What is Culture? • The culture
of an organization is the sum of all the widely shared and deeply
held values and beliefs of its people concerning what matters
and what works in the organization as it pursues its vision and goals.
• Culture is first and foremost about the business and achieving results. It is also about how people treat one another.
Both matter!
• Culture is first and foremost about the business and achieving results. It is also about how people treat one another.
Both matter!
What
does culture “do” for an organization? Put simply: • Culture
tells employees “how we do things around here”.
• Culture tells employees what really “matters” and what really “works” if they want to be successful.
• Culture tells employees what really “matters” and what really “works” if they want to be successful.
Why does it matter?
• On a daily
basis, culture drives employee decisions about what
to work on and how to get
things done.
• Culture is the presence of leadership when there is no leadership present.
things done.
• Culture is the presence of leadership when there is no leadership present.
What drives a culture and its development?
Power! And power resides in three things:
Leaders and Managers – Direct Power
Employees – Indirect Power and/or Influence:
Non-Human Elements of an Organization:
Leaders and Managers – Direct Power
• They
determine the vision, strategies, goals, and priorities.
• They determine the structure of the organization, promote people, and hand out assignments.
• They measure performance and distribute rewards and
punishments.
• They decide on policies, procedures, systems, and processes.
• They determine the structure of the organization, promote people, and hand out assignments.
• They measure performance and distribute rewards and
punishments.
• They decide on policies, procedures, systems, and processes.
Employees – Indirect Power and/or Influence:
• Employees
who have a knowledge base that others rely on.
• Employees who have been around a long time – they “know the ropes”.
• Employees who have the ear of management.
• Employees who are articulate and outspoken.
• Employees who have been around a long time – they “know the ropes”.
• Employees who have the ear of management.
• Employees who are articulate and outspoken.
Non-Human Elements of an Organization:
• Once
leaders and managers determine the vision, structure, performance
measures, reward systems, policies, procedures,
systems, and processes, each of these elements take
on a life of their own and wield power in the organization. They too
tell employees what matters and what works
in the organization.
How do you change a culture?
There are a few predictable steps:
• Measure your current culture.
• Decide what you want your new culture to be in order to drive toward the vision, strategies, and goals of the organization.
• Redesign the structure, performance measures, reward systems, policies, procedures, systems, and processes so they are consistent with and supportive of the culture you want to create.
• Plan for implementation, measurement and follow-up.
• Communicate the new culture to everyone including what’s changing, what’s not, why the change is needed, the process to be used to create the change, and everyone’s role in the process.
How can Idea Connections help?• We know how to measure culture – the current culture and the new culture as it changes over time.
• We know how to help you through the culture design process that begins with the vision right down to changes to policy and processes.
• We know the key success factors required to implement change and equally important, we know what doesn’t work!
• We know how to communicate, to whom, and how often.