From Insight to Action

Reflecting on your Slippery Slope® Map results

Completing the Slippery Slope® Map is only the first step. The real value will lie in the conversations the scores prompt and the decisions they influence.

No organisation is perfect. Every organisation has a trajectory. The aim is not to achieve perfect scores across every area. It is to notice the conditions, patterns and direction of travel while there is still time to influence it.

Resist the temptation to jump straight to solutions. Good decisions usually begin with good questions.

The questions below are designed to help you reflect on your results, whether you are responsible for leading an organisation, supporting others or simply wanting to understand your workplace more clearly.

Look in the mirror

Every person has an influence on culture. Don't underestimate yours. Seemingly small decisions can shape organisational culture more than major initiatives.

Some people influence strategy, budgets and policy. Others influence culture through the way they manage, support colleagues, speak up, welcome new joiners or respond when someone needs help.

Ask yourself:

Which parts of these results can I influence directly?
Which parts can I influence indirectly?
Which parts simply help me understand my organisation better?
What would “better” look like within my own sphere of influence?

Look beyond the scores

The numbers matter less than the stories behind them. Different perspectives are often the starting point for meaningful conversations.

Ask yourself:

Which score felt most accurate?
Which result surprised you?
Which finding would colleagues immediately recognise?
Which one would they see differently?
What examples came to mind while completing the questionnaire?

Look for patterns

Organisational problems rarely appear overnight. More often they develop gradually through patterns that become accepted, repeated or overlooked.

Culture often becomes easier to recognise once we have the language to describe it.

Ask yourself:

Which behaviours have become “normal” that might surprise a newcomer?
What frustrations keep recurring?
Which conversations seem unusually difficult?
What concerns are people reluctant to raise?
What have these results helped you notice that you hadn't previously put into words?

Look for pivotal moments

Culture is not willed or pronounced into existence. It is built through thousands of everyday interactions and a relatively small number of pivotal moments that make a real difference.

Think about experiences such as:

joining the organisation
receiving feedback
being given responsibility for people
managing change
raising a concern
making a mistake
seeing inappropriate behaviour
experiencing inappropriate behaviour
someone telling you about an issue
struggling with a wellbeing issue
working under threat of redundancy
supporting someone through a difficult period
leaving the organisation

People rarely judge organisations only by what happens on a normal day. They remember – and talk about – how they were treated during the moments that mattered most to them.

Ask yourself:

Which of these moments does our organisation handle particularly well?
Which moments create unnecessary uncertainty or anxiety?
How might those experiences shape the way people feel about working here?

Look to build sustainable success

High-performing organisations are not simply productive. They create conditions where people can grow and perform well, continue learning and sustain their performance over time. Many organisational strengths and risks become visible during these moments.

Ask yourself:

Are people set up to succeed?
Are early-career professionals given the support they need to build judgement and confidence?
How well do we help people through important career transitions?
When people begin to struggle, how quickly do we notice?
How well do managers handle conversations that really matter?

Look at the road ahead

Your results represent a point in time. The more important question is where things are heading.

Small improvements made early are usually easier than major interventions later.

Ask yourself:

Which amber area concerns me most?
Which condition is beginning to emerge?
What might happen if nothing changed over the next 18 months?
Where could one small improvement have the greatest positive impact?
Which conversation would be most valuable to have first?

One final question

If a new colleague joined your organisation tomorrow, what would they learn about your culture from what they experienced during their first month? How much would the fundamentals vary by manager, team or office?

That answer is one of the clearest indicators of an organisation's culture.

Continuing the conversation

The Slippery Slope® Map is designed to encourage reflection, not provide all the answers.

If you're responsible for shaping culture, leading people or supporting organisational development and would like to explore your results, test your thinking or discuss how these patterns relate to your organisation, we'd be delighted to arrange a complimentary Slippery Slope® Clarity Call.

Sometimes a conversation is all that's needed to see things differently.