You cannot calculate the ROI of culture, using modern technologies and knowledge, any more than you can calculate the value of trust or the health benefits of love.
If you are responsible for stewarding culture at your organization, and you are pressed to deliver an ROI for your efforts, memorize the following passage. You’ll find it handy:
“You want an ROI on trust? Learning orientation? Loyalty? I can’t do that. Nobody can do that. When people try, the numbers are off the charts. But immeasurable does not mean unimportant. We all know that, too.
Now, if you’re telling me that you are questioning my project’s ability to deliver an improved culture, that’s one thing, and I want to know that.
But if you’re saying you won’t invest in any culture-enhancing activities without an ROI tied to the effort, then we have a bigger issue we need to talk about.”
Hey, I never said it was going to be an easy conversation!
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I'm Jason. I make people shine. My mission is to help 1 million people tell their stories better. 
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Good post Jason. I always like turning this sort of conversation on its head by asking, “What’s the cost for not having a strong corporate culture?” Funny how people struggle to quantify the positive but can always calculate the negative.
@Mark—Maybe that’s because as soon as we put a price on goodness, our priceless moments lose too much value?
Why can’t you calculate the ROI of culture?
@Racana—For all the reasons I mention in the post.