Beyond Surveys: Why Values Assessment is the Missing Link in Local Government Workforce Culture

The Illusion of Progress

Culture is the invisible architecture of an organisation. It is not written in policy documents or captured in organisational charts it lives in the behaviours, decisions, and interactions that happen every day. It shapes how teams respond to challenges, how leaders make decisions under pressure, and how services are delivered to communities. In local government, where collaboration and trust underpin everything from social care to regeneration projects, culture is not a “soft” issue it is a strategic imperative.

Yet, many councils still rely on annual employee engagement surveys as their primary diagnostic tool for culture. These surveys often create the illusion of progress: a sense that something meaningful is being done simply because data is being collected. While surveys can provide useful sentiment snapshots how employees feel about their workload, leadership, or communication they rarely lead to meaningful cultural change. Why? Because they measure outputs, not the underlying drivers of behaviour. As Peter Drucker famously said:

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”

This quote resonates deeply in the public sector. A council can have the most ambitious transformation strategy, the most detailed improvement plan, and the most advanced technology roadmap but if its culture resists change, those plans will stall. Culture determines whether innovation thrives or dies, whether collaboration flourishes or fractures.

The problem is that engagement surveys often become a tick-box exercise. They are launched with good intentions, but without a clear plan to act on the findings, they risk reinforcing cynicism among staff. Employees see results published, promises made, and then… nothing changes. Over time, this erodes trust and creates survey fatigue. People stop believing their voice matters.

Even when action follows, it tends to focus on surface-level issues communication channels, recognition schemes, wellbeing initiatives without addressing the deeper question:

What values are driving behaviour in this organisation? 

If the underlying values remain misaligned with the council’s vision, these interventions will have limited impact. For example, introducing flexible working policies will not improve collaboration if the prevailing culture values control and presenteeism over trust and autonomy. This is why values assessment is critical. It moves beyond sentiment to diagnose the cultural DNA of an organisation. It asks:

• What do we truly value as a council?

• How do those values show up in everyday behaviour?

• Where is the gap between our stated values and lived experience?

Without this insight, councils risk mistaking activity for progress. They collect data, publish reports, and hold town halls but the underlying culture remains unchanged. And when culture doesn’t change, neither do outcomes.

The Problem with Employee Surveys

Employee engagement surveys have become a staple in organisational diagnostics. They promise insight, accountability, and a roadmap for improvement. Yet, in practice, they often fail to deliver meaningful cultural change. Why? Because they are designed to measure sentiment, not substance. Here are the three critical flaws:

1. Lack of Follow-Through

Surveys create expectations. When employees take the time to share their views, they anticipate action. But too often, results are published, a few initiatives are announced, and then momentum fades. Gallup research shows that disengaged employees have 37% higher absenteeism and are 18% less productive, yet 82% of employees report feeling disengaged at work. This disconnect exists because feedback frequently disappears into a “black hole.” In local government, this is particularly damaging. Councils operate in an environment where trust and transparency are paramount. When staff see no tangible change after a survey, cynicism grows. Comments like “Why bother? Nothing changes” become common. Over time, this erodes psychological safety the very foundation of engagement.

2. Focus on Outputs, Not Drivers

Surveys measure symptoms: satisfaction, motivation, workload stress. They tell you how employees feel, not why they feel that way. Without understanding the values shaping behaviour, interventions remain superficial.

For example, a survey might reveal low scores on “communication.” The knee-jerk response? Launch more newsletters or town halls. But if the underlying issue is a culture of hierarchy and risk aversion, more communication won’t solve the problem. The real driver is a lack of trust and openness issues rooted in values, not volume of information. This is why councils often struggle with transformation programmes. They address operational pain points without tackling cultural misalignment. The result? Change initiatives stall, not because of poor planning, but because the cultural soil is infertile.

3. Psychological Bias and Survey Fatigue

Surveys assume honesty. But reality tells a different story. Up to 50% of employees admit to being less than truthful in surveys due to confidentiality concerns and fear of repercussions. In hierarchical organisations like councils, this fear is amplified. Staff worry that negative feedback could harm their reputation or career prospects. Add to this the phenomenon of survey fatigue. When employees are asked the same questions year after year with little visible impact, participation becomes perfunctory. Responses are rushed, engagement drops, and data quality suffers. Decisions based on flawed data lead to misguided strategies creating a vicious cycle of mistrust and disengagement.

The Bottom Line

Surveys are not inherently bad. They provide useful snapshots of sentiment. But when treated as the primary tool for cultural diagnosis, they create an illusion of progress. Councils tick the box, publish a report, and declare success while the underlying culture remains unchanged.

To break this cycle, HR leaders must move beyond outputs and start measuring what truly matters: values. Without this, engagement initiatives will remain cosmetic, and transformation will continue to falter.

Why Values Assessment Matters

Employee engagement surveys tell you what people think and feel but they don’t tell you why. Values assessments, such as the Barrett Values Centre Cultural Transformation Tools, go beyond sentiment. They identify the shared beliefs and priorities that define “how we do things around here.” This is critical because culture is not a slogan on a wall or a paragraph in a strategy document; it is the lived experience of employees every day.

Values assessments uncover the invisible drivers of behaviour. They reveal whether the organisation’s stated values such as openness, collaboration, or innovation are actually reflected in daily decisions and interactions. When councils measure values alignment, they uncover cultural entropy: the gap between espoused values and lived experience. Closing this gap fosters trust, engagement, and resilience. Why does this matter? Because: Culture is action, not words. As Jason Fried puts it:

Culture is action, not words.

A council can publish a glossy vision statement, but if behaviours contradict those words, the culture remains unchanged.

• Values drive behaviour, and behaviour drives results. Urban Meyer said:

Leaders create culture. Culture drives behaviour. Behaviour produces results.

In other words, strategy without cultural alignment is like planting seeds in barren soil.

The Practical Impact

When councils understand their cultural DNA, they can design interventions that stick. For example, if a values assessment reveals that “risk aversion” dominates the culture, leaders can prioritise psychological safety and empowerment before launching innovation programmes. If “control” is a dominant value, flexible working policies will fail unless trust is actively cultivated.

UK Local Government Examples

• North Yorkshire Council used CIPD’s People Impact Tool to review HR services and discovered that structural changes alone did not shift culture. They later introduced values-based leadership workshops to embed behaviours aligned with their transformation goals. This move acknowledged that systems change without cultural change is ineffective.

• Aylesbury Vale District Council adopted a behaviours-led approach during a restructure, assessing over 400 employees for cultural fit. This ensured the new organisation reflected its desired commercial culture, not just new job titles. The result? A smoother transition and stronger alignment between strategy and behaviour.

• Coventry City Council invested in data skills development as part of its digital strategy. While technical upskilling was vital, leaders acknowledged that cultural openness to innovation was equally critical a finding confirmed through cultural diagnostics. Without this cultural insight, the digital programme would have faced resistance.

The Data Behind the Argument

• Organisations with highly engaged employees outperform competitors by 147% in earnings per share (Gallup).

• 73% of job seekers prefer employers that actively measure and discuss culture (LinkedIn Global Talent Trends).

• SHRM reports that only 58% of HR leaders use culture surveys, leaving a significant opportunity for improvement.

These figures underscore a truth: engagement without cultural alignment is fragile. Councils that fail to measure values risk perpetuating behaviours that undermine transformation. A values assessment provides the missing link between intention and impact.

Case Study: Barrett Values Centre in Public Sector

Barrett’s Cultural Transformation Tools have been used globally, including UK councils, to measure cultural entropy and values alignment. Emma Kelly from Barrett Values Centre notes:

“Culture really is that catalyst… it can create friction or flow.”

McKinsey research backs this up: 70% of large-scale change programmes fail due to cultural resistance, while organisations with adaptive cultures are 2.5 times more likely to succeed.

Local Government Context

UK councils operate in one of the most complex organisational environments in the public sector. They face financial constraints, policy volatility, and an ever-growing need for cross-sector collaboration. These pressures demand agility, innovation, and trust qualities that are deeply cultural, not procedural.

A culture that values openness and innovation accelerates transformation. It enables councils to embrace digital tools, redesign services, and partner effectively with communities. Conversely, a culture that prioritises risk avoidance and hierarchical control resists change. It slows decision-making, stifles creativity, and undermines morale. Values assessments help diagnose these tendencies before major change programmes begin. They provide a cultural “X-ray,” revealing whether the organisation is ready for transformation or whether hidden barriers will derail progress. This insight is invaluable for HR leaders tasked with workforce planning and organisational development.

Consider the example of a council embarking on a digital transformation. An engagement survey might reveal low morale and concerns about workload. The instinctive response? More training, better communication, perhaps a new intranet. But a values assessment could uncover a deeper issue: a culture rooted in risk aversion and hierarchical decision-making. In such an environment, staff may fear making mistakes or challenging established norms. Without addressing these values, technology adoption stalls not because of capability, but because of culture.

This is why councils that succeed in transformation often start with culture. They recognise that systems change without cultural change is cosmetic. It looks good on paper but fails in practice.

Practical Steps for HR Leaders

HR leaders in local government have a unique opportunity to shape culture proactively. Here’s how:

1. Combine Surveys with Values Assessment

Engagement surveys are not redundant they provide useful tactical insights. But they must be paired with a strategic values audit to understand the organisation’s cultural DNA. This dual approach ensures you measure both sentiment and substance.

2. Act on Insights

Data without action breeds cynicism. Publish results transparently and link them to a clear, time-bound action plan. Show employees how their feedback translates into tangible change. Visibility builds trust.

3. Embed Values in Systems

Culture is reinforced through systems. Recruitment, onboarding, and leadership development should reflect and reward the behaviours you want to see. For example, if collaboration is a core value, make it a criterion in performance reviews and leadership promotions.

4. Monitor Cultural Health Continuously

Culture is dynamic. It shifts with leadership changes, policy reforms, and external pressures. Regular pulse checks on values alignment prevent drift and allow early intervention. Think of it as cultural maintenance essential for organisational resilience.

The Opposition Is Internal

When it comes to culture, the only opposition an organisation faces is itself. External pressures budget cuts, policy changes are challenging, but they do not define culture. Culture is shaped internally, by the values leaders model and the behaviours they tolerate. An employee survey might feel like a step in the right direction, but if all it does is focus on outputs, it doesn’t change the culture of the organisation.

Closing Thought

Employee surveys without values assessment are like checking the weather without understanding the climate. They offer a snapshot, not a strategy. If local government wants to build resilient, high-performing teams, it must move beyond outputs and start measuring what truly matters: values.

“Your culture will determine your results.” Michael Hyatt