You’ve conducted a culture audit. Now what?

You’ve gathered the data, sent the surveys, and held the interviews. Maybe you even mapped the system and looked at patterns of inclusion, equity, or interpersonal dynamics. A culture audit can be an illuminating process, like turning on the lights in a room you’ve always walked through in the dark.

But here’s the truth: the value of a culture audit lies not in the data collection, but in what happens next.

Many organizations stop short. The audit results are reviewed internally, perhaps presented to leadership, or shared in a company-wide email. Then, often without meaning to, they quietly get shelved. Why?

Because cultural work is tough. And complex. And the next steps are unclear. 

Acting on feedback, especially sensitive or uncomfortable feedback, requires courage, strategy, and systemic thinking.

In this blog, we’ll explore what effective follow-up looks like after a culture audit, and how to leverage this pivotal moment to build momentum, trust, and lasting cultural change.

Normalize the Discomfort of Honest Feedback

Suppose your culture audit surfaced tension, dissatisfaction, or inequities—good. That means people told the truth. It’s far more dangerous when audit results are overly positive or vague. It likely means people don’t feel safe to be honest.

The first step post-audit is creating space to process and validate what surfaced. This doesn’t mean diving into problem-solving immediately. It means naming the discomfort, thanking people for their vulnerability, and publicly committing to using the feedback responsibly.

Feedback is a gift, even when it stings. Especially when it stings.

Take inspiration from Brené Brown’s approach to vulnerability in leadership. In her TED Talk “The Power of Vulnerability,” she reminds us that cultures built on trust allow room for imperfection—and that includes leadership’s response to difficult truths.

Involve Your People in Making Meaning of the Data

Culture audits often generate pages of reports and recommendations. But what do those numbers and themes actually mean to your people?

Instead of pushing out top-down action plans, consider creating facilitated spaces for reflection and sense-making. Use small-group dialogue sessions, town halls, or listening circles to explore:

• Which findings resonated?
• What surprised us?
• What stories sit underneath the data?
• What strengths do we want to build on?
• What are the risks if we don’t act?

This approach creates psychological safety and builds collective ownership of the culture change process. People are more likely to commit to a solution they helped shape.

Prioritize Actions Based on Impact, Not Just Feasibility

It’s tempting to jump into “quick wins” after an audit, revising a policy, tweaking a meeting format, launching a new internal newsletter. While those have value, lasting culture change requires addressing root issues, even when they’re complex.

Ask yourself:

• What issues have the greatest emotional or systemic weight?
• Which areas are contributing to turnover, burnout, or disengagement?
• Where are we seeing patterns of exclusion or conflict?

Tools like the Eisenhower Matrix (read more about how it can be used in change management here) and Stakeholder Mapping (read more about Stakeholder mapping here) can help prioritize. But ultimately, this is where values must drive the process. Choose the work that will matter in five years, not just the work that fits this quarter’s goals.

Create a Multi-Level Action Plan

Culture is shaped at every level of an organization by leadership behavior, team dynamics, structural policies, and informal norms. That’s why audit follow-up plans need to address:

• Individual level: Training, coaching, reflection tools
• Team level: Meeting redesign, communication agreements, conflict protocols
• Organizational level: Policy review, leadership alignment, system redesign
• Symbolic level: Stories, rituals, values-in-action

One size does not fit all. And neither should your solutions.

As highlighted in Harvard Business Review’s article, “Why Organizations Don’t Learn,” systems that fail to close the feedback loop often create learned helplessness. Following an audit, it’s critical that teams see and feel progress at multiple levels, or risk deepening disengagement.

Don’t Just “Deliver” the Results, Keep the Dialogue Going

Culture isn’t a project. It’s a practice.

After you’ve shared your findings and created your initial action plans, be intentional about maintaining open dialogue. Use:

• Monthly feedback check-ins
• Anonymous follow-ups (e.g., digital suggestion boxes)
• Facilitated conflict circles
• Post-implementation surveys

Transparency is key. Even when progress is slow, it’s better to communicate imperfectly than to go silent.

Assign Stewardship, Not Just Ownership

Too often, the work of “culture” lands on one department, usually HR or DEI. But culture is cross-functional. It touches every policy, meeting, decision, and interaction.

After an audit, define clear roles:

• Who will steward the change process?
• Who will track progress and evaluate outcomes?
• How will middle managers be supported to model change?
• What accountability structures will be put in place?

And just as importantly: How will this work be resourced? (Yes, time and money need to follow your values.)

Bring in Support Where Needed

You don’t have to do this alone. Many organizations benefit from external partners who bring:

• Conflict sensitivity (for navigating power dynamics)
• Change management experience
• Facilitation and dialogue expertise
• Monitoring & evaluation frameworks

If your culture audit surfaced complex interpersonal or systemic tension, engaging a neutral third-party can help your team move from defensiveness to collaboration.

Priya Parker, author of The Art of Gathering, reminds us that “gathering with intention” transforms what might otherwise be performative into something powerful. Partnering with skilled facilitators is one way to bring that intentionality into post-audit action.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Organizations can follow up on culture audits by:

• Holding cross-departmental strategy sprints to co-design change
• Hosting monthly conflict literacy sessions or coaching sessions
• Implementing leadership reflection cohorts or Harmony Circles
• Establishing a Conflict Resolution Office or Ombuds role
• Launching internal learning labs or workshops on emotional intelligence and feedback

None of these are overnight transformations, but they create momentum, and more importantly, trust.

Ask yourself, when was the last time you asked your team how they feel about the culture, not just what they think?

After an audit, consider setting aside time to reflect on:

• What are we learning about how we show up together?
• Where do we need support or repair?
• How might we move from reaction to reflection to reinvention?

Get in touch with us at Harmony Strategies Group to see how we can support you to leverage your culture audit and apply improvements within your organization using the various services we provide.

References and Resources

• Why Organizations Don’t Learn – Francesca Gino & Bradley Staats
• TED Talk: The Power of Vulnerability – Brené Brown
• The Art of Gathering by Priya Parker
• National Center for Dialogue & Deliberation: https://www.ncdd.org
• Eisenhower Matrix for Change Management Teams by Lark Editorial Team
• Camilo Tristancho – Stakeholder Mapping 101: How to Make a Stakeholder Map