What do you think of when you hear the word ‘culture’ as related to business? A hierarchy with powerful leaders and cowering line staff? A collaborative group of creative minds? Organizational culture is not determined by the organization’s business, industry, or even personalities. Check out this powerful quote from 37 Signals:
You don’t create a culture. Culture happens. It’s the by-product of consistent behavior. If you encourage people to share, and you give them the freedom to share, then sharing will be built into your culture. If you reward trust, then trust will be built into your culture.
By working collaboratively to determine the organization’s core values and vision, every individual involved can work toward developing the culture they want at their workplace. In another article, I came across a very helpful example of how powerful a shift in culture can be. They use the case study of how Chrysler turned around through a dramatic cultural change, including some of the snags and backtracking along the way. One of their main points is one we come across quite often through consulting:
The proponents of change must carefully model the behavior they want to see in others. If they do not send a consistent message and keep that message clear and dominant over time, cultural change may be seen as just another fad.
Culture change requires vigilance and continuous attention, as well as active stakeholder input (this includes staff!). You’d be shocked at how much input you can get just by asking for it! Without consistency, though, old habits will return, and the lack of urgency can lead to an organization who views every new idea as if it’s just another fad that will fizzle if ignored long enough.
