{"id":36736,"date":"2023-10-17T17:06:52","date_gmt":"2023-10-17T21:06:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/?p=36736"},"modified":"2023-10-17T17:06:52","modified_gmt":"2023-10-17T21:06:52","slug":"culturetalk-corporate-assessment-tools-take-difficult-subjects-and-make-them-easy-to-explain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/10\/culturetalk-corporate-assessment-tools-take-difficult-subjects-and-make-them-easy-to-explain\/","title":{"rendered":"CultureTalk Corporate Assessment Tools Take Difficult Subjects And Make Them Easy To Explain"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"
Theresa Agresta is one of the leaders at CultureTalk in Saratoga.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Christine Graf<\/p>\n

When leaders of the Veterinary Services division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were tasked with improving the agency\u2019s internal culture, they turned to CultureTalk for help.<\/p>\n

CultureTalk, a Saratoga Springs-based company, was founded by sisters Theresa Agresta and Cynthia Forstmann. The USDA is among a long list of companies and agencies from around the world that have utilized the CultureTalk Platform to measure and define workplace culture.<\/p>\n

Organizational culture refers to the values, beliefs, attitudes, systems, and rules that outline and influence employee behavior within an organization.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s common for people to talk about culture, but a lot of people don\u2019t fully understand it,\u201d said Agresta. \u201cIt is more often found in the \u2018unwritten rules\u2019 than the things that have been spelled out. CultureTalk can take something that is difficult to define and make it easy to talk about.\u201d<\/p>\n

The sisters came up with the idea for CultureTalk while working together on their first joint venture, brand development company Allegory Studios.<\/p>\n

\u201cCynthia and I developed a niche and expertise in brand development,\u201d said Agresta. \u201cVery early on, we discovered the impact that measuring culture had on the development of an authentic brand. When we were working with a business to differentiate and brand them, the culture was the piece that really stood out to us.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you are selling services, a lot of what you offer is similar to your competitors. It\u2019s your people and your culture that really differentiate you, and that can be why a prospective client might choose your business.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/strong>Agresta said that she and Forstmann recognized that many companies struggled to make their culture tangible, meaningful, and actionable.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey can\u2019t connect the dots between the culture they want to cultivate and the specific leadership and team behaviors that will get them there. They struggle to get employees engaged and connected around the culture in a way that employees can rally behind.\u201d<\/p>\n

In 2015, the sisters began developing an assessment tool to measure an organization\u2019s culture by using an archetypal framework that draws on the work of Carl Jung. Jung identified universal archetypes, symbols or patterns that are present in the collective unconscious of all humans. By developing an understanding of these archetypes, Jung believed it would be possible for individuals to gain insight into the human psyche and better understand themselves and others.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a storytelling framework,\u201d said Agresta. \u201cThe framework provides a common language to define the desired culture and allow leaders and teams to identify necessary shifts. It also connects the behaviors of leaders and individual contributors with strategic initiatives.\u201d<\/p>\n

CultureTalk developed two validated assessments, one that measures the personality of individuals and another that measures organizational culture. Companies can utilize one or both of the assessments.<\/p>\n

\u201cCertified practitioners conduct a culture audit,\u201d said Agresta. \u201cIt includes the organizational assessment and a series of one-to-one interviews. One or more workshops are run to validate the outcomes of the survey and to create a culture profile. The process generates a lot of authentic, honest conversation.\u201d<\/p>\n

While that may sound intimidating, Agresta assures employees and company leaders that they have nothing to fear. Employee feedback is entirely anonymous, and the purpose of the culture profile is not to criticize the leadership team.<\/p>\n

\u201cCultureTalk answers the questions \u2018Where are we today, and how is that moving us forward or holding us back?\u2019\u201d she said. \u201cNow that we can see where we are, we can identify where we want to go and design an action plan to get there.\u201d<\/p>\n

That is what Agresta refers to the \u201cSo what? Now what?\u201d aspect of the platform. She said that is what differentiates CultureTalk from its competitors.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are other tools that measure culture and personality, but what differentiates us is the \u2018So what? Now what?\u2019 part that is very actionable. There\u2019s a lot you can do to make the outcomes sustainable and shareable\u2013 there\u2019s a sticky factor to it.\u201d<\/p>\n

More than 160 people in 22 countries have completed the CultureTalk certification program which enables consultants and practitioners to validate assessments and implement solutions. The company also trains internal HR and talent management teams.<\/p>\n

The platform has received rave reviews including from Queensbury-based IT company StoredTech. In 2022, Stored Tech was recognized by the Times Union as one of the best places to work in the Capital Region.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were one of the first clients locally to embed the system,\u201d said Agresta. \u201cThey began by measuring and defining their culture. They also use the individual assessment for every hire and they put each person\u2019s archetype profile icons on their name plates. They are an example of a company that is using the system to the fullest.\u201d<\/p>\n

Certified CultureTalk consultant Michael Cruz worked to implement the program at the tech company, and Kristina Mobilia, StoredTech\u2019s director of people, completed the Culture Talk certification program.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Within the Veterinary Services division of the USDA, CultureTalk trained 13 individuals. The division\u2019s leadership team has been extremely pleased with the engagement and results.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe USDA is extremely appreciative of the outcomes they\u2019ve achieved with CultureTalk. They share that this is actively moving them forward,\u201d said Agresta.<\/p>\n

CultureTalk has a number of certified consultants in the Capital Region. For more information, visit www.culturetalk.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Christine Graf When leaders of the Veterinary Services division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were tasked with improving the agency\u2019s internal culture, they turned to CultureTalk for help. CultureTalk, a Saratoga Springs-based company, was founded by sisters Theresa Agresta and Cynthia Forstmann. The USDA is among a long list of companies […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":89,"featured_media":36737,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\r\nCultureTalk Corporate Assessment Tools Take Difficult Subjects And Make Them Easy To Explain - Glens Falls Business Journal<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\r\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.glensfalls.com\/glensfallsbusinessjournal\/2023\/10\/culturetalk-corporate-assessment-tools-take-difficult-subjects-and-make-them-easy-to-explain\/\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"CultureTalk Corporate Assessment Tools Take Difficult Subjects And Make Them Easy To Explain - Glens Falls Business Journal\" \/>\r\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Christine Graf When leaders of the Veterinary Services division of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) were tasked with improving the agency\u2019s internal culture, they turned to CultureTalk for help. 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