6 Metrics to Measure the Success of Culture-Building Efforts
Gaining a deep understanding of the impact of culture-building in organizations is paramount. This article distills the expertise of seasoned professionals, offering a comprehensive approach to evaluating culture-building efforts. Through a pragmatic exploration of proven metrics, engage with the wisdom of those who have mastered the art of aligning values with business outcomes.
- Balanced Scorecard Approach to Culture Measurement
- Observe Behaviors and Engagement Patterns
- Align Individual Strengths with Organizational Values
- Leverage Employee Net Promoter Score
- Track eNPS and Act on Feedback
- Monitor eNPS to Guide Culture Initiatives
Balanced Scorecard Approach to Culture Measurement
Measuring culture requires the same discipline and intentionality used in tracking business performance. A thriving culture is not just about sentiment--it's about impact. The most effective organizations use a balanced scorecard of culture: a combination of leading indicators, behavioral signals, and business-aligned metrics that together tell a more complete story.
Start with engagement and belonging scores, but don't rely solely on an annual survey. Instead, implement a continuous listening strategy that includes short pulse surveys, real-time feedback tools, and small-group listening sessions with leadership. Programs like "Culture Convos," where employees engage in unscripted conversations with senior leaders, can surface valuable insights, build trust, and spark real change when paired with executive follow-through.
Track retention and internal mobility, especially among high-performing employees. Not all turnover carries the same weight--losing your top 10-15% often signals deeper issues and directly impacts innovation, execution, and team morale. Internal mobility is another powerful culture indicator. High-performing cultures create pathways for employees to grow, stretch, and lead from within.
Tie culture to business performance by monitoring indicators like manager effectiveness scores, time-to-productivity for new hires, and revenue per employee. These metrics go beyond financial efficiency--they reflect how well the organization enables people to thrive. For instance, if revenue per employee drops while headcount increases, it could signal disengagement or onboarding gaps--both of which point to cultural friction.
Finally, complement quantitative data with qualitative insights. Track how often values are referenced in recognition, observe how teams describe "how things get done," and gather stories through exit interviews or onboarding reflections. The strongest cultures are the ones where employees protect and promote the values--not because they're told to, but because they believe in them.
When organizations measure what truly matters--not just activity, but outcomes--culture shifts from being a "nice-to-have" to a core driver of growth, performance, and long-term success.
Observe Behaviors and Engagement Patterns
I've always believed that culture manifests in the spaces between metrics—not just in the numbers themselves. Nevertheless, we still need to measure what we can. I examine a combination of quantitative and behavioral indicators to assess cultural health.
At one startup, we monitored engagement surveys, manager effectiveness scores, and internal mobility trends as direct signals. However, we also observed leading indicators—such as participation in recognition programs, quality of performance feedback conversations, and response patterns to change.
For instance, when we launched a culture campaign and recognition platform, we observed 94% utilization month over month. This level of adoption indicated that our culture initiatives were resonating—people weren't merely aware; they were actively choosing to engage with them.
Ultimately, I focus on whether the behaviors we claim to value are actually manifesting in how people work, lead, and respond to pressure. That's when I know the culture isn't just performative—it's genuine.
Align Individual Strengths with Organizational Values
Culture isn't something you define once and forget—it's something you actively shape every day. At Reveal, we believe that culture is built through people—and that means measuring it through how people show up, grow, and connect.
We use a few key indicators to measure the success of our culture-building efforts, but they all stem from one thing: alignment between individual strengths and organizational values. One of the most powerful tools we use is our competency-based assessment data. It gives us insight into how well our team's behaviors reflect the culture we're striving for—whether that's collaboration, adaptability, leadership, or growth mindset.
We also look closely at:
* Retention and internal mobility—Are people staying, and are we helping them grow into new roles?
* Manager feedback quality—Are our leaders equipped to coach, recognize, and communicate with empathy and clarity?
* Employee engagement scores—Not just how satisfied people are, but whether they feel seen, supported, and stretched.
And honestly, one of the most telling signs? The conversations happening across teams. When people feel safe enough to speak up, share ideas, and offer feedback, that's when you know the culture is alive and working.
At the end of the day, culture isn't about surface-level perks. It's about creating an environment where potential is recognized and developed—and that's something we measure every day with intention.
Leverage Employee Net Promoter Score
At our company, we leverage data and analytics to assess the impact of our company culture initiatives by proactively soliciting employee feedback on a regular basis and by examining pulse surveys and engagement metrics. These tools enable us to monitor patterns over time, recognize areas for improvement, and evaluate the effectiveness of our programs. The Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS), which measures the likelihood of employees recommending the company as a place to work, is one metric that has proven particularly useful.
To have ongoing access to our employee sentiment, eNPS surveys are conducted quarterly. This metric provides us with numerical data and open-ended qualitative responses. For instance, if we notice a dip in eNPS, we dive into the comments to identify potential communication gaps or perceptions of inequity in recognition. Addressing these issues early allows us to make necessary adjustments to our culture initiatives.
For example, through this analysis, we learned why eNPS values matter: they reveal a lot about the transparency of the decision-making process. Scores climbed especially sharply when employees felt better informed about company goals and leadership decisions. We translated this insight into action by introducing regular town hall meetings and a more open structure of communications that significantly enhanced overall engagement.
For organizations wanting to leverage data to track culture initiatives, my advice is to focus on finding metrics that tie to your goals. Most importantly, concentrate on the metrics that can drive change, such as eNPS, turnover rates, participation in wellness programs, etc. Combine quantitative data with qualitative feedback to understand the "why" behind the numbers. Approach the data as an indicator of continuous improvement, demonstrating to employees that their opinions inspire meaningful change. This type of engagement builds trust and ensures that your efforts are aligned and meeting needs.
Track eNPS and Act on Feedback
At Synergy, we use data analytics to regularly measure the effectiveness of our company culture initiatives, ensuring our efforts truly resonate with our team and drive positive outcomes. Employee engagement surveys are one of the most valuable tools we employ, helping us to obtain quantitative and qualitative insights into how employees feel about their work environment, leadership, satisfaction, and much more. Surveys are conducted anonymously to enable candid feedback, and responses are tracked over time to help identify trends and measure the impact of our culture initiatives.
One key metric that we pay particular attention to is our employee net promoter score (eNPS), which indicates how likely our employees are to recommend that other people come to work at Synergy. A healthy eNPS shows a strong and supportive culture, and any downturn in the score may indicate that action needs to be taken promptly. Through the eNPS itself, as well as when measured against other data points, including retention rates, usage rates of wellness programs, and exit interview feedback, we can identify specific points of cultural strength and opportunity.
For example, we found that when we recently implemented our mental health and wellness benefits, our eNPS skyrocketed. These insights reinforced the importance of these initiatives and motivated us to implement additional measures to promote employee wellness, such as expanded flexible work arrangements and increased team-building activities.
Collecting data is one thing, but taking action on it is the real power of data. Whenever we find an area to improve, we develop an action plan and openly discuss it with our team. This not only reinforces trust but shows that employee feedback is taken seriously and will actively guide the future direction of the company.
For companies looking to track the effectiveness of their culture, I suggest starting with metrics like eNPS or employee satisfaction scores, along with open-ended feedback. These methods give you a comprehensive look at the health of your culture and will help create impactful changes.
Monitor eNPS to Guide Culture Initiatives
We regularly poll our employees for feedback, examine our engagement scores, and monitor retention metrics. We use data and analytics to evaluate the success of our company culture initiatives.
Reputation is one of our key metrics. Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) is genuinely one of the most valued metrics we monitor. This score shows the probability of employees recommending our company as a great place to work. It offers us a clear, quantifiable glimpse into the perceived workplace culture from employees' perspectives.
We run anonymous eNPS surveys every quarter to measure the evolution of sentiment over time. These surveys are open-ended but have sections where it's obligatory for employees to provide greater context on what's working and what isn't. Examining such data enables us to detect trends or recurring themes. If the score drops, it's usually a sign that something, like workload distribution or communication breakdowns, requires prompt intervention.
The most useful insight was noticing how the eNPS score suddenly rose when we introduced regular team-building events and increased leadership training. Employees spoke of feeling more connected with their coworkers and valued by management, both of which correlated directly to higher engagement and productivity levels. Fostering a sense of belonging and great leadership are of critical importance to sustaining a positive culture, according to this data.
My advice for others wanting to use data to measure company culture is to aim for both quantitative and qualitative metrics. Numbers offer a control, and employee feedback offers breadth and color for that context. Check in on the data regularly, act based on what you find, and talk about the changes you're making based on employee feedback. Not only does this drive better culture initiatives, but it also builds trust and demonstrates to employees that their voices matter. When using data properly, you can understand how your culture is changing, in order to ensure it is working to support your team and engage with them correctly.
