and finance teams, slowing delivery. OCI results can highlight these dynamics and inform leadership coaching.

• Climate Action Plans: Constructive cultures encourage collaboration across departments and with external partners, enabling councils to meet ambitious carbon reduction targets.

Optimising Culture: From Diagnosis to Action

Using the Organisational Culture Inventory (OCI) is not just about measurement it’s about creating meaningful change. A cultural assessment is only valuable if it leads to action, and for local authorities, this means embedding insights into leadership behaviours, organisational processes, and strategic priorities. Here’s how councils can leverage OCI effectively:

1. Engage Leadership

Culture change starts at the top. Senior leaders must own the cultural agenda, not delegate it to HR or transformation teams. OCI results should be presented in a way that sparks honest dialogue among the leadership group. These insights can inform:

• Leadership development programmes that focus on modelling Constructive behaviours.

• Succession planning, ensuring future leaders are selected and developed with cultural alignment in mind.

• Performance objectives, linking cultural outcomes to leadership accountability.

Without visible commitment from the top, cultural initiatives risk being perceived as “tick-box exercises.”

2. Connect to Strategy

Culture cannot exist in isolation it must align with strategic priorities. For example:

• If a council is pursuing digital transformation, a Constructive culture that encourages innovation and collaboration will accelerate adoption.

• If the priority is community empowerment, cultural norms that value openness and shared decision-making will be essential.

By explicitly linking OCI findings to strategic goals, councils can demonstrate why culture matters and secure buy-in across the organisation.

3. Monitor Progress

Culture change is a journey, not a one-off project. Councils should repeat OCI assessments periodically typically every 12–18 months to track shifts and maintain momentum. This creates a feedback loop where leaders can see the impact of interventions and adjust accordingly. Progress should be celebrated to reinforce positive behaviours and sustain engagement.

4. Invest in Coaching

Changing behaviour requires support. Executive coaching is a powerful tool for helping leaders internalise OCI insights and model Constructive behaviours. Coaches can work with individuals and teams to:

• Challenge defensive thinking patterns.

• Build confidence in collaborative leadership.

• Develop strategies for influencing cultural change at scale.

When leaders demonstrate the desired behaviours consistently, cultural change becomes contagious.

Common Pitfalls When Using OCI

While OCI is a robust tool, its effectiveness depends on how it is implemented. Here are three common mistakes councils should avoid:

1. Treating It as a One-Off Exercise

Culture change is not a quick fix. Councils that conduct an OCI assessment, share the results, and then move on without embedding the insights into ongoing development will see little impact. The OCI should be part of a continuous improvement cycle, integrated into leadership programmes, organisational development plans, and performance reviews.

2. Ignoring Middle Management

Cultural norms often live in the “frozen middle” the layer of managers who translate strategy into operational reality. If this group is not engaged, cultural change will stall. Councils should:

• Include middle managers in OCI discussions.

• Provide targeted development to help them lead cultural change within their teams.

• Recognise and reward behaviours that align with Constructive styles.

3. Focusing Only on Scores

Numbers tell part of the story, but not the whole picture. Councils that fixate on improving OCI scores without understanding the underlying behaviours risk superficial change. Qualitative feedback focus groups, interviews, and open discussions should complement the quantitative data to uncover why certain norms exist and how they can be shifted.

Conclusion

For local government, culture is not a “soft” issue, it is a critical performance driver that influences every aspect of organisational life. From how decisions are made to how services are delivered, culture shapes behaviours, priorities, and ultimately, outcomes for communities. Councils that fail to address cultural dynamics risk undermining even the most well-crafted strategies, while those that actively manage culture can unlock innovation, resilience, and long-term success. The Organisational Culture Inventory (OCI) offers a robust, evidence-based way to understand and optimise culture. Unlike tools that focus on aspirational values, OCI measures the behavioural norms that truly govern day-to-day operations the unwritten rules that determine whether staff feel empowered or constrained. By shining a light on these norms, councils gain actionable insights into what is helping or hindering performance.

However, the real value of OCI lies not in the data alone but in what happens next. Moving beyond measurement to meaningful action is essential. This means engaging leadership at every level, aligning cultural change with strategic priorities, and embedding new behaviours into recruitment, onboarding, and development processes. It also requires persistence: culture change is a journey, not a one-off project. Councils that monitor progress, invest in coaching, and celebrate small wins will see the greatest impact. In an era of rapid change digital transformation, financial pressures, climate challenges, and rising community expectations local authorities need cultures that enable agility, collaboration, and innovation. By leveraging tools like OCI and committing to sustained cultural development, councils can create environments where staff feel valued and empowered, partnerships flourish, and strategic goals are not just aspirational but achievable. Ultimately, culture is the foundation on which everything else rests. Get it right, and councils can deliver services that are not only efficient but transformative, building trust, improving outcomes, and shaping communities for the better.