Ignite! Newsletter—February 2010 Article
Creating a Culture That Works
Do you think about the culture operating in your organization? Unless you’re employed in a human resource capacity, the answer is probably “no” according to Chris Edmonds and Bob Glaser, Senior Consulting Partners with The Ken Blanchard Companies. In Edmonds’ and Glaser’s experience, culture is usually poorly understood in most organizations even though it is a key factor that impacts employee satisfaction, engagement, and overall employee productivity.
Considering the importance of a supportive and aligned culture, why is it under the radar for most senior executives?
Part of the reason is that culture is hard to define in most organizations. It operates in the background, doesn’t get noticed much, and so it continues to grind away behind the scenes while other aspects of corporate performance that are easier to measure like goals, tasks, and results, preoccupy leadership discussions and strategy sessions.
But ultimately, culture—the way things get done in any particular organization—always has an impact. Whether it takes the form of a “results at all costs” mentality, or an “everything is optional” attitude to performance standards, culture makes itself felt in the way that products are produced, service is rendered, and the degree to which employees are engaged in the process.
If culture is so important, why isn’t it dealt with more directly? The answer, according to Glaser, is that senior executives greatly underestimate the power of an organizational culture because they don’t really understand it. Culture is generally inherited from an organization’s founders, and if enough time has passed, and the founders are not active members of the organization any longer, culture can almost operate as a sort of automatic pilot silently flying the plane. Even when senior leaders recognize that the organization is off course, so few executives have ever had any real experience in dealing with culture change that it is left unaddressed regardless of whether it is serving the overall goals of the organization or not.
For executives who know that their organization is not operating at the level it could, and suspect that a less-than-optimal culture might be a part of the problem, Edmonds and Glaser recommend taking a three-step approach:
- Examine the existing culture
- Define the desired behaviors
- Hold people accountable for living the stated values
Examining the Existing Culture
According to Edmonds and Glaser, the process should begin with an examination of the underlying beliefs and assumptions that are influencing people’s existing behavior. People take action based on their beliefs and assumptions. For best results, Edmonds and Glaser recommend starting at the top. In their experience, getting senior leaders to examine their own personal beliefs about getting things done in the organization is the best place to start.
What you're looking to do is build a safe, values-driven, and understandable environment for employees to operate in. When you create such an environment, employees feel secure enough to freely apply their skills. But when the environment is perceived as being less than fair, or doesn't consistently demonstrate trust and respect, this creates a sense among employees that they need to be careful, stay below the radar, and avoid sticking out. As a result, engagement, innovation, and extra effort are all reduced, which leads to inconsistent performance.
Defining the Desired Behavior
Once the examination is complete, the next step is to identify the values and behaviors that will best help the organization succeed. While leaders generally know what type of values and behaviors they want to guide their organization’s decisions and actions, Edmonds and Glaser still recommend that leaders take the time to formally gather input from employees and consolidate the collected thinking into clear, actionable items.
“Clearly define both performance and behavior clearly,” explains Edmonds. “Without crystal-clear guidelines about what valued behaviors are expected, people become confused about what exactly you want them to do, and how to do it in a way consistent with stated values. They don't know the answer to the question, ‘What does a good corporate citizen look like?’”
Holding People Accountable for Living the Stated Values
The final step to a successful culture change is holding people accountable once the values and behaviors have been identified and defined.
“As the process begins to take hold, there are usually some interesting reactions from people in the organization that create additional challenges,” explains Edmonds. “Some of those things include people feeling like they've done this kind of thing before, or that and if they just keep their head down long enough, things will go back to the way they were before.”
To combat this, Edmonds and Glaser recommend that senior leaders actively champion the desired culture and be living examples of the values in action. People take their cues from their leaders. If leaders are acting differently, people will start to act differently as well. In the culture change program the two consultants lead, Edmonds and Glaser point to numerous examples of the power one leader can wield within their sphere of influence.
As Edmonds explains, “While a team or department leader may not be able to influence the entire organization as a whole, they can do a lot of good by creating a positive subculture among the members of their own group. We see it all the time—throughout an organization, you can see these little pockets of excellence where productivity is terrific, cooperative efforts to solve problems are apparent, and product and service quality is excellent.”
Creating a Culture That Works
For organizations willing to invest the time in examining, defining, and holding people accountable for building a better culture, the results can be striking.
As Glaser points out, “It’s amazing what can be achieved when employees are working in an environment that they perceive as stable, safe, and supportive. People with clear guidelines feel more comfortable and they feel like they understand what the rules are and what it means to be a part of the organization.”
Some of the results that Edmonds and Glaser point to include improvements in collaboration, engagement, and productivity. One client is even working to validate a connection between improved culture and lowered healthcare costs. In addition to hard measures, the two consultants also point to more subtle changes that can make a big difference. Things like employees helping each other on a more consistent basis and even teams helping each other cross-functionally.
A strong, working culture helps to create satisfied employees who feel cared for, trusted, and respected, which increases engagement and ultimately leads to better productivity. If that sounds like something your organization could use, start by taking a look at your own culture today!
Would you like to learn more about creating a culture that works for your organization?
Then view the On-Demand Webcast!
Creating a High Performing, Values-Aligned Culture
Is your culture what you need it to be, or has it defaulted into a path of least resistance? Creating and maintaining a strong, vibrant and aligned corporate culture takes work. Otherwise, it can become the silent killer of initiative, change, and progress.
In this webinar, Ken Blanchard Senior Consulting Partners Chris Edmonds and Bob Glaser will show what you can do to create a culture that works. Along the way you'll learn the five critical success factors for transforming any existing culture into a successful and sustainable work environment.
- Start at the top. Any proposed culture change must be embraced and championed by the senior leadership team. You're destined to failure if they don't lead the way.
- The importance of defining values in behavioral terms. This is the only approach that makes your desired behaviors observable, tangible, and measurable.
- Paying attention. Positive and negative consequences must be applied when performance is below agreed to standards or behaviors.
- The power of high involvement. For everyone to embrace the desired culture, they must be included in the process.
- One step at a time. Start with a distinct part of the organization to learn how the process flows. Then, select another part of the organization and continue the change process there. Repeat until finished.
Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to create a work environment that builds engagement, commitment, and higher levels of performance.