Purpose of the Questionnaire (Scale)

The OCI aims to evaluate organizational culture by identifying the dominant behaviors that are reinforced and expected within an organization. The tool helps diagnose the current culture and design interventions to enhance effectiveness, employee satisfaction, and overall performance.

Questionnaire (Scale) Analysis

The OCI is one of the most widely used tools for assessing organizational culture worldwide. It includes 120 statements categorized into 12 cultural style types, which are grouped into three general culture types:
Constructive
Passive/Defensive
Aggressive/Defensive
Organizational Culture Inventory [OCI-120]

Description

The Organizational Culture Inventory (OCI-120) is an assessment instrument designed to evaluate organizational culture by identifying the dominant behaviors that are expected, encouraged, and reinforced within an organization.

The OCI consists of 120 statements organized into 12 cultural norms, providing a structured profile of the behavioral expectations that characterize an organization’s operating culture.

Objective

The primary objective of the OCI-120 is to diagnose the existing organizational culture and identify the behavioral patterns that influence how employees approach their work and interact within the organization.

The results can support the development of organizational interventions aimed at improving effectiveness, employee satisfaction, and overall performance.

Dimensions

The 12 cultural norms are grouped into three general types of organizational culture:

Constructive: represents cultural patterns associated with positive and effective organizational functioning.

Passive/Defensive: reflects behavioral expectations characterized by defensive responses and the tendency to avoid negative consequences.

Aggressive/Defensive: reflects more competitive, controlling, or forceful patterns of organizational behavior.

Scoring

Participants evaluate the 120 statements using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from “very little” to “very much.”

Responses are analyzed using normative data (norms), and results are commonly presented through circular diagrams illustrating the dominant cultural styles within the organization.

Data Analysis and Use

OCI-120 results are interpreted according to the three general culture categories and their underlying cultural norms.

Normative comparisons can help identify dominant cultural patterns and examine how the current organizational culture relates to organizational expectations and goals.

Reliability and Validity

The OCI demonstrates conceptual and discriminant validity and has been associated with performance indicators, job satisfaction, and employee engagement.

According to the available material, the instrument also demonstrates high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values above 0.80 for most indicators, as well as temporal stability.

Applications

The OCI-120 can be applied at different organizational levels, including teams, departments, and entire organizations, and can be used with employees and executives across different sectors.

It is particularly relevant to organizational psychology, human resource management, organizational development, and culture-change research.

References

Cooke, R. A., & Lafferty, J. C. (1987). Organizational Culture Inventory. Human Synergistics.

Cooke, R. A., & Szumal, J. L. (2000). Using the Organizational Culture Inventory to understand the operating cultures of organizations. In N. M. Ashkanasy, C. P. Wilderom, & M. F. Peterson (Eds.), Handbook of Organizational Culture and Climate.