The Forvis Mazars Organisational Culture Survey 2025

91% of leaders agree that different kinds of organisations have different types of cultures.  This acknowledges the fact that different kinds of organisations have their own particular kind of culture to deliver their individual goals and that organisational culture is something tangible and real – and varies from organisation to organisation.

95% think it is essential for an organisation to have a strong workplace culture to achieve its goals, recognising that “culture eats strategy for breakfast” – there is no point in having plans without having the supporting culture in place.

When asked who should be responsible within the organisation to set their target culture, there was almost a split number of responses. 50% believe the responsibility lies with the Senior Leadership Team, 43% said it sits at the Board level, and seven per cent think the CEO should set it.

Aligning communications and HR policies and practices was deemed a key factor in supporting organisational culture, with 86% strongly agreeing with the statement.

Confidence in their own Organisational Culture Framework

Most respondents agreed with the statement that a poor culture could pose a risk to an organisation’s reputation, and when it came to leaders looking inward at their own organisational culture, 64% strongly agreed their organisation has a distinct culture.  

However, when asked if they were confident that they could spot cultural ‘red flags’ that could harm their organisation’s reputation, only 36% of leaders agreed that they could, with a less confident 62% saying they somewhat agreed.

86% of leaders strongly agreed that day-to-day workplace behaviour drives organisational culture.  However, only 26% strongly agreed, 65% somewhat, and nine per cent said not at all, to being clear on their values and acceptable/unacceptable behaviours.

Nor was confidence high regarding having a framework in place to measure culture. 42% said there was no internal framework, 44% said there’s a framework somewhat in place and just 14% of leaders said there is one in place.

There was a similar temperature when looking at whether boards and senior leadership regularly review culture metrics, with 37% saying not at all and only 14% saying yes.

Leaders also believe that ongoing work is needed regarding organisations providing tools for living target culture,  with 14% and 60% saying their organisation ‘does not’ or ‘somewhat’ provides behavioural guidelines to staff to support them in living their organisation’s target culture.  

How we can help

At Forvis Mazars, we go beyond just assessing risk culture. Our multidisciplinary approach provides tangible recommendations on embedding a strong culture to support your organisation’s strategy, objectives and values. Drawing on expertise from auditing, governance, psychology, leadership and organisational behaviour, we undertake an evidence-based analysis of your culture with you to create a practical, future-focused cultural framework and roadmap for implementation, to provide the foundations for building a strong and thriving culture for your organisation.