Culture Survey FAQs
Culture Survey Background and Basics
What is Organizational Culture?
Organizational culture is the underlying beliefs, values, and assumptions that are held by members of an organization, as well as the practices and behaviors that exemplify and reinforce them. To watch a video about organizational culture, click here.
What is the Denison Organizational Culture Survey?
The organizational culture survey is designed to measure the underlying beliefs, values, and assumptions that are held by members of an organization, as well as the practices and behaviors that exemplify and reinforce them. To watch a video about organizational culture, click here.
What are benchmarks/norms/percentiles and why does Denison use them?
Denison compares your organization’s Organizational Culture Survey results with a database drawn from over 1,000 other organizations and provides the results in the form of a percentile score. This percentile score indicates how well your organization scored in comparison to the other organizations in the normative database. For example, if your organization had a score of 94 in the area of Customer Focus, this means that it scored higher than 94% of all organizations in the database.
Are my responses confidential?
Your responses are completely confidential and will only be presented as part of the overall organizational profile or subgroup. It is important that you respond openly and honestly to the survey for accurate results. Denison does not report on any data segments with fewer than 3 responses. At no point in the survey process can anyone in your organization see an individual’s responses.
When will I see the results?
Contact your organization’s internal survey coordinator for more detailed information.
Taking the Culture Survey
How long does the survey take to complete?
On average, it takes 10-15 minutes to complete.
Is taking the survey mandatory?
The survey is voluntary but we highly encourage you to participate. Your opinion matters and your feedback on the survey will help make your organization even better.
Do I have to take the survey all in one sitting?
If you are using your own device, no. If you are using a shared computer, yes. However, we do recommend completing the survey all in one sitting.
Can I skip a question?
Yes, you can. You must answer 2/3 of the questions for it to count towards your organization’s results. Answering “N/A” counts as skipping a question. Please answer all demographic questions required.
What is the difference between N/A and neutral?
Use the neutral option if you can’t make up your mind. Use the N/A option if it’s not applicable to you.
Can I review my answers?
The last page of the survey shows an overview of all your answers. You can’t change or view your answers after you press “submit” so make sure to review them!
Can I retake the survey?
You may only take it once. Remember to review before submitting!
Technical Issues/Troubleshooting
I did not receive a survey invitation. What should I do?
First, check your spam folder to see if you received an email from surveymgr@denisonconsulting.com. If you did not receive an email, check with your internal survey coordinator to ensure you are included in the survey.
I lost/deleted my invitation email. What should I do?
Don’t worry! Multiple reminder invitations will be sent while the survey is open. You will receive another reminder shortly and can complete the survey then.
If you received your invitation from Denison, please do not have another participant forward their link to you. Links sent from Denison are unique to the recipient and can only be used once.
Why does my survey link not work?
There are a few things to try in this case:
- First, check to ensure the entire link is copy-pasted correctly into the browser.
- If the link is correct but the survey still won’t load, try re-starting the internet browser and opening the link again.
- Some browser security settings may block you from accessing the survey. Lower your security settings to enable cookies and java-script.
- Try using a different web browser (i.e. Chrome or Firefox).
If none of the above works, contact Tech Support.
Why does my survey show as "complete" but I did not finish it?
Did you forward your link to another participant or take a survey using a forwarded link? Our unique links are set up to allow only one person to take the survey. Contact Tech Support and we’ll get it sorted out!
LDS 360 Survey Background and Basics
What is the Denison Leadership Development Survey 360?
The Denison Leadership Development Survey 360 (DLDS) provides leaders with an analysis of twelve leadership skills and practices that have the greatest impact on bottom-line organizational performance.
What are benchmarks/norms/percentiles and why does Denison use them?
The current DLDS normative database provides leaders with information about how they scored on the DLDS relative to 15,000+ leaders from a wide variety of industries, job functions, management levels, and tenures.
How long does the survey take to complete?
Around 15-20 minutes.
What measures does Denison take to protect the confidentiality of respondents?
Denison Consulting keeps all individual responses confidential and does not release any identifying information. In the standard DLDS, results for the Peer and Direct Reports groups are presented in aggregate form and Denison will not release reports for groups with fewer than 3 respondents in order to protect confidentiality. All comments are anonymized.
Selecting Raters (If Applicable)
As a leader, how many people can I ask to rate me?
Typically, leaders will choose 10-12 people to evaluate them (raters). Use the following guidelines to select raters:
- 1 – 2 Boss(es) or Supervisor(s) – People who you report to or who supervise you
- 3 – 5 Peers – People with whom work with that are at approximately your same level (3 completed surveys are the minimum for an individual report)
- 3 – 5 Direct Reports – People who report to you (3 completed surveys are the minimum for an individual report)
- People can also be invited through the ‘Other’ category, people you work with regularly who do not fit easily into the above groupings.
As a leader, what should I consider when choosing people to rate me?
- Choose individuals who are knowledgeable about you and your current performance.
- Ask individuals who represent diversity in their experiences and opinions of you.
- Choose people who you trust will provide fair and accurate judgments; who will be candid, open-minded and able to give constructive feedback.
- Remember to thank the individuals who participated in the survey.
Taking the LDS 360 Survey
How will I log onto the survey?
You, along with your raters, will receive a unique email invite.
Do I have to take the survey all in one sitting?
No. However, you must use the same device to complete the survey as we use cookies to hold your place.
I didn't receive a survey link. What should I do?
- First, check your spam folder.
- If it’s not there, contact Tech Support to make sure we have the correct email on file.
What do I do if I get an error when I click on the link.
Some e-mail systems do not handle links properly, so you may need to carefully copy the full link into your browser. Also, make sure you are connected to the Internet. If you continue to have problems, contact Tech Support.
Is there a minimum number of survey questions needed to be answered for my survey to count?
You are not required to answer all survey questions. 64 out of the 96 (2/3) survey questions must be answered in order to create a valid response.
LDS 360 Reports
What will I receive upon completion of the survey?
The standard DLDS Summary Report contains up to six Circumplex Reports (Circular Profiles) that allow quick comparisons of skill area assessments from several vantage points within the organization.
The summary report will contain a Self and Combined Other Circumplex and may also include Circumplexes for Direct Reports, Peers, Others, and each Boss.
The Summary report will also contain feedback in the form of a Gap Report, Line-Item Report, and a High Low Report. If you have taken the DLDS before, you will also receive a Change Over Time Report.
How will my results (survey reports) be represented?
All DLDS reports (Self, Boss, Peers, Direct Reports, and Combined) will be benchmarked against our global norms. All reports are in PDF form.
Why did I not receive a report?
You must complete the self-report and have 1 boss rating and/or a minimum of three other raters to receive a report. Contact Tech Support if you have any questions.
Why is my report missing a segment or a chart?
If you have fewer than 3 responses for any one segment [other than Boss(es) segment], a segment report will not render to preserve confidentiality. The responses from the missing segment will be compiled with the overall report.
I have taken this survey before but am missing a Change Over Time chart. Why?
Our platform links past survey results based on email address. Did you change your email address since the last time you took the survey? Contact Tech Support and we can help.
Don't see an answer to your question?
If your organization’s survey lead doesn’t have the answer, contact Tech Support.