Free tools for HR leaders

Culture survey questions

24 questions across 12 themes, each with the scale to use. Filter, copy, print. Free, no sign-up.

Pick a theme, then a format. Every question carries the scale to use with it, because a good question on the wrong scale produces data you cannot act on. Copy what you need, then cut the survey down until people will actually finish it.

How these were written, and the five steps to a survey worth running ↓

Theme:

Format:

24 showing

Innovative ↔ Risk Averse

Where does this organisation sit today, between Innovative and Risk Averse?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Innovative at one end and Risk Averse at the other. The work environment is dynamic and creative, or controlled and regulated.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

Process Driven ↔ Outcomes Driven

Where does this organisation sit today, between Process Driven and Outcomes Driven?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Process Driven at one end and Outcomes Driven at the other. Performing work in the correct manner, or achieving results even if shortcuts are taken.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

Task Centered ↔ People Centered

Where does this organisation sit today, between Task Centered and People Centered?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Task Centered at one end and People Centered at the other. Task accomplishment is emphasised, or employee social and personal needs are valued.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

Collectivist ↔ Individualist

Where does this organisation sit today, between Collectivist and Individualist?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Collectivist at one end and Individualist at the other. Emphasising team achievements, or recognising individual accomplishments.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

Centralised Control ↔ Delegated Control

Where does this organisation sit today, between Centralised Control and Delegated Control?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Centralised Control at one end and Delegated Control at the other. Decision-making restricted to leadership, or empowering all employees.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

Hierarchical Structure ↔ Flat Structure

Where does this organisation sit today, between Hierarchical Structure and Flat Structure?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Hierarchical Structure at one end and Flat Structure at the other. Many formal layers of management, or a minimal, flatter hierarchy.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

Responsive ↔ Planned

Where does this organisation sit today, between Responsive and Planned?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Responsive at one end and Planned at the other. Reacting to immediate challenges, or prioritising long-term strategic goals.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

Conformity ↔ Individuality

Where does this organisation sit today, between Conformity and Individuality?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Conformity at one end and Individuality at the other. Following defined norms, or allowing personal freedom.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

Accepting ↔ Questioning

Where does this organisation sit today, between Accepting and Questioning?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Accepting at one end and Questioning at the other. Compliance with directives, or encouraging employees to challenge management.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

Cooperation ↔ Competition

Where does this organisation sit today, between Cooperation and Competition?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Cooperation at one end and Competition at the other. Promoting collaboration, or fostering internal competition.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

Customer Focused ↔ Internal Effectiveness

Where does this organisation sit today, between Customer Focused and Internal Effectiveness?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Customer Focused at one end and Internal Effectiveness at the other. Prioritising customer satisfaction, or improving internal processes.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

Formal ↔ Informal

Where does this organisation sit today, between Formal and Informal?

Sliding or seven-point scale anchored Formal at one end and Informal at the other. Operating with many rigid policies, or working with more flexible guidelines.Rating scale

Where should it sit for us to succeed over the next two years?

Same scale, asked as DESIRED. The gap between current and desired is the finding, not either score alone.Rating scale

No questions match those two filters together. Clear one of them.

What questions should a culture survey ask?

Ask about position rather than quality. Not whether the culture is good, but where it sits between two things and where it should sit. The gap between those is what you can act on.

How these were written

Nothing here is calculated. Each question is written against two tests: can somebody answer it honestly, and can you act on the answer. Each one carries the scale it should be asked on, because the scale is part of the question and mixing scales inside a survey makes results much harder to compare. Filter by theme to cut whole sections rather than trimming words, and by format to balance rating questions against open text.

Assumptions

These are a starting point, not a survey. Cut hard. Response rate falls with every question you add.
Scales are part of the question. Five-point agreement for most, frequency for behaviour. Pick one convention and hold it.
Anonymity has to be explained, not asserted. People assume the worst when you are vague, and it shows up in the answers.
Written for Australian workplaces and Australian English. Compono product terms are reproduced exactly as they appear in the platform.
Do not ask more often than you can act. Asking without visible follow-through does more damage than not asking at all.

Sources

Compono, The culture, engagement and performance model

What to do about it

Most survey problems are not question problems. They are what-happens-next problems, and people can tell the difference by the second round.

1

Decide what you will do with the answers before you ask

If no decision is waiting on the result, do not run it. An unused survey teaches people not to answer the next one.

2

Cut it until it hurts

Remove whole themes rather than trimming words. Eight sharp questions beat forty thorough ones nobody finishes.

3

Say how anonymity actually works

Who sees what, at what group size, and what happens to free text. Vagueness reads as surveillance.

4

Report back before you fix anything

Tell people what you heard, including the uncomfortable parts, within two weeks. This is the single biggest driver of next year's response rate.

5

Where a tool helps

Pick one thing and visibly change it

One change people can see beats five they cannot. The point of a survey is the change, not the score.

One score tells you
almost nothing.

Compono Engage measures all 12 dimensions as current versus desired, then reads them alongside climate and work personality, which is what turns a gap into a recommendation you can defend.

Step 5 is where most survey programs stall: the score arrives and nobody agrees what it means. That is an interpretation problem, and interpretation is what the platform is for.

See how it works

Compono Engage

8%+

reduction in turnover

Common questions

What are the 12 culture dimensions?

Innovative to Risk Averse, Process Driven to Outcomes Driven, Task Centered to People Centered, Collectivist to Individualist, Centralised Control to Delegated Control, Hierarchical Structure to Flat Structure, Responsive to Planned, Conformity to Individuality, Accepting to Questioning, Cooperation to Competition, Customer Focused to Internal Effectiveness, and Formal to Informal.

What is the difference between culture and engagement?

Engagement is how people feel about working here. Culture is how work actually gets done. You can have high engagement inside a culture that will not deliver the strategy.

Why ask current and desired separately?

Because a single score is unreadable. Knowing a team sits at 6 on innovation means nothing. Knowing they sit at 6 and want 8 is a direction.

Can we run this ourselves?

Yes, these questions are free to use. Interpreting a 12-dimension gap across teams is the harder part, and that is what the platform is for.

These questions are a starting point, not a survey. Cut hard: response rates fall with every extra question, and a short survey people finish beats a thorough one they abandon. Say what you will do with the answers before you ask, and be honest about how anonymity actually works, because people assume the worst when you are vague. Last reviewed July 2026.

Next step

Employee engagement

What engagement actually measures, and how it differs from satisfaction.

Read the definition →Related tool

eNPS calculator (employee net promoter score)

Put a number on what the survey surfaces.

Run it next →Buying

Requirements builder

Score the platforms you are looking at against the two risks, must-haves first.

Build the scorecard →Talk to us

Bring us your results

A conversation about what your survey is telling you, not a demo script.