A healthy culture is the
starting point for any successful organisation just as good soil is essential
for a successful garden. If you have ever worked in an organisation with an
unhealthy culture you will understand the impact culture can have on performance.
As a leader, digging into your culture can be a very revealing exercise that you
should do on a regular basis if you want to keep your organisation healthy.
So what makes up culture, how do
cultures vary and what can you do to improve them?
What makes up a
culture
Organisational culture is a
complex mixture of elements, not unlike the complex mixture of elements that
make up soil in the garden. You need to get all of them in balance or you won’t
get the result you want. These 5 layers of organisational culture are:
Organic layer
This represents what people see, the outcome of your culture. Are your visible results the equivalent of productive plants or are they more like annoying weeds?
Top soil
What people do to
demonstrate your values including how they act towards each other and respond
to situations. It also represents the practices that get rewarded.
Sub soil
What staff, clients and suppliers say about the organisation, almost
like the subtext of the organisation. It
is also what the organisation says about itself in the form of written policies
and procedures that express its values.
Parent material
How you want people to think.
The mindset you want your people to have based on your values. This will inform
what they deem important and where they channel their efforts.
Bedrock
How you want people to feel
about the organisation. In other words, the values you want them to live by
that support everything you do.
Think for a moment about your organisation. Can you identify
how people feel and think, what they say and do and the results you see from
this? If you want to get more insight into how your people view your culture,
here is an interesting activity that is bound to open your eyes.
Ask people to give a few words that describe your culture in
the past (say, 2 to 5 years ago), in the present and what they would like it to
look like in the future (say, 2 to 5 years from now). This exercise can
highlight the areas where work is required.
How cultures vary
Different climatic conditions mean that certain types of
soil are required for each region in the same way that certain cultures are
required in specific industries. The problem becomes when you impose the wrong
culture on an industry and then wonder why it fails to perform. The classic
example is when a government department tries to compete with the private
sector but still has a public service culture. Perhaps three of the most influential factors are:
Speed
Are you in an industry that is on
the slow and steady end of the continuum or do you belong at the other end due
to the fast moving and constantly changing nature of what you do?
Shape
Does the word conservative best
describe your industry or would people say you are more in the innovative
category?
Space
Is yours a highly regulated
industry that must operate within rigid guidelines or do you have the ability
to be more flexible in what you do?
Improving the quality
of your culture
Changing an organisation’s culture can be a slow process but
with the right formula you can do it. If you want to see your organisation
flourish then follow these three steps.
Clear out
Start by clearing out any ineffective policies, procedures and
people that are reducing the quality of your culture. If you aren’t sure what
they might be, ask your staff – they will know!
Own up
Now it’s time to address any past issues, errors or concerns
that have contributed to the poor quality culture. Be honest with people about
decisions that were made and their impact on the workplace. Analyse what
happened, why it happened and how to prevent it happening again.
Move on
By introducing new people, new ideas and new ways of working
that fit your true values. Again, get your people involved in coming up with ideas
that will replace your old culture with a new one that is engaging for
employees and customers alike.
To learn more take the “How healthy is
your workplace culture?” quiz at www.letsgrow.com.au/quiz.htm
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