Who can use this feature?
Available on:
All subscriptions. Roles visible will depend on the products enabled on your account.
Culture Amp’s permissions model is designed to be both flexible and secure. This guide walks you through assigning administrative access, from broad platform-wide control to targeted, demographic-based scoping.
Before Getting Started
Ensure the employee you wish to assign the admin role to has first been added as a user in Culture Amp.
Understanding the Permission Levels
Before assigning roles, determine the level of access required for the user. Culture Amp uses a module-based system (Performance, Surveys, Goals, etc.). Refer to the Roles and permissions breakdown for a module-by-module comparison of admin responsibilities.
Full Permissions: Complete access to create, manage, and configure a specific module.
Limited Permissions: Provides partial access (available for Performance, Development, Surveys, and Employee Data). Performance, Development, and Employee Data Limited roles can now be scoped by any available demographic.
Task-Based Roles: Specific checkboxes (e.g., Survey Creator) that grant functional access without requiring full administrative ownership of a module.
Assigning Account-Wide Roles
Sign in to your Culture Amp account
Navigate to Settings > Account > Roles and permissions.
Select a User: Search for an existing user or click Assign new role.
Set Module Access: Use the dropdown menu next to each module (e.g., Performance, Goals) to select Full, Limited, or No permissions. Refer to the Roles and Permissions table for guidance.
Add Task Roles: Scroll to the checkboxes below the modules to add specific roles like Survey Data Analyst or Survey Comment Replier.
Save: Click Save permissions at the top of the page.
Note: You cannot assign certain roles (like Survey Data Analyst) to yourself; another Account Admin must do this for you.
Creating Scoped Access (Demographic Restrictions)
Scoped roles allow you to grant administrative power that is restricted to a specific subset of your organization. This is the primary way to support HRBPs or Regional Managers.
The Scoping Logic
When defining a scope in the UI, you can use any demographic (e.g., Country, Tenure, Office) with the following rules:
Across Demographics (AND): If you add multiple rules, such as Department: Sales and Country: UK, the user only sees people who match both criteria.
Within a Demographic (OR): If you select multiple values in one rule, such as Department: Sales and Marketing, the user sees everyone in either department.
How to Apply Scope
Performance (Limited): Set the Performance module to Limited Permissions. Click Restrict to Employees to define their remit using any available demographic (e.g., Department, Location, etc.).
Development (Limited): Set the Development module to Limited Permissions. Click Restrict to Employees to define their remit using any available demographic (e.g., Department, Location, etc.).
Employee Data (Limited): Set the Employee Data role to Limited Permissions. Click Restrict to Employees to define their remit using any available demographic (e.g., Department, Location, etc.).
Goals (Limited): Set the Goals module to Full permissions. Click Restrict to Employees to to choose the organizational structure they can manage.
Removing Roles From the Roles and Permissions Page
Navigate to Settings > Account > Roles and permissions.
Use the search box to find the user by typing part of their name or email address.
Click on the user to open their permissions.
Uncheck the role(s) you want to remove or update the level of permission access
Click Update to save.
Survey and Cycle-Specific Roles
Certain roles are managed directly within a survey or cycle rather than the central Roles and Permissions page.
Survey Administrators
Assigning: Open the specific survey > Edit survey > Administrators > Add administrator.
Levels: Select Overall (full survey control) or Support only (manage survey invites/resets only).
Removing the Survey Administrator Role
Go to your Surveys page and click Edit survey for the relevant survey.
Click Administrators.
Locate the user or use the search box to find them.
Click the user's name, then uncheck Overall, Support only, or both.
Click Update to confirm.
Note: If you need to remove a Survey Administrator who has left the company and been deactivated as a user, you will need to reactivate their profile before following the steps above. You can deactivate their profile again once their access has been removed.
Survey Report Owners and Viewers:
Performance Collaborators & Calibrators
Collaborator: Assigned within a Performance cycle to assist with a specific review.
Calibrator: Assigned when creating a Calibration View to facilitate rating alignmen.
Troubleshooting Common Errors
We could not save your changes
We could not save your changes
This error occurs if you attempt to assign specific roles (like Survey Data Analyst or Survey Comment Replier) to yourself. To ensure proper oversight, these roles must be assigned by another Account Administrator.
We couldn't load roles for this user
We couldn't load roles for this user
This typically occurs for newly created users. It can take up to an hour for a new profile to fully provision within the system. If you encounter this, please wait an hour before attempting to assign roles.
FAQs
Will users be notified if their permissions change?
Will users be notified if their permissions change?
No, except in these cases:
When a user is made an Account Administrator.
When someone is assigned as a Survey Administrator for a survey.
Can I scope access for someone who has Full Permissions?
Can I scope access for someone who has Full Permissions?
For Goals, yes. Scoping works alongside Full Permissions using the "Restrict to employees" setting. For Performance and Development, scoping is currently only available when using the "Limited" permission sets.
Can I assign a user to more than one group for Goals?
Can I assign a user to more than one group for Goals?
Yes, you can add multiple rules or select several groups in the Restrict to group setting. For example, someone can manage goals for both Sales and Marketing.
When it comes to scoped roles, what happens if someone changes departments?
When it comes to scoped roles, what happens if someone changes departments?
If your HRIS is integrated with Culture Amp and updates regularly, group membership (and scoped access) should update automatically. Still, it’s a good idea to double-check permissions after major org changes.
Can scoped users see public goals from outside their group?
Can scoped users see public goals from outside their group?
They might be able to view public goals (like those marked Visible to Everyone), but they won’t be able to edit or manage them unless the goal falls within their assigned scope. This can vary slightly depending on your setup, so testing is recommended.
Why do roles like “Survey Creator” still have individual checkboxes?
Why do roles like “Survey Creator” still have individual checkboxes?
These roles are for specific tasks that can be assigned separately from full or limited access. For example, someone can create surveys or reply to comments without needing full administrative control of the module.
💬 Need help? Just reply with "Ask a Person" in a support conversation to speak with a Product Support Specialist.