One more time, On Culture
Culture is dictionised as ‘the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. This holds true for a nation. When we refer to Organisation Culture, its relates to “the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society”.
Let me share my own understanding of culture, from my personal subjective lens of lived experience:
1. While there is a universal set of events which govern all of us ( such as eating, socialing, accepted apperances and apparel, living in our homes, praying, etc), how we go about collectively enagaging with such events: the social norms, rituals etc is what makes us distinctive and sets us apart. At work, rituals at meetings, personal greetings, working alone and together, etc defines ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. It simply defines our own perception of ‘who we are and how we do things around here’.
2. I have argued elsewhere that the dominant culture is all pervasive. The myth of the MNC culture is illusory. What you have is a British Culture or an American Culture or a Japanese Culture, and is evidence experenced in the culture of its subsidiaries many thousand miles from home. Hence, the protogonist culture of the founder, be it a country, region or a promoter with an inheritance sets the overthrow for the emergent and extanded culture that gets embedded over time.
3. Culture is not just what is experienced in a collective sense by those within the cohort, it may be perceived differently from the cohort outside. Alignment and alliances may result from ‘they are like us too’ or hostility, ‘they are different to us’. This cultures may merge as a melting pot, or stay distinctive and over steralised. This is especially to be borne in mind through mergers and acquistions of companies.
4. Not just the culture bearers in the present, but also past (alumni) and Prospective employees are invested in fostering and nurturing a given culture.
5. Culture is to be discovered: like a wet mudpack to a wall, what falls of is NOT. What remains and solidifies is what is owned as one’s culture. It is a discovery of what you are, rather than what is strived for.
6. A Culture evolves over a long time and builds muscle memories over a long period. In a shorter framework, there are episodic changes, to allow itself to adapt to the vagaries of the context, both internal and external.
7. A culture that is just introspective and self directed can become mortified and mummified and entropy. For culture to be relevant, it should continue to engage with relevance to the context of society in which it serves. For this, external Customer Obsession and focus is key.
8. The culture cohort has to repeatedly adapt and must resemble the microcosm of the macrocosm:its demographic profile, race, ethnicity, gender diversity, and Inclusion should mirror the markets outside. Customers evolve and widen, and the organisation culture must have diversity in thinking, feeling and behavioral styles that reflect the world and commercial opportunities outside. More so, the culture has to be rooted in contemporary beliefs around inclusion, flexibility, tolerance of differences, respect of the individual, rights and choices to be different and apart.
9. Culture is a conscious choice, consistently done, even in small simple things, everyday, everywhere.
10. Culture is not individualistic ( by the leader or coterie alone), for it to be pervasive and embedded, it needs to be co-owned, and integrated into the collectivity. Through the membership interfacing and engaging an institution is coalesced with three functions built around negotiability, resilience and Vision. The resultant culture must be authentic: see what I do, NOT what I say. The culture is the experienced and from deeply held shared purpose and shared values.
11. Around the organisation the culture is manifest through artifact ( inanimate objects) like office look and feel, smell and energy. Much of these are the physical manifestations that are visible. At another level, the culture is also experienced at the socifact level: what are the norms and rituals consistently followed. Finally, culture can be experienced at the level of mentifacts: the mental constructs: This shall/ and shall not be done/ The oughts of our organisation. Like Jurisprudence, it sets out a universal code of rules (values) that the organisation follow especially during a crisis.
12. Finally, culture must be aligned with Global themes as societies evolve. Making a difference to the Planet, a cause. Individuals are best motivated when they find expression of their personal purpose to the organisation purpose, resonate with their own personal vlaues and organisation values, and strive to make expressed and meaningful their own Personal Possibilities with Organisational Possibilities.
How does one move from conceptualisation to mobilising changes in culture?
Ed Schein, renowned Professor of MIT and one of the deepest thinkers and contributors to thinking on Culture , says there are no good or bad cultures. He says How well are you doing in your environment? Judge your culture on Performance. The key is adaptability.
In a start up, the culture goes alongside the new venture: the founder mentality overarches the culture. People may attention to what the founder does or does not do.
In midlife, Culture becomes an issue and seen from a 'problem lens' - whats enabling or hindering the organisation meets its performance objectives.
A matured organisation has succeeded because of its culture. But for it to continue to win in the VUCA world, the adeptness of the culture is critical. Heritage companies must look even more closely to their existing culture ( where there is tremendous pride) and assess if it is aligned with its ability to future proof the organisation to meet their objectives.
Often one element of the culture needs Change. To do this, hardware, software and mind ware all needs shifts. These would include Operating Model, Structures, Rewards and New ways of working. Connecting what is 'common' between competing entities or units is necessary to forge a collaborative culture.
The leader is the essence of culture champion. What he does, or does not do, defines the culture? What the leader treasures, measures and reviews regularly is what will embed the culture. What the CEO values, reviews or calls out that will make the biggest difference. Culture is not what is 'desired' - Company values placards at Board rooms; instead what behaviours leaders display, everyday, everywhere.
Let's say a Leader wants to introduce a Culture of Coaching in his organisation. Begin with asking the CEO, why a Coaching Culture is important and what changes he would make in his own behaviour with his direct reports. He may need, say support on Coaching Capability, and he may then cascade this across the next level. Obviously, this needs to begin from the top.
There is concern around employee engagement basis input from value surveys. How does engagement scores affect organisational performance. For instance, the middle level leaders may for instance not create conditions for their direct reports the freedom to succeed. Where some units have cultures different to that of the company, the only explanation is that the HO is not enforcing the values.
As Ed Schein says, 'managers get what they settle for.'
Culture is dictionised as ‘the arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively. This holds true for a nation. When we refer to Organisation Culture, its relates to “the ideas, customs, and social behaviour of a particular people or society”.
Let me share my own understanding of culture, from my personal subjective lens of lived experience:
1. While there is a universal set of events which govern all of us ( such as eating, socialing, accepted apperances and apparel, living in our homes, praying, etc), how we go about collectively enagaging with such events: the social norms, rituals etc is what makes us distinctive and sets us apart. At work, rituals at meetings, personal greetings, working alone and together, etc defines ways of thinking, feeling and behaving. It simply defines our own perception of ‘who we are and how we do things around here’.
2. I have argued elsewhere that the dominant culture is all pervasive. The myth of the MNC culture is illusory. What you have is a British Culture or an American Culture or a Japanese Culture, and is evidence experenced in the culture of its subsidiaries many thousand miles from home. Hence, the protogonist culture of the founder, be it a country, region or a promoter with an inheritance sets the overthrow for the emergent and extanded culture that gets embedded over time.
3. Culture is not just what is experienced in a collective sense by those within the cohort, it may be perceived differently from the cohort outside. Alignment and alliances may result from ‘they are like us too’ or hostility, ‘they are different to us’. This cultures may merge as a melting pot, or stay distinctive and over steralised. This is especially to be borne in mind through mergers and acquistions of companies.
4. Not just the culture bearers in the present, but also past (alumni) and Prospective employees are invested in fostering and nurturing a given culture.
5. Culture is to be discovered: like a wet mudpack to a wall, what falls of is NOT. What remains and solidifies is what is owned as one’s culture. It is a discovery of what you are, rather than what is strived for.
6. A Culture evolves over a long time and builds muscle memories over a long period. In a shorter framework, there are episodic changes, to allow itself to adapt to the vagaries of the context, both internal and external.
7. A culture that is just introspective and self directed can become mortified and mummified and entropy. For culture to be relevant, it should continue to engage with relevance to the context of society in which it serves. For this, external Customer Obsession and focus is key.
8. The culture cohort has to repeatedly adapt and must resemble the microcosm of the macrocosm:its demographic profile, race, ethnicity, gender diversity, and Inclusion should mirror the markets outside. Customers evolve and widen, and the organisation culture must have diversity in thinking, feeling and behavioral styles that reflect the world and commercial opportunities outside. More so, the culture has to be rooted in contemporary beliefs around inclusion, flexibility, tolerance of differences, respect of the individual, rights and choices to be different and apart.
9. Culture is a conscious choice, consistently done, even in small simple things, everyday, everywhere.
10. Culture is not individualistic ( by the leader or coterie alone), for it to be pervasive and embedded, it needs to be co-owned, and integrated into the collectivity. Through the membership interfacing and engaging an institution is coalesced with three functions built around negotiability, resilience and Vision. The resultant culture must be authentic: see what I do, NOT what I say. The culture is the experienced and from deeply held shared purpose and shared values.
11. Around the organisation the culture is manifest through artifact ( inanimate objects) like office look and feel, smell and energy. Much of these are the physical manifestations that are visible. At another level, the culture is also experienced at the socifact level: what are the norms and rituals consistently followed. Finally, culture can be experienced at the level of mentifacts: the mental constructs: This shall/ and shall not be done/ The oughts of our organisation. Like Jurisprudence, it sets out a universal code of rules (values) that the organisation follow especially during a crisis.
12. Finally, culture must be aligned with Global themes as societies evolve. Making a difference to the Planet, a cause. Individuals are best motivated when they find expression of their personal purpose to the organisation purpose, resonate with their own personal vlaues and organisation values, and strive to make expressed and meaningful their own Personal Possibilities with Organisational Possibilities.
How does one move from conceptualisation to mobilising changes in culture?
Ed Schein, renowned Professor of MIT and one of the deepest thinkers and contributors to thinking on Culture , says there are no good or bad cultures. He says How well are you doing in your environment? Judge your culture on Performance. The key is adaptability.
In a start up, the culture goes alongside the new venture: the founder mentality overarches the culture. People may attention to what the founder does or does not do.
In midlife, Culture becomes an issue and seen from a 'problem lens' - whats enabling or hindering the organisation meets its performance objectives.
A matured organisation has succeeded because of its culture. But for it to continue to win in the VUCA world, the adeptness of the culture is critical. Heritage companies must look even more closely to their existing culture ( where there is tremendous pride) and assess if it is aligned with its ability to future proof the organisation to meet their objectives.
Often one element of the culture needs Change. To do this, hardware, software and mind ware all needs shifts. These would include Operating Model, Structures, Rewards and New ways of working. Connecting what is 'common' between competing entities or units is necessary to forge a collaborative culture.
The leader is the essence of culture champion. What he does, or does not do, defines the culture? What the leader treasures, measures and reviews regularly is what will embed the culture. What the CEO values, reviews or calls out that will make the biggest difference. Culture is not what is 'desired' - Company values placards at Board rooms; instead what behaviours leaders display, everyday, everywhere.
Let's say a Leader wants to introduce a Culture of Coaching in his organisation. Begin with asking the CEO, why a Coaching Culture is important and what changes he would make in his own behaviour with his direct reports. He may need, say support on Coaching Capability, and he may then cascade this across the next level. Obviously, this needs to begin from the top.
There is concern around employee engagement basis input from value surveys. How does engagement scores affect organisational performance. For instance, the middle level leaders may for instance not create conditions for their direct reports the freedom to succeed. Where some units have cultures different to that of the company, the only explanation is that the HO is not enforcing the values.
As Ed Schein says, 'managers get what they settle for.'
Great post & thoughts! I could not agree less with your point no 2 having worked in UAE, although the country has a very strong foundation/culture of its own the parent company does have its own influence on the workings within the premises and this most definitely cannot be overlooked! Would love to hear back from you.
ReplyDeletePayal, Thank you for sharing the example you did. In an earlier post, 'Most Things Divide, Few things Unite" I argued that "This bonding defines and overly crystallises a strong culture of who we are and how we do things around us. Culture is essentially then what divides us from others, but allows us to unite us amongst ourselves. The culture within is the power energy within to create the inter connectedness, within, yet it is also the basis for the fragmentation with that outside itself: the 'other'. Many organisations Parent Culture impact both their Dominant Values (Culture) as also their Dominant Logic (Marks & Spencer's could not make headway in France in the initial years) and Disneyland failed to connect with citizens in other cultures, till it decide to become Glocal. In my experience, I find Western Countries overly impose their framework on emerging markets ( Britain a lot lesser) while Chinese companies have their own entrepreneurial style in the way in which they govern.
ReplyDelete