What are we really on about when we talk about culture in organisations? It seems nebulous to many of us and really what we are talking about is a set of values and beliefs shared in an organisation that are enacted upon and shape the way things are done. They underpin the rules and assumptions that the group of people, brought together in an organisation hold. Shared values and beliefs run through the organisation and inform actions and decisions. That’s it really, and it has a big impact on how business gets done.
Some places of work have these beliefs and values written down and some do not. Very few find that the lived values are the same as the ones that have been written on the poster. The real culture lives in the myriad of actions and decisions taken each day by leaders and staff. Many executive leaders don’t know what their organisations culture is, and know less how to influence it, and so it gets forgotten about. But if Drucker was right, if culture eats strategy for breakfast, what does that mean for organisations that don’t pay attention to it? Have you ever wondered why your strategy isn’t understood by employees, or isn’t being delivered?
The good news is there is plenty you can do to influence it. Culture is driven by the vision and mission of the organisation and by the daily behaviours of management and employees. Traditionally seen as a soft concept, executives now know that it impacts the bottom line through productivity, engagement, diversity, equality and inclusion, absenteeism and high staff turnover.
Just like a countries culture, it will be incredibly complex because it is shaped by and includes a vast number of hugely complex and unpredictable human beings. There isn’t a good and bad – the question is, does the culture aid you in achieving your strategy, or work against you?
Some things you can do to influence the culture you want to see in your organisation are:
· Think about your own values and beliefs. These will play out and underpin how you lead. Is there anything you may like to enact differently to create different responses in those around you?
· What are the values and beliefs of the whole executive team? Are you role modelling what you want others to do? Development of self-awareness is key because employees will unconsciously copy you – both what you do and how you do it. Alignment of the executive team is key, if you want to see consistent behaviour in your organisation.
· Create a clear sense of purpose and mission and ensure this is regularly communicated and talked about, particularly in how it is applied. Ensure everything is aligned to core values and roles are clear.
· Increase engagement and trust with staff. Foster good communication with and between employees.
· Use a tool like Johnson & Scholes Culture Web to provide a framework for understanding and analysing your culture.
· Storytelling can have an incredibly powerful effect on influencing culture – what stories to others tell about what goes on and how, what stories can you tell? We see this in society too – what influence have stories had on culture, what reflection of it are they?
· Keep monitoring how you’re working and talking about it – and keep nurturing what you want to see more of.
In Organisation Development, we are interested in noticing patterns, not problems. We notice patterns and experiment with shifting the patterns, so they are more productive, healthy and fit for your strategy delivery. At Clare Joghee, Organisation Development Ltd. we specialise in relational work, and are experts in psychodynamics in teams and organisations. We develop Executive Teams to work at their most productive, shift culture in organisations and develop leaders to work at their best. We can help you to understand what patterns exist in your organisation’s culture and some of the complex ways culture has been created and is maintained. We work on how you can influence change, and work with you to develop that. We work with your people to develop the internal capability for that journey to continue.
What story do you want to be able to tell?