The Tetrahedron Culture Instrument ("TCI")

We live in a world of global competitive markets that require creative solutions and ideas that surpass those any individual alone can conceive or achieve. Organizations can only succeed when employees work together, produce diverse ideas and unite their efforts in a focused direction. This instrument presents an insight into a strategy to create an environment where individual contributors, teams or organizations are able to work collectively to accomplish a common goal. This instrument addresses alignment, structure and rewards that both encourage and support collaborative efforts and bottom line performance.

The TCI is the first instrument of its kind to give a full, accurate three dimensional view of an organization's culture. This tool helps you attract and retain talent, become more innovative and ultimately more competitive.

The TCI is designed to help organizations:

  • Understand what you do well and strengthen areas that need improvement
  • Identify and address problems that are hindering productivity and engagement
  • Build a positive culture that can adapt quickly

     

    Why the tetrahedron?

    I have found the tetrahedron to be the minimum structural system in the universe.
    - Buckminster Fuller

    Culture is 3 dimensional. There are no opposites. Each piece affects the other.
    The idea of 3 dimensional is to understand how each element interacts with the other in order to build a strong structure.

    What are the 4 triangles of culture and how do they interact?

    The four triangles are - Leadership, Process, Attitudes and Behaviors, and Rewards/Punishments. Leaders affect Rewards which affect Attitudes and Behaviors which affect Processes which affect Leaders. Each triangle touches and affects the other. This tool measures each triangle and, through their interaction, can measure:

    • Attraction and retention of talent
    • Communication
    • Innovation
    • Change
    • Health and Wellness
    • Engagement
    • Diversity tolerance

     

    Is your organization a green tetrahedron?

    It's all about culture.  Period.  It doesn't matter whether you are talking about leadership, innovation, diversity, change-management, training, quality improvement/assurance, engagement, sales, delivery, customer service, communication, etc., it is all about culture.  Look out the window any evening.  There go 90% of your assets leaving the building.  It is the real value of any organization and their only real product.  They have the potential to be creative, passionate people who want to wake up every day who want to do their best.  They also have the potential to be dysfunctional, controlling, egotistical, and complacent.  Organizational culture is what makes the difference about which person walks through that door.  It is the fundamental difference between long-term successful and profitable companies and those who eventually end up in the dustbin.

    Are your triangles green, yellow or red? Once you understand the issues within your culture you can build a green tetrahedron that means that you are an organization where people want to work and will be able to contribute.