On Elephants and Blind Researchers: Methods for Accessing Culture in Organisations

This research compares two pre-existing methodologies for accessing culture, repertory grids and focused group discussions, with a modified version of the Twenty Statements Test (Kuhn and McPartland, 1954), a method originally developed to measure self concept. The comparison is made on the basis of three criteria: the levels and elements of culture accessed by the different methods; the amount and usefulness of the information gathered; and finally, the ease of use of the methods. The comparison of the methods is based on information gathered from 158 participants in a major UK company and the results clearly suggest that the modified Twenty Statements Test has most potential as a method for accessing culture in organisation. The results also suggest that the conceptualisation of aspects of culture needs to be clearer and more focused if progress in understanding about the content and consequences of culture is to be made.