Culture Index

Interpret Culture Index survey results for individuals and teams

Author: Dan Guido (Trail of Bits)

Overview

Interprets Culture Index survey results for individuals and teams. Provides expert interpretation of behavioral assessments, team composition analysis, burnout detection, and hiring profile recommendations.

When to Use

Individual Profiles

Interpret an individual’s Culture Index profile and understand their traits

Team Analysis

Analyze team composition for gas/brake/glue balance and identify gaps

Burnout Detection

Detect burnout signals by comparing Survey vs Job traits

Profile Comparison

Compare multiple profiles for compatibility and collaboration dynamics

Hiring Profiles

Define ideal CI traits for a role and identify acceptable patterns

Manager Coaching

Help managers adjust their style for specific direct reports

Interview Analysis

Predict CI traits from interview transcripts before survey

Conflict Mediation

Understand and address friction between team members

Key Concepts

Trait Colors

Trait	Color	Measures
A	Maroon	Autonomy, initiative, self-confidence
B	Yellow	Social ability, need for interaction
C	Blue	Pace/Patience, urgency level
D	Green	Conformity, attention to detail
L	Purple	Logic, emotional processing
I	Cyan	Ingenuity, inventiveness

Essential Principles

Culture Index measures behavioral traits, not intelligence or skills. There is no “good” or “bad” profile.

Never Compare Absolute Values

Never compare absolute trait values between people.

The 0-10 scale is just a ruler. What matters is distance from the red arrow (population mean at 50th percentile). The arrow position varies between surveys based on EU.

Wrong: “Dan has higher autonomy than Jim because his A is 8 vs 5”

Right: “Dan is +3 centiles from his arrow; Jim is +1 from his arrow”

Always ask: Where is the arrow, and how far is the dot from it?

Survey vs Job

Survey = who you ARE. Job = who you’re TRYING TO BE.

“You can’t send a duck to Eagle school.” Traits are hardwired—you can only modify behaviors temporarily, at the cost of energy.

• Top graph (Survey Traits): Hardwired by age 12-16. Does not change. Writing with your dominant hand.
• Bottom graph (Job Behaviors): Adaptive behavior at work. Can change. Writing with your non-dominant hand.

Large differences between graphs indicate behavior modification, which drains energy and causes burnout if sustained 3-6+ months.

Distance Interpretation

Distance from arrow determines trait strength.

Distance	Label	Percentile	Interpretation
On arrow	Normative	50th	Flexible, situational
±1 centile	Tendency	~67th	Easier to modify
±2 centiles	Pronounced	~84th	Noticeable difference
±4+ centiles	Extreme	~98th	Hardwired, compulsive, predictable

Key insight: Every 2 centiles of distance = 1 standard deviation.

Extreme traits drive extreme results but are harder to modify and less relatable to average people.

L and I Exception

L (Logic) and I (Ingenuity) use absolute values.

Unlike A, B, C, D, you CAN compare L and I scores directly between people:

• Logic 8 means “High Logic” regardless of arrow position
• Ingenuity 2 means “Low Ingenuity” for anyone

Only these two traits break the “no absolute comparison” rule.

Energy Utilization

Formula:

Utilization = (Job EU / Survey EU) × 100

70-130% = Healthy
>130% = STRESS (burnout risk)
<70% = FRUSTRATION (flight risk)

Energy Utilization measures how much energy someone is spending to adapt their behavior at work. High utilization (>130%) indicates they’re working against their natural traits and are at risk of burnout.

Gas/Brake/Glue Framework

Role	Trait	Function
Gas	High A	Growth, risk-taking, driving results
Brake	High D	Quality control, risk aversion, finishing
Glue	High B	Relationships, morale, culture

Healthy teams need balance across all three roles. Too much gas without brakes leads to reckless execution. Too many brakes without gas leads to paralysis. No glue leads to poor morale and turnover.

Input Formats

JSON (Recommended)

Extracted profiles from culture-index tool provide the most accurate data:

{
  "name": "Person Name",
  "archetype": "Architect",
  "survey": {
    "eu": 21,
    "arrow": 2.3,
    "a": [5, 2.7],
    "b": [0, -2.3],
    "c": [1, -1.3],
    "d": [3, 0.7],
    "logic": [5, null],
    "ingenuity": [2, null]
  },
  "job": { "..." : "same structure as survey" },
  "analysis": {
    "energy_utilization": 148,
    "status": "stress"
  }
}

Trait values are [absolute, relative_to_arrow] tuples. Use the relative value for interpretation.

PDF

NEVER use visual estimation for trait values. Visual estimation has 20-30% error rate.

When given a PDF:

1. Check if JSON already exists (same directory as PDF, or ask user)
2. If not, run extraction with verification:
   uv run {baseDir}/scripts/extract_pdf.py --verify /path/to/file.pdf [output.json]
   
3. Visually confirm the verification summary matches the PDF
4. Use the extracted JSON for interpretation

If uv is not installed: Stop and instruct user to install it (brew install uv or pip install uv).

Use Cases

1. Interpret Individual Profile

Understand one person’s traits, strengths, and challenges.

Workflow: workflows/interpret-individual.md

Output:

• Archetype/pattern identification
• 2-3 key strengths based on leading traits
• 2-3 challenges or development areas
• Survey vs Job comparison (if both available)
• Actionable recommendations

2. Analyze Team Composition

Assess gas/brake/glue balance, identify gaps.

Workflow: workflows/analyze-team.md

Output:

• Team balance assessment (gas/brake/glue)
• Gaps and risks
• Recommended hiring profiles to fill gaps

3. Detect Burnout Signals

Compare Survey vs Job, calculate EU utilization, flag risk signals.

Workflow: workflows/detect-burnout.md

Output:

• Energy utilization percentage
• Risk level (healthy, stress, frustration)
• Specific traits being modified
• Recommendations for adjustment

4. Compare Multiple Profiles

Understand compatibility, collaboration dynamics.

Workflow: workflows/compare-profiles.md

Output:

• Complementary traits
• Potential friction points
• Collaboration recommendations

5. Get Motivator Recommendations

Learn how to engage and retain someone.

Reference: references/motivators.md

Output:

• Engagement strategies by trait
• Communication preferences
• What to avoid

6. Define Hiring Profile

Determine ideal CI traits for a role.

Workflow: workflows/define-hiring-profile.md

Output:

• Ideal trait ranges
• Acceptable patterns/archetypes
• Red flag combinations

7. Coach Manager on Direct Report

Adjust management style based on both profiles.

Workflow: workflows/coach-manager.md

Output:

• Management style recommendations
• Communication adjustments
• Potential friction points to avoid

8. Predict Traits from Interview

Analyze interview transcript to estimate CI traits.

Workflow: workflows/predict-from-interview.md

Output:

• Estimated trait ranges
• Confidence levels
• Recommended validation via actual survey

9. Interview Debrief

Assess candidate fit based on predicted traits.

Workflow: workflows/interview-debrief.md

Output:

• Fit assessment vs role requirements
• Team compatibility prediction
• Proceed/pass recommendation with rationale

10. Plan Onboarding

Design first 90 days based on new hire and team profiles.

Workflow: workflows/plan-onboarding.md

Output:

• 30/60/90 day milestones tailored to traits
• Communication and support strategies
• Integration with existing team

11. Mediate Conflict

Understand friction between two people using their profiles.

Workflow: workflows/mediate-conflict.md

Output:

• Root cause of friction (trait-based)
• Perspective translation
• Mediation strategies

What It Covers

• Relative Interpretation - Always uses distance from arrow, never absolute values
• Survey vs Job Analysis - Identifies behavior modification and energy drain
• Pattern Recognition - Maps profiles to 19 archetypes
• Team Analysis - Assesses gas/brake/glue balance and gaps
• Burnout Detection - Calculates energy utilization and flags risk

Reference Documents

The plugin includes comprehensive reference materials:

• primary-traits.md - A, B, C, D trait details
• secondary-traits.md - EU, L, I trait details
• patterns-archetypes.md - 19 patterns and archetypes
• motivators.md - Engagement strategies by trait
• team-composition.md - Gas/brake/glue framework
• anti-patterns.md - Common interpretation mistakes
• conversation-starters.md - How to engage each pattern and trait type
• interview-trait-signals.md - Signals for predicting traits from interviews

Installation

/plugin install trailofbits/skills/plugins/culture-index

When NOT to Use

• For non-CI behavioral assessments (DISC, Myers-Briggs, StrengthsFinder, Predictive Index, Enneagram)
• For clinical psychological assessments or diagnoses
• As the sole basis for hiring/firing decisions — CI is one data point among many