McLean & Company has released a new collection of case studies titled "Case Studies: Articulate Organizational Culture," providing practical examples of how organizations across sectors are turning abstract values into actionable behaviors to align culture with strategy and employee experience.
Quick Intel
McLean & Company addresses a critical need in modern HR leadership by offering actionable insights into articulating and operationalizing organizational culture beyond high-level statements.
The new case studies collection demonstrates how diverse organizations are successfully applying a structured approach to make culture tangible and impactful. Leaders in these examples relied on engagement surveys, values assessments, and employee listening to diagnose inconsistencies between declared values and actual experiences. They then defined precise values, outlined observable behaviors, crafted culture statements tied to organizational strategy, and established shared accountability among executives, HR, and people leaders to drive sustained change.
Key sectors represented include public sector entities refreshing strategy through cultural alignment, technology companies making values lived experiences, global nonprofits ensuring mission consistency in practice, and healthcare organizations redesigning values to combat burnout while improving patient outcomes. These real-world applications highlight the effectiveness of data-informed culture work in supporting long-term organizational success.
"Culture only becomes a lever for organizational performance when leaders move beyond posters and slogans to define what values look like in everyday behavior," says Kelly Berte, practice lead, Human Resources Research & Advisory Services, at McLean & Company. "HR leaders who use data to understand the current state and co-create a culture that embeds the values culture into both core programs and everyday workplace practices are far better positioned to build workplaces where organizational strategy comes to life and employees truly thrive."
Common barriers persist for HR leaders despite culture's strategic importance, including abstract value statements lacking behavioral clarity, values misaligned with evolving business realities, insufficient collaboration between HR and executives, and culture efforts that fail to integrate with essential HR functions such as talent acquisition, performance management, recognition, and leadership development.
McLean & Company's blueprint-guided process provides a clear roadmap: assess current culture through multiple data sources to pinpoint strengths and gaps, collaboratively define a concise set of values and behaviors directly connected to mission and strategy, document them in a culture blueprint, and embed these elements into ongoing programs while maintaining accountability through regular measurement and adjustment.
This resource, alongside related research and workshops on shaping culture, sustaining it, and using employee voice for engagement planning, equips CHROs and HR teams to create workplaces where culture actively supports strategy execution and employee thriving in the evolving future of work.
About McLean & Company
McLean & Company pairs evidence-based research and immediately applicable tools with deep HR expertise to position organizations to meet today's needs and prepare for the future. The global HR research and advisory firm's member organizations enjoy comprehensive resources, full-service diagnostics, workshops, action plans, and advisory services for all levels of HR professionals, from executive leadership and HR leaders to HR team members, that help shape workplaces where everyone thrives.
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