Culture is much more than 'values and what behaviour is acceptable.' Culture is an all-encompassing term that not only relates to the way staff interact and deal with each other, but also how the organisation deals with suppliers, customers, the community, mistakes made by staff, reward, remuneration, promotion and succession, etc.

As such, it is the role of management to ensure that culture is sculpted to serve the purposes of the organisation in order to deliver its objectives. Culture is not a given and is not fixed. As hard as it is to change, it is still changeable - and that's management's responsibility.

The board's role then, is to oversight that the nature, character and delivery of 'culture' , like all other operational elements, is effective, suitable, practical and appropriately implemented. The board is not equipped to 'manage culture' as it is not "close enough to the game" to really understand it.

Thus management has available to it a wide range of options to 'right-size' and 'right-shape' the culture it needs to perform as required. Survey's are but one tool. Other tools might include workshops, one-to-one interviews, external reviews, client feedback, supplier feedback, team feedback, 360 degree reviews, etc. What works and what doesn't work depends largely on the context and the objective - each is good when it is fit for purpose.

Furthermore, the culture needed by the organisation to achieve its objectives need not or may not be the same culture needed for the board to operate effectively.

There are two imperatives for the board in relation to culture: 1) ensure that management develops a strategy to establish and maintain the culture needed for the organisation to fulfil its charter, and 2) develop a culture within the board that will most effectively and efficiently enable the board to fulfil its responsibilities and obligations.