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Organizational culture includes an organization’s expectations, experiences, philosophy, and values that hold it together, and is expressed in its self-image, inner workings, interactions with the outside world, and future expectations. It is based on shared attitudes, beliefs, customs and written and unwritten rules that have been developed over time and are considered valid. –BusinessDictionary.com
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What do Disney, Zappos, Southwest Airlines have in common? They are known for having very cool cultures. Unfortunately, other organizations try to put their finger on the secret ingredient, but look in the wrong places.
I will tell you what I think it is, but first a story.
Recently, I had a great conversation with an enlightened leader of an organization that is already doing quite well. She recalled for me that her large team is known for being the “poster child” of excellence and performance within the much larger organization. Nonetheless, she did not want to rest on their laurels. Instead, she wanted to be more purposeful in creating a positive culture. The promising thing about this leader is that she is self-aware, and owns that she drives the culture of her team. I am pumped to work with such a forward-thinking person, because I feel like my counsel will make a difference.
You see, organizations that are renowned for their culture do not leave them to chance. They do culture on purpose.
What do I mean?
Here are the main ways they do culture on purpose:
1. They take time to dream and codify.
It is critical to figure out what type of organization you want to be and culture you want to have before plunging into tactical execution. When I refer to “dreaming” I mean that we must first think about the possibilities.
Do you think Disney’s special culture was born from just tactics? That is not likely.
What are the non-negotiable components of the perfect culture for your organization?
Make sure to write down your thoughts. Disseminate an outline of your thoughts. Create a diary of your culture dreams to make you capture the essence properly. Don’t let reality get in the way of dreaming big!
2. They include more people in the planning.
I cannot highlight this point enough. Do not set out to transform your organization’s culture all alone. First, try to gather as much feedback and insights from your managers. Then, seek out front line input. Remember, everyone needs to be vested in this new direction. This was another thing I admire about the enlightened leader about whom I referred before. She wanted to involve a much larger team in the culture discussion.
It’s just plain good business to use the voices of those who have to work in the culture to transform it.
Maybe, you can form a culture team. Have some fun, and dream with the masses!
Are you struggling to gather unfiltered and trustworthy employee feedback? Click Here to download a Free Tip Sheet for help.
3. They focus on getting the right people in the right places.
Arguably, this step is the key to a successful culture transformation. If you have the right front line teams, but misaligned managers to lead them, then you will have a hard time on a culture journey.
If your leaders are in it for themselves and not people whom are other’s centered, cultural transformation will fail.
Aligning the right people in the right places and ensuring they are on-board with your new direction is critical to your success. This is a key element of doing culture on purpose.
Do you need help getting and keeping the best talent? Click Here to download a Free Whitepaper.
4. They know that they must emulate and innovate.
In the culture space, organizational leaders want to be innovative. Often, they want to do it bigger and better than their competition. Sometimes, we can innovate by just emulating, with our own twist.
Keep an open mind. Research organizations that you admire. Present those ideas to the culture team. Then, allow other organizations’ successes to fuel your new vibrant culture.
Do you think that Zappos created its culture reputation out of thin air? No. It took purposeful action.
Ideas are right in front of us. We just have to be open to emulate and innovate.
5. They make hard decisions and focus on the good of the whole.
This is a hard one. Organizations with very strong and positive cultures make hard decisions for the good of the whole on purpose. An example of this might be removing a key leader from the organization, because he or she is thwarting transformation. Perhaps, the leader’s values and actions are not in lock step with a positive team-focused culture.
Irrespective, strong leaders make hard decisions, especially when failing to do otherwise negatively affects the entire organization.
Don’t be afraid to step out on the ledge to make sure everyone honors your organization’s norms, values and beliefs. Hopefully, your organization will be one of those coveted places that others respect and want to emulate.
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In summary, organizations that are more purposeful in creating a positive and magnetic culture are long-lasting. When they take time to dream, include the larger organization in creating core beliefs, get the right people in the right places, emulate and innovate and then make tough decisions for the good of the whole, the rewards are great.
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Thank you for reading this article. I challenge you to challenge your organization to do culture on purpose and not leave it to chance. Please do share your culture experiences by commenting below. Also, share this article with others whom you think might benefit.
Cheers to being more purposeful!