Episode overview

In this episode of Collaborative Culture, Dr. Kristine Gentry and Monica Smith tackle a common misconception in workplace culture efforts: the belief that a single assessment, survey, or workshop can “fix” culture. Together, they break down why popular tools like Myers-Briggs, CliftonStrengths, DISC, Hogan, Enneagram, and Working Genius can be useful, but only as inputs, not solutions.

Kristine and Monica unpack what culture really is (how work gets done), why leaders often misdiagnose culture issues as isolated “people problems,” and why real change requires understanding the lived experience of employees across roles, levels, and locations. They share practical examples, from multicultural team dynamics to frontline workflows, and make a clear case for culture work that’s collaborative, ongoing, and designed for sustained behavior change.

Show notesWhat we’re unpacking today

• Why “culture work” means wildly different things to different leaders
• The difference between tools that build self-awareness and work that changes culture
• Why leaders keep reaching for quick fixes, and why those fixes often fail

The assessments everyone loves (and what they’re actually good for)

Monica names a few common ones you’ll recognize:

• Myers-Briggs (MBTI)
• CliftonStrengths
• DISC
• Hogan
• Enneagram
• Working Genius

Key point: These can build shared language, self-awareness, and teamwork, but they’re not culture by themselves.

The core distinction: tools vs. culture

Kristine defines culture clearly:

• Culture is how work gets done
• It’s the shared beliefs, values, and behavior patterns that drive results (or block them)

So when leaders say “we have a culture problem,” they may actually mean:

• teamwork breakdowns
• engagement issues
• DEI tension
• cross-cultural misunderstandings
• performance or retention problems

Those may relate to culture, but they aren’t solved by a single off-the-shelf assessment.

The “culture assessments” problem

Kristine calls out a major issue: many products labeled “culture assessments” are actually measuring something else, like:

• employee engagement (important, but not the whole culture)
• psychological fit for a role (not culture — and can encourage monoculture thinking)

Bottom line: If it doesn’t meaningfully engage values, behavior, and how decisions get made, it’s not capturing culture.

Monica’s “culture on demand” idea (super practical)

Monica introduces “house rules” for projects — especially in global teams — like:

• defining what “yes” means across communication styles
• setting norms for honest timeline updates (“tell me as soon as you know it’ll slip”)
• designing brainstorming so quieter cultures still contribute (e.g., written ideas submitted first)

This is culture work that’s built for the work, not just discussion.

Kristine’s reminder: observation matters

Kristine shares a powerful example from nurse-shadowing research:

• leadership assumed nurses used in-room computers for charting
• observation showed nurses rarely used them, creating their own systems instead
• leadership was shocked — and it changed what “the problem” even was

Takeaway: you can’t fix what you haven’t actually seen.

The “band-aid” trap

Both land the plane here:

• If a company runs engagement surveys and ignores results, it can hurt trust
• If values are created for leaders and stuck on a wall, nothing changes
• If workshops don’t lead to new habits, you’re just paying for a moment — not outcomes

The episode takeaway

Assessment tools are fine — even great — as step one.

But sustainable culture change requires:

• diagnosis beyond surveys (data + interviews + observation)
• shared clarity on values and priorities
• behavior change over time
• leaders who stay accountable instead of outsourcing culture to HR

Thanks for Listening!

We’d love to hear from you.

Kristine Gentry, PhD

[email protected]

🌐 www.culturegrove.com

🔗 LinkedIn: Kristine McKenzie Gentry

Monica M. Smith

[email protected]

🌐 www.tradewindscareerconsulting.com

🔗 LinkedIn: Monica Mary Smith

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