Most organisations measure culture through engagement or satisfaction surveys.

They ask:

• Are you happy at work?
• Do you feel supported?
• Would you recommend this organisation?

These questions matter.

But they only tell part of the story.

Because culture is not just how people feel.

It is how people behave — especially when pressure increases.

And pressure is where the truth of culture reveals itself.

Why Satisfaction Scores Are Not Enough

An organisation can score reasonably well on engagement while still experiencing:

• rising sickness absence
• leadership fatigue
• communication breakdowns
• quiet disengagement
• growing emotional tension within teams

Traditional surveys capture sentiment at a moment in time.

They rarely capture behavioural patterns.

And behaviour is what shapes performance, wellbeing, and long-term sustainability.

The WINGS CQ–EQ Culture Audit

At WINGS, we use a behavioural lens — what we call a CQ–EQ Culture Audit.

This approach looks at two essential dimensions:

 Cultural Intelligence (CQ)

Cultural Intelligence measures how well people understand differences — not only across backgrounds, but across working styles, expectations, and communication patterns.

Many workplace tensions are not caused by conflict.
They are caused by misalignment.

For example:

• One team values speed; another values thoroughness.
• One leader communicates directly; another prefers reflection.
• Expectations exist, but remain unspoken.

When Cultural Intelligence is low, small misunderstandings accumulate into larger frustrations.

CQ helps organisations identify where clarity and alignment are missing.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ)

Emotional Intelligence becomes most visible under pressure.

How do leaders respond when deadlines tighten?
How do teams communicate when workload increases?
Who absorbs tension — and who withdraws?

In many organisations, high-performing individuals carry invisible emotional load. They manage conflict quietly, buffer pressure for others, and rarely express strain.

Over time, this creates fatigue that no workshop can resolve.

EQ within culture is not about personality.
It is about behavioural response to stress.

Where Culture Actually Breaks Down

A CQ–EQ Culture Audit looks beyond satisfaction to examine:

• Where tension accumulates
• Where communication becomes reactive
• Where expectations are unclear
• Where leaders carry emotional weight alone
• Where recovery is absent from work rhythms

These early indicators are often subtle.

But left unexamined, they evolve into burnout, absence, turnover, and disengagement.

From Reactive to Preventative Culture Design

The purpose of a CQ–EQ Culture Audit is not to diagnose failure.

It is to create early insight.

Because culture challenges rarely begin as crises.
They begin as patterns.

And patterns can be redesigned.

When organisations understand how culture behaves — not just how it feels — they can:

• intervene earlier
• support leaders more effectively
• strengthen communication clarity
• reduce emotional strain across teams
• build sustainable performance foundations
  

At WINGS, we believe culture is a behavioural system.

And systems can be adjusted — thoughtfully, strategically, and sustainably.

We don’t just ask how people feel.

We examine how culture behaves.

Because early insight prevents late-stage burnout.