Non verbal activities, things like body language and other visual queues coupled with actual behaviours ( how people act) can tell a comprehensive story.

It is a normal and natural human trait to sense the nature of the environment.  We feel fear, become uncomfortable or sense this is not a happy team or group unconciously.

Conscious versus Unconcious queues

Probing with questions, getting to know others through general feedback or just consciously observing can provide data to enable conclusions about organizational or team culture.

This conscious assesssment needs to be combined with what your non verbal senses gather.  How you feel about a situation is often ignored at your peril.

Feel the Energy

Typically organizations document their vision and mission.  They promote their culture actively through written and spoken word.  The message describes how the organizations expect their human resources to act.

Unfortunately their can be disconnects between the aspirations and reality.  When you enter a office, factory or other location, the first thing you feel is the atmosphere.

You can feel the energy of the place.  Positive energy and excitement or negative energy, neither can be hidden.  Typically the atmosphere is sensed rather than materially catalogued.

This measure is more subjective than objective but it exists.  A question I often hear is “How do we know when we are a high performing team.”

Perhaps surprisingly, the answer is a combination of feeling it and results.  The feeling is a leading indicator.