Culture development at WIKA: surveying the lived culture worldwide

It began with a worldwide culture survey designed to answer two questions. How is today’s culture experienced in each region? And what does the strategy require of the culture in future? No culture is seen as good or bad. What matters is whether it fits the strategy and corporate goals, and which patterns help or hinder the intended development.

Kick-off events in Klingenberg, at the German companies and in the regions built a shared understanding of the background and aims of the survey. Core teams with representatives from the regions contributed local specifics, such as a site’s history or its role in the group. A programme steering group coordinated the process.

The analysis was designed for the group as a whole, for four regions (Klingenberg and German companies, EMEA/India/Poland, Americas, APAC) and for individual departments.

The online survey was based on the Systemic Culture Compass, which distinguishes four logics of corporate culture: collaborating, creating, competing and controlling. Participants were asked how they perceive the culture today and which culture they see as supporting future success. The survey took about ten minutes to complete.

In Klingenberg and at the German companies, all employees were invited. Because the survey was initially available only in German and English, participation in the other regions was limited to management levels one to three. It ran from May to June 2022, staggered by region. The data was analysed anonymously.

One-to-one qualitative interviews complemented the survey. The programme steering group and the core teams chose the interviewees together: from different functions and levels, with and without management responsibility, with long and short service. The interviews were meant to pick up nuances, explain contradictions and pin down success and risk factors.

A dedicated website in German and English accompanied the survey. It explained the aims and process, answered frequently asked questions and gave background on corporate culture and the Systemic Culture Compass, including an explainer video. Interviews with management and with Robert A. Sedlák on innovation culture put the process in context. Employees could submit questions and comments through the site.

After the survey, the results were to be presented to all employees. On this basis and in line with the corporate strategy, leadership teams in particular were to define the requirements for a target culture, to be adopted by the Management Board. Working with the regional core teams, this was to produce corporate values and fields of action for the WIKA Group.

Does your lived culture still match what your strategy demands? And do you know how it is experienced across different sites, countries and functions? The case shows how a combination of survey, interviews and early involvement of the regions can answer these questions.

• Global culture survey in 2022 across four regions: an online survey based on the Systemic Culture Compass, followed up with qualitative one-to-one interviews.
• Survey and interviews completed in all regions; management announced that it would review the results with the management team and the regional core teams.
• A bilingual website supported the survey with its goals, process, background and answers to frequently asked questions.

This account is based on transformis’ reference overview and on the website WIKA used to accompany its culture survey in 2022 and 2023. It describes the reasons for the survey, its design and how it was carried out. Findings, the target culture developed and later effects are not documented there, and we make no claims about them here.