Measuring What Matters: How Barrett Values Centre’s Cultural Tools Help Councils Optimise Culture, Retention and Performance

Why Culture Is the Operating System of Local Government

Local authorities today face relentless pressure: rising demand for services, constrained budgets, and the imperative to deliver equitable outcomes while modernising at pace. Add to this the complexity of political cycles, regulatory scrutiny, and workforce challenges, and it becomes clear that success is not just about strategy or technology it’s about people and culture. In this context, culture is not a “soft” issue; it is the operating system of the council. Just as an operating system determines how software runs, culture determines how decisions are made, how teams collaborate, and how services are delivered. When culture aligns with mission and values, transformation sticks: staff feel engaged, leaders inspire trust, and communities experience better outcomes. Conversely, when culture is misaligned even well-funded change programmes stall, morale dips, and performance suffers.

Culture influences everything from employee retention and engagement to innovation and adaptability. Research consistently shows that organisations with strong, values-driven cultures outperform their peers on key metrics such as productivity, customer satisfaction, and resilience during change. For councils, this means fewer costly restructures, improved service delivery, and a workforce that feels connected to purpose.

This blog sets out why the Barrett Values Centre (BVC) Cultural Transformation Tools® provide a robust, evidence-based way for councils to measure culture, identify gaps, and co-create actionable improvements. We’ll explore how these tools can be embedded into recruitment, leadership development, and annual diagnostics, ensuring that after a 12-month intervention your organisation can stand on its own two feet supported by an annual cultural health check to maintain momentum.

Why Councils Need a Data-Driven Approach to Culture

Culture is often described as intangible something you sense rather than measure. That perception is precisely why many transformation programmes fail. Without hard data, culture becomes a matter of opinion, and councils risk investing in initiatives that don’t address the real issues. A data-driven approach changes that by making culture measurable, actionable, and accountable.

Measurement makes the intangible tangible. Barrett Values Centre’s analytics transform values, behaviours, and cultural health into clear, actionable insights. Tools such as Cultural Entropy® quantify wasted energy caused by fear, friction, and dysfunction factors that silently drain productivity and morale. Alongside this, the Culture Score provides a holistic benchmark of organisational health. These diagnostics are fast and scalable: surveys take less than ten minutes to complete, and reporting is typically delivered within two to four weeks. With over 6,000 organisations worldwide using these tools, councils can be confident in their validity and impact.

Values alignment matters. Decades of practice behind the Seven Levels of Consciousness® / Barrett Model™ demonstrate that mapping personal, current, and desired organisational values surfaces the behavioural and systemic changes that drive resilience and performance. This isn’t about slogans on walls it’s about understanding what people truly value and how that aligns with the council’s mission and strategic priorities.

Culture drives outcomes. Research across sectors consistently shows that strong, values-driven cultures correlate with higher engagement, retention, and organisational performance. Harvard Business Review and Arbinger Institute studies confirm that high-performing cultures deliver measurable benefits, while Gallup’s research highlights that managers alone account for around 70% of engagement variance. For councils, this means leadership behaviours and cultural clarity are not optional they are critical levers for success.

The public sector imperative. UK workforce analyses underline engagement as a key driver of productivity and retention, yet they also reveal persistent gaps between leadership intention and staff experience. These are precisely the areas Barrett diagnostics illuminate, enabling councils to take targeted, evidence-based action that improves both employee experience and service delivery.

Bottom line: Culture does not shift through communications campaigns alone. It changes when systems, leadership behaviours, and recruitment criteria are aligned to the desired future state. Without this, even the most ambitious strategies will falter.

What BVC’s Tools Actually Measure (and Why It’s Useful for Councils)

One of the biggest challenges in cultural transformation is knowing where to start. Barrett Values Centre’s suite of tools removes the guesswork by providing clear, evidence-based diagnostics that pinpoint what’s working, what’s not, and where to focus effort. Here’s what makes these tools so powerful for local authorities:

Cultural Values Assessment (CVA)

At the heart of the process is the CVA a deceptively simple yet highly insightful tool. Through just three questions, it captures the values people hold personally, the values they experience in the current organisational culture, and the values they want to see in the future. This data creates a comprehensive picture of cultural reality versus aspiration, broken down by directorate, service area, or location. For councils, this means you can identify cultural hotspots and tailor interventions where they will have the greatest impact.

Cultural Entropy®

Culture isn’t just about values it’s about energy. Cultural Entropy® measures the level of wasted energy caused by fear, friction, and dysfunction. High entropy signals stress and inefficiency; low entropy creates conditions for engagement, adaptability, and creativity. For local authorities under financial and operational pressure, reducing entropy can unlock significant performance gains without additional cost.

Leadership Values Assessment (LVA, LTVA, LDR)

Leadership sets the tone for culture. These 360° and team-level tools reveal misalignments between leadership intent and staff experience, providing actionable insights for development. Councils often discover that while leaders believe they are modelling collaboration or transparency, staff perceive something very different. Closing these gaps is critical for trust and transformation.

Fast, Efficient ProcessTime is precious in local government. BVC’s tools are designed for speed and accessibility: mobile-friendly surveys typically take less than ten minutes to complete, and reporting integrates benchmarks, proprietary metrics, and expert analysis. Within two to four weeks, councils have a clear cultural baseline and a roadmap for change.

Integrating Culture into Recruitment and Workforce Systems

One of the most persistent barriers in local government is hiring for technical skills while neglecting cultural fit. This approach often results in leadership teams that are misaligned with organisational values, creating friction and slowing transformation. By leveraging insights from Cultural Values Assessments (CVA) and Leadership Values Assessments (LVA), councils can embed culture into every stage of the talent lifecycle.

1. Define the Future Cultural State

Start by using CVA data to articulate the desired cultural attributes and behaviours that will enable the council to achieve its strategic objectives. This isn’t about vague aspirations it’s about identifying specific values such as collaboration, transparency, or innovation, and translating them into measurable behaviours.

2. Translate Insights into Objective Recruitment Criteria

Once the future cultural state is clear, integrate these values into recruitment processes. This means updating role profiles, designing assessment rubrics, and creating interview questions that test for alignment with desired behaviours. By doing this, councils ensure that every hire actively contributes to closing identified leadership or cultural gaps. The result? A fair, consistent, and evidence-based approach to recruitment that goes beyond technical competence.

3. Embed Values into Onboarding and Performance Management

Culture doesn’t stop at recruitment it must be reinforced from day one. Onboarding programmes should introduce new hires to the council’s values and show how these translate into everyday behaviours. Performance management systems should then link objectives to these behaviours, creating accountability and alignment. UK evidence shows that this approach improves engagement and wellbeing, which in turn boosts retention and productivity.

The Impact You Can Expect

When councils take a structured, data-driven approach to culture using Barrett Values Centre tools, the benefits are tangible and far-reaching:

Higher Engagement and Retention

Better alignment between organisational values and employee experience reduces friction, stress, and burnout issues that are particularly acute in local government. UK engagement studies consistently show that engaged employees are more productive, more committed, and less likely to leave. For councils, this translates into lower recruitment costs, improved continuity, and a more motivated workforce.

Improved Service Performance

Values-aligned teams collaborate more effectively, innovate more readily, and deliver higher-quality outcomes. This is critical for both statutory services, such as social care and housing, and discretionary services that shape community wellbeing. When people feel connected to purpose, they go the extra mile for residents.

Reduced Transformation Risk

Annual culture measurement and targeted leadership actions build resilience and adaptability. The principle is simple: what you regularly assess tends to improve. By embedding cultural diagnostics into the organisational rhythm, councils can spot early warning signs and course-correct before issues escalate.

Important Note: Some academic research cautions that a “strong culture” alone isn’t a magic bullet. What truly drives results is alignment and adaptability the ability to stay true to core values while evolving to meet changing demands. This reinforces the value of combining diagnostics with practical action, rather than relying on slogans or one-off initiatives.

Real-World Case Study and Global Benchmarks

Case Study: Local Government Cultural AssessmentBarrett Values Centre has conducted 158 cultural assessments across 17 countries in the local government sector. One example from this dataset highlights the challenges and opportunities councils face:

• Culture Score: The industry average for local government is 49, compared to a global organisational average of 55. This places local government in the “fair” category, signalling significant room for improvement.

• Cultural Entropy®: Local government shows an average entropy of 27%, which is high. Entropy represents wasted energy caused by fear, friction, and dysfunction. Anything above 20% typically indicates systemic issues that need urgent attention.

• Key Limiting Factors: Bureaucracy (26%), confusion (23%), hierarchy (20%), and silo mentality (18%) dominate the current culture, creating barriers to collaboration and innovation.

• Desired Shifts: Councils want to see more open communication (+14%), employee recognition (+14%), trust (+12%), and a long-term perspective (+11%) values that directly support engagement and transformation.

This case illustrates why cultural diagnostics are essential: without data, councils cannot pinpoint these gaps or track progress over time.

Global Local Government Insights

From the aggregated results of 158 assessments:

• Culture Score Benchmark:

  • Global Average (all sectors): 55

  • Local Government Average: 49

• Cultural Entropy® Benchmark:

  • Local government average: 27%, significantly higher than the recommended healthy range of 10–15%.

• Top Desired Values Across Councils:

  • Open communication, trust, accountability, employee recognition, and transparency.

• Top Limiting Values:

  • Bureaucracy, confusion, hierarchy, silo mentality, and short-term focus.

These figures confirm that culture is a critical performance lever for councils worldwide and that the Barrett methodology provides the clarity needed to act.

A 12-Month Culture Optimisation Programme (with Upskilling)

Objective:Build an objective, values-driven culture system; embed cultural insights into recruitment and leadership development; upskill internal OD/HR teams so the council is self-sufficient after 12 months; and institute an annual diagnostic cycle for continuous improvement.

Approach:This is a co-created programme delivered by Truth About Local Government in partnership with your OD, HR, and Communications teams. The goal is to maximise retention, optimise performance, and enable the organisation to achieve its full potential.

Month 0–1: Mobilisation & Baseline

• Establish sponsorship and governance (Chief Executive/Corporate Leadership Team sponsor, project board, union and HR engagement).

• Launch Cultural Values Assessment (CVA) across the whole council and key services. Surveys take <10 minutes; reporting delivered in 2–4 weeks.

• Add qualitative insights through focus groups in high-entropy hotspots and frontline listening sessions.

• Upskilling 1: Culture Measurement 101 train OD/HR partners on Barrett metrics (Culture Score, Cultural Entropy®, values mapping).

Month 2–3: Diagnostics & Leadership Gap Analysis

• Analyse CVA results, heatmaps, and entropy by directorate/service.

• Conduct Leadership Values Assessments (LVA/LTVA/LDR) for CLT and tier 2/3 leaders to identify behavioural misalignments.

• Co-create a Culture Outcomes Framework 3–5 council-wide behavioural commitments linked to strategic priorities (e.g., prevention, digital, inclusion).

• Upskilling 2: Interpreting Culture Data & Storytelling with Evidence how to brief Cabinet, Members, and the workforce.

Month 4–5: Recruitment & Systems Integration

• Rewrite role profiles and selection criteria for critical posts using values/behaviour anchors (e.g., collaboration, psychological safety, citizen-centred design).

• Design assessment rubrics and interview banks aligned to desired culture; pilot across two high-impact vacancies.

• Refresh onboarding to reinforce values in the first 90 days, including peer mentoring.

• Upskilling 3: Values-Based Recruitment train hiring managers and HR business partners.

Month 6–8: Leadership Development & Team Practices

• Develop targeted leadership plans based on LVA/LDR insights (coaching, 90-day behaviour experiments, peer learning sets).

• Introduce team norms and psychological safety practices (meeting redesign, decision-making modes per Barrett model; prioritise systems over comms).

• Upskilling 4: Leading Culture Through Systems align governance, performance, and service reviews with values.

Month 9–10: Scaling & Embedding

• Scale values-based recruitment to all priority services; integrate into performance objectives and PDRs.

• Launch comms and storytelling campaigns (recognition linked to demonstrated behaviours; internal case studies).

• Upskilling 5: Internal Practitioners Programme certify 8–12 OD/HR champions to run future diagnostics and facilitate action planning.

Month 11–12: Sustainability & Handover

• Conduct a mini-pulse CVA in two services to check trajectory (optional).

• Complete benefits realisation review (engagement indicators, sickness absence, turnover in hotspots, citizen feedback proxies).

• Handover: toolkits, recruitment assets, facilitator guides, dashboards; set Annual Diagnostic Cycle for ongoing cultural health checks.

• Upskilling 6: Advanced Analytics & Annual Cycle train internal teams to run, interpret, and brief Members independently.

Your Annual Diagnostic Cycle (From Year 2 Onwards)

Once the initial 12-month programme is complete, maintaining cultural health requires a simple, repeatable process. Here’s what your annual cycle should look like:

1. Run CVA Across the Council. Conduct a Cultural Values Assessment across the whole organisation or rotate by service for a lighter touch. Reporting is delivered within 2–4 weeks, giving you a clear snapshot of progress.

2. Refresh Leadership Assessments. Repeat LVA/LDR for the Corporate Leadership Team and tier 2 managers to track behavioural change and identify new development needs.

3. Update Recruitment and Onboarding Assets. Use the latest cultural insights to refresh role profiles, assessment rubrics, and onboarding materials, ensuring new hires continue to strengthen the desired culture.

4. Brief Cabinet, Members, and Workforce. Share progress transparently: Culture Score trends, reductions in Cultural Entropy®, and actions taken in hotspots. This builds trust and reinforces accountability.

5. Publish an Annual “Culture & Inclusion” Statement. Link values to engagement and service outcomes, aligning with UK evidence on wellbeing and retention. This demonstrates commitment to both staff and residents.

Evidence and Statistics (At a Glance)

• Scale & Speed:

  BVC’s flagship culture assessment has been used by 6,000+ organisations globally. Surveys are mobile-friendly, take <10 minutes, and reporting is delivered in 2–4 weeks.

• Actionable Metrics:

  Cultural Entropy® quantifies fear and friction; lowering entropy creates conditions for engagement, adaptability, and performance.

• Leadership Effect:

  Managers account for ~70% of engagement variance, underlining why leadership behaviours must be addressed alongside systems.

• Public Sector Engagement:

  UK research shows engagement drives productivity and retention, including for staff with long-term health conditions and neurodivergence making values-driven cultures a practical lever for inclusion.

• Systems Over Slogans:

  Culture changes when systems change governance, hiring, performance, and decision-making not through messaging alone.

What Makes This Partnership Different

As an accredited Barrett Values Centre (BVC) practitioner, Truth About Local Government offers councils a unique, evidence-based approach to cultural transformation that goes beyond theory and slogans. Here’s what sets this partnership apart:

• Establish a Clear Organisational Baseline

  We help you understand where you are now versus where you need to be using robust diagnostics, not assumptions.

• Identify Leadership and Culture Gaps

  We don’t just capture aspirational values; we uncover the behaviours and systems that block progress, enabling targeted interventions.

• Co-Create Practical Actions

  Working alongside your consultant team, we design actionable steps to optimise culture, maximise retention, and boost performance. These insights are then embedded into recruitment processes, creating an objective and consistent way to strengthen culture with every hire.

• Upskill Internal Practitioners

  By the end of 12 months, your OD/HR team will be fully equipped to run annual cultural diagnostics and lead ongoing improvements with confidence.

Example Outputs You’ll Own at the End of Year 1

• Culture Dashboard

  Includes Culture Score, entropy trends, and hotspot analysis, with briefing templates for Members and senior leaders.

• Values-Based Recruitment Toolkit

  Role criteria, assessment rubrics, and interview question banks aligned to your desired culture.

• Leadership Development Playbook

  Derived from LVA/LDR insights, complete with facilitation guides for team workshops.

• Annual Diagnostic Cycle Plan

  A clear calendar and process owned by OD/HR for sustainable cultural health checks.

 Ready to Make Culture Your Strategic Advantage?

If you’d like, we can tailor the 12-month plan to your council’s current priorities whether that’s children’s services improvement, housing and temporary accommodation, or digital modernisation and provide a Member briefing pack that links cultural actions directly to statutory outcomes. This approach ensures culture becomes a strategic enabler, not an afterthought. By embedding values into leadership, recruitment, and systems, your council can create a resilient, high-performing organisation that delivers better outcomes for residents and staff alike.