This guide covers both MPC Engagement Surveys and Denison Organizational Culture Surveys.
Learn what the numbers mean
Engaged, Not Engaged, Disengaged
4 traits, 12 sub-indices, benchmarks
12 actionable culture indices
Competing Values Framework explained
How to improve engagement
How we protect your data
Favorability shows the percentage of employees who responded positively to each question. We use the industry-standard "Top-2-Box" method.
| Score Range | Rating | What It Means | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 80%+ | Strong | Excellent performance | Celebrate & maintain |
| 70-79% | Healthy | Good performance | Minor improvements possible |
| 60-69% | Moderate | Room for improvement | Consider targeted improvements |
| 50-59% | Needs Work | Below expectations | Create action plans |
| <50% | Critical | Serious concerns | Immediate attention needed |
The percentage of employees classified as "Engaged." This is your headline number. Industry average is around 23% globally.
The average of all numerical responses (out of 5.0). Think of it as your overall score. Above 4.0 is generally good.
Favorability scores for each engagement dimension (Recognition, Growth, etc.). Helps identify specific strengths and weaknesses.
Percentage of invited employees who completed the survey. Aim for 70%+ for representative results.
Each employee is classified into one of four categories based on their individual response patterns. This methodology is based on Gallup's research and applies to MPC Engagement Surveys.
Criteria:
Profile:
Highly involved, enthusiastic, and committed. They drive performance and innovation.
Criteria:
Profile:
Psychologically unattached. They show up but lack energy and passion. May be looking elsewhere.
Criteria:
Profile:
Unhappy and potentially spreading negativity. May undermine engaged colleagues.
Criteria:
Profile:
Answered too few scaled questions. May have focused on open-text responses.
The MPC engagement survey measures 10 key dimensions of employee engagement, based on the Gallup Q12 framework.
Do employees understand their responsibilities and expectations?
Do employees have the tools and materials to do their work?
Are employees appreciated for their contributions?
Do employees feel their opinions are heard?
Are there opportunities for learning and advancement?
Is the relationship with direct managers positive?
Do employees collaborate well and support each other?
Do employees trust leadership and the organization's direction?
Can employees maintain healthy work-life balance?
Do employees find their work meaningful?
The Denison Organizational Culture Survey measures the cultural traits that drive organizational effectiveness. Unlike engagement surveys that measure how employees feel, the Denison model diagnoses why the organization behaves the way it does.
Does the organization know where it is going?
Measures whether the organization has a clear sense of purpose and direction. Strong Mission scores indicate clear goals, compelling strategy, and a motivating vision.
Does the organization listen to the marketplace?
Measures how well the organization translates external demands into action. Adaptable organizations are customer-driven, embrace risk, and learn from experience.
Are people aligned and engaged?
Measures whether employees feel ownership, commitment, and responsibility. Highly involved organizations develop people, build teams, and empower decision-making at all levels.
Does the organization have shared values and systems?
Measures the strength of cohesive internal systems, shared values, and agreed-upon ways of working. Consistent organizations are coordinated, predictable, and efficient.
The Denison model is visualized as a quadrant diagram with two axes. Each quadrant represents one cultural trait.
Mission vs. Involvement:
Do leaders have direction (Mission) AND do employees feel ownership (Involvement)? High-performing organizations need both.
Adaptability vs. Consistency:
Is the organization flexible and innovative (Adaptability) AND stable and well-coordinated (Consistency)? Balance is essential.
Denison scores are compared against benchmark databases to show how your organization ranks relative to others. The platform provides two benchmarks:
Compares your scores against thousands of organizations worldwide from the Denison Consulting global database. Best for international organizations or broad comparison.
Compares your scores against public sector organizations in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. Best for government and semi-government organizations seeking peer comparison.
| Percentile | Meaning | Action |
|---|---|---|
| 75th+ | Top quartile -- organizational strength | Leverage and protect this advantage |
| 50th - 74th | Above average -- performing well | Maintain and seek incremental gains |
| 25th - 49th | Below average -- development needed | Create targeted improvement plans |
| Below 25th | Bottom quartile -- critical gap | Priority intervention required |
Denison uses raw mean scores on a 1.0 - 5.0 scale (not favorability percentages). Here is how to interpret them:
| Score | Interpretation |
|---|---|
| 4.5 - 5.0 | Exceptional culture strength |
| 4.0 - 4.49 | Strong -- well-developed cultural capability |
| 3.5 - 3.99 | Moderate -- functional but room for improvement |
| 3.0 - 3.49 | Developing -- attention needed |
| Below 3.0 | Underdeveloped -- significant cultural gap |
Important: Always interpret raw scores alongside percentile rankings. A score of 3.5 may be average in one benchmark but below average in another.
Each cultural trait contains three sub-indices. While a trait score tells you what area needs attention, the sub-index scores tell you where specifically to intervene. This is where actionable insights come from.
Whether the organization has a clear strategy that gives meaning and direction. Low scores suggest leadership needs to better communicate the "why" behind the strategy.
Whether goals are linked to strategy and clearly understood at all levels. Low scores may indicate goal-setting is too top-down or goals are not effectively cascaded.
Whether there is a shared, motivating view of a desired future state. Low scores suggest the vision may be unclear, uninspiring, or not reinforced by leadership.
Whether the organization is responsive and can read the business environment. Low scores point to bureaucracy, resistance to change, or a culture that punishes risk-taking.
Whether the organization understands and reacts to its customers. Low scores indicate a need for stronger feedback loops with customers and front-line involvement.
Whether the organization translates signals from the environment into innovation. Low scores suggest a punitive failure culture or lack of systems for capturing lessons learned.
Whether individuals have authority and initiative to manage their own work. Low scores often correlate with micromanagement and slow decision-making.
Whether work is organized around teams and whether teams collaborate effectively. Low scores suggest silos or a culture that rewards individual heroics over team results.
Whether the organization invests continuously in developing employee skills. Low scores indicate underinvestment in people development.
Whether the organization has shared values that create identity and clear expectations. Low scores may signal a "values gap" between what is said and what leaders do.
Whether the organization can reach consensus and reconcile differences. Low scores often reveal unresolved conflict or passive-aggressive dynamics.
Whether different functions and units work together smoothly. Low scores point to silos, duplicated efforts, and friction that slows execution.
Sub-indices translate broad diagnostic data into specific improvement areas. For example:
| If This Sub-Index Is Low... | Consider These Actions |
|---|---|
| Strategic Direction | Strategy cascading workshops, leadership communication campaigns |
| Customer Focus | Voice-of-customer programs, customer journey mapping |
| Empowerment | Decision rights frameworks, delegation training |
| Core Values | Values-based recognition, leadership modeling |
| Coordination & Integration | Cross-departmental meetings, process mapping |
(Favorable Responses / Total Responses) x 100
Favorable: 4-5 (5-point), 6-7 (7-point), 9-10 (10-point)
Sum of All Values / Total Number of Responses
Average score across all Likert questions
(Engaged Employees / Total Classified) x 100
Excludes unclassified employees
(Completed Invitations / Total Invitations) x 100
Direct link responses tracked separately
Sum of Question Means / Number of Questions in Sub-Index
Yields a score between 1.0 and 5.0
(Sub-Index 1 + Sub-Index 2 + Sub-Index 3) / 3
Average of the three sub-indices within each trait
(Mission + Adaptability + Involvement + Consistency) / 4
Average of all four trait scores
(Orgs Scoring Lower / Total Benchmark Orgs) x 100
Compared against Global or GCC benchmark databases
Understanding organizational culture types
The Competing Values Framework (CVF), also known as the Organizational Culture Assessment Instrument (OCAI), is one of the most widely used and validated models for assessing organizational culture. Developed by Kim Cameron and Robert Quinn, it identifies four dominant culture types based on two dimensions: (1) internal focus vs external focus, and (2) flexibility vs stability.
The OCAI instrument asks respondents to distribute 100 points across four descriptions for each of six organizational dimensions. This is done twice: once for the organization as it currently is (Current Culture) and once for how they would prefer it to be (Desired Culture). The result is a clear picture of the dominant culture and the desired shifts.
A collaborative, family-like organization focused on teamwork, participation, and employee development. Leaders act as mentors and facilitators. Success is defined by internal climate and concern for people. Organizations with strong Clan culture value consensus, morale, and human development.
Keywords: Teamwork, mentoring, loyalty, participation, commitment
A dynamic, entrepreneurial organization focused on innovation, risk-taking, and being on the cutting edge. Leaders are visionaries and innovators. Success is defined by having the most unique or newest products and services. Organizations with strong Adhocracy culture value creativity and adaptability.
Keywords: Innovation, creativity, risk-taking, agility, experimentation
A results-oriented, competitive organization focused on achievement, productivity, and market leadership. Leaders are hard drivers and competitors. Success is defined by market share, competitive pricing, and outpacing the competition. Organizations with strong Market culture value winning and goal achievement.
Keywords: Competition, results, achievement, productivity, market leadership
A structured, process-driven organization focused on efficiency, stability, and smooth operations. Leaders are coordinators and organizers. Success is defined by dependable delivery, smooth scheduling, and low-cost operations. Organizations with strong Hierarchy culture value consistency and predictability.
Keywords: Structure, process, efficiency, stability, control, formal procedures
The radar chart overlays the current culture profile (solid line) with the desired culture profile (dashed line). Each axis represents one of the four culture types, and the score indicates the average point allocation from all respondents.
The gap analysis shows the difference between the desired and current scores for each culture type. Gaps are sorted by magnitude (largest first) to highlight the most significant desired shifts.
Gap < 3 points: Well-aligned. No significant change needed.
Gap 3-7 points: Moderate shift desired. Consider targeted interventions.
Gap > 7 points: Significant shift desired. Requires deliberate organizational change.
No culture type is inherently better than another - the right culture depends on the organization's strategy, industry, and maturity. However, large gaps between current and desired culture indicate that employees experience a disconnect between how the organization operates and how they believe it should operate. Key questions to consider:
Identify strengths & focus areas
Share results & gather input
Pick 2-3 areas with specific actions
Implement & communicate progress
| Low Score In... | Try These Quick Wins |
|---|---|
| Recognition | Weekly shout-outs, peer recognition program, thank-you notes |
| Voice & Feedback | Town halls, anonymous suggestion box, skip-level meetings |
| Growth | Learning stipends, mentorship program, career discussions |
| Manager Support | Manager coaching training, regular 1-on-1s, feedback skills |
| Work-Life Balance | Workload review, flexible schedules, respect boundaries |
All survey responses are completely anonymous. Here's how we protect employee privacy:
Get a PDF version with all calculations, benchmarks, and interpretation guidelines for both survey types.
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