A major mistake that many organizations make regarding culture is to evaluate it with a binary scale - good or bad. In reality, culture is in a perpetual state of being incomplete.
We need to stop thinking about culture as a switch and see it as a dial - actually, an entire wall of dials. The number of dials to measure for culture would make the space shuttle look like a child’s toy.
Culture is complex and constantly evolving. When one dial moves, it impacts multiple others. It is why culture isn’t a project, but an ever evolving way of life. You don’t fix culture, you do something, see how it changes things, then do more. Managing your culture isn’t a task to get done, but an ecosystem that is constantly changing and evolving.
Which is why organizations struggle with it so much. It feels like a never ending project because IT IS a never ending project. Organizations like to put things in defined boxes - here are our 2023 revenue goals and our 3rd quarter engagement goals, etc.
Side note: This is the same reason that orgs struggle with HR and engagement - it isn’t something you get done, it is something you are constantly doing.
So when looking for an organization with a good culture, don’t look for one that has lots of initiatives and a defined goal, but look for one that says “this is who we are and we work every day to live up to this”. Then watch to see if behaviors are in line with the statement.