Author: codebru

Culture Makes the Difference in the Business Objects and Crystal Decisions Merger

In July of 2003, California-based software firm Business Objects completed a $1.3 billion merger with Canadian company Crystal Decisions. It was a cross-border merger of mid-sized international leaders in the fast-growing business intelligence software realm, requiring the integration of not only competing technologies but also vastly different cultures. Merging the two entities successfully would require a deliberate approach fueled by accurate insights about both companies and their people.

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Winning with Transglobal Leadership

Many of the greatest challenges facing organizations today are the result of globalization. Organizations cannot escape the impact of globalization and must proactively meet the associated challenges along a number of fronts, the most important of which is leadership. Globalization is placing increasingly complex demands on organizations for recruiting, developing and retaining effective leaders. They are constantly scouting for leaders — especially those who can integrate effectively across countries, cultures and geographies — and there is fierce competition for this global leader talent pool. However, organizations need to know more about the characteristics of effective global leaders to put together meaningful initiatives to find and develop them. Given that previous attempts to define these characteristics have been ad hoc or based on local models, Linda Sharkey and her co-authors set out to systematically discover the key factors that make leaders successful in global roles. Sharkey and her colleagues, Robert Cooke, Nazneen Razi and Peter Barge, dedicated themselves to years of international research, gathering hundreds of insights and anecdotes to identify the factors that set strong global leaders apart from more local leaders. At a recent World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, numerous CEOs in attendance cited a growing need for talent that could function successfully in new and emerging global markets. Clearly, transglobal leadership is vital to an organization’s sustainability and growth. Is your organization ready?

Click here to download the PowerPoint® presentation.

Perfectionism: A Sure Cure for Happiness

By Drs. Lorraine and J. Clayton Lafferty

A book to help those who need to be “perfect”

PerfectionismBookThe authors examined more than 9,000 cases of perfectionism—many through personal interviews—to explore this damaging behavior and its effects. The book presents the surprising causes and revealing consequences of perfectionism, as well as the correction for this counterproductive behavior. With Perfectionism: A Sure Cure for Happiness, the perfectionist can recognize the downside to this behavior and take targeted action to change it— for good.

Use Perfectionism: A Sure Cure for Happiness to reduce an unhealthy attachment to perfectionistic attitudes and behaviors.

Perfectionism: A Sure Cure for Happiness is available for purchase through Human Synergistics. Please contact us to place an order. Books may also be purchased through our online shop.

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In Great Company

By Quentin Jones, Dexter Dunphy, Rosalie Fishman, Margherita Larne-Jones, and Corinne Canter

In Great CompanyPublished by Human Synergistics, In Great Company: Unlocking the Secrets of Cultural Transformation is a comprehensive examination of five leading Australian companies that have successfully transformed their business with inspirational results.

This research, which was led by Professor Dexter Dunphy of the University of Technology Sydney, is a response to our clients’ challenges: ‘How do organizations transform their cultures?’ and ‘What is the evidence about what works?’

Whether you are the leader of an organization or aspire to be one, whether you are an experienced change agent or are just entering the field, this book will help you understand the initiatives, strategies, and personal actions needed to create lasting cultural change and improve the overall performance of the organization.

In the first edition (2006), we focused on an in-depth approach to how companies go about creating organizational change. Since then, the world at large has experienced extraordinary external drivers, including the global financial crisis and devastating natural disasters.

This led to us revisiting three of the original case studies to investigate how these impacts test the initial investment in company culture and enable these businesses to be resilient and sustainable in tough conditions.

The dominant theme to emerge from the updated research was the sustainability of cultural change and the benefits of the “Constructive Core.”

While the original research answered these questions:

  • What creates cultural transformation in organizations?
  • How can organizations transform their cultures successfully?
  • Do businesses with Constructive and supportive cultures perform better?

The updated edition takes this one step further:

  • Can cultural change be sustained in uncertain times?

In Great Company is available for purchase through Human Synergistics. Please contact us to place an order. Books may also be purchased through our online shop.

Contact us
Visit our online shop

Culture and Hyper Growth

Ron Storn, VP of People, Lyft, presents at Human Synergistics’ 2nd Annual Ultimate Culture Conference.

Disrupting to Stay the Same

Jon Wolske, Culture Evangelist, Zappos Insights, presents at Human Synergistics’ 2nd Annual Ultimate Culture Conference.

Human Synergistics and the Wisconsin School of Business Center for Professional and Executive Development (CPED) announce partnership

Center for Professional & Executive Development Announces Partnership with Human Synergistics

Madison, Wis. – The Center for Professional & Executive Development (CPED) and Human Synergistics InternationalTM have joined together to enhance the effectiveness of organizations by providing leaders with resources to develop Constructive cultures. The partnership combines Human Synergistics’ 40 years of culture research, leveraging the Organizational Culture Inventory® and other breakthrough assessments, with CPED’s decades of experience in creating and delivering professional development and executive education programs.

“We are very excited about this new partnership. In the classroom and at business locations, we will use Human Synergistics assessments to provide individual managers and leaders with new development insights, teams with breakthroughs, and leaders and leadership teams with the insight and direction to improve their organizations’ effectiveness,” said Steve King, executive director of CPED. “The Human Synergistics tools are some of the most well-researched and widely used instruments available, and we have integrated them into our coursework and consulting in ways that enrich and enhance learning, development, and business outcomes.”

Lifelong learning and evidence-based research is at the core of both organizations. CPED strives to improve performance and productivity for individuals, teams, and organizations in the areas of leadership, business analysis, supply chain, project management, and business process improvement. Human Synergistics specializes in developing and providing tools, information, and change strategies that enable individuals to reach their potential, groups to realize synergy, and organizations to achieve sustainability.

“Our team at Human Synergistics is delighted and proud to be partnering with an executive education program with the status, depth, and impact of CPED at the University of Wisconsin–Madison,” said Human Synergistics CEO Robert Cooke.

“This new partnership is a great opportunity for the Wisconsin School of Business community as a whole,” said François Ortalo-Magné, dean of the Wisconsin School of Business.

 

About the Center for Professional and Executive Development
The Center for Professional and Executive Development helps individuals, teams, and organizations enhance performance and productivity through practical business learning short courses, certificates, coaching, and Human Synergistics’ assessments. Programs are delivered at the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus Fluno Center or an organization’s business location.

 

About Human Synergistics International

Human Synergistics’ mission is Changing the World — One Organization at a Time®. As creators of the world’s most thoroughly researched and widely used culture survey, the Organizational Culture Inventory®, HSI is the global resource for measuring and shaping organizational cultures. Directed by Dr. Robert A. Cooke, and building on his work with Dr. J. Clayton Lafferty and colleagues, HSI focuses on developing the highest quality assessments and simulations for enhancing team, leader, and organizational performance. Since 1971, HSI has supported the development of thousands of organizations and millions of individuals. With 19 offices on four continents, HSI is having a positive, global impact.

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Knowing What to Do Isn’t Enough

When it comes to effecting cultural change, leaders need advisors who they see as trusted Sherpas who can help them cross the risky mountain range of cultural transformation. Daryl Conner, Chairman of Conner Academy, presents at Human Synergistics’ Ultimate Culture Conference on what distinguishes high-impact change practitioners.

Read Daryl’s blog post on this topic

What’s New in Culture Thinking

Culture expert Edgar Schein presents at Human Synergistics’ 2nd Annual Ultimate Culture Conference.

A shift to culture and leadership development solves engagement enigma

To increase and stabilize engagement, a high-profile, semi-autonomous unit of Advocate Health Care chose to focus on organizational culture change, recognizing an opportunity and need to strengthen relationships within the unit as members worked to achieve their strategic goals. Using a combination of organizational and leadership assessments, as well as individual and team coaching and retreats, the unit achieved an impressive turnaround in its culture.

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Caring for Results and People at the Same Time

Women in leadership positions face different challenges than their male counterparts. With a foreword from New York Times bestselling author Marshall Goldsmith, Taking the Stage: Breakthrough Stories from Women Leaders sheds light on issues that actual senior female leaders faced and how they addressed and overcame those challenges. This chapter, written by Will Linssen, CEO of Heartware/Human Synergistics South Korea, and Kris Park, CEO of Aon Hewitt’s Korean subsidiary, profiles Aon Hewitt’s culture change process. Directed by female leader Park, Aon Hewitt saw significant improvements in organizational culture and performance through behavioral coaching. The result is an organization with top-class leadership effectiveness results, employee engagement scores, and business performance.

Click here to download the chapter.

Pact Helps Change the World by First Changing its Own Organizational Culture

Mission-driven Pact is a nonprofit organization striving to eradicate poverty and strengthen local capacity in communities across the globe. Operating in 26 countries, Pact aims to give poor and marginalized individuals the tools and support they need to improve and take ownership of their futures. While Pact has always focused on empowering the people served, its own culture and the empowerment of employees took a back seat.

This case study was featured in the March-April 2014 issue of Nonprofit World, the publication of the Society for Nonprofits.

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Measuring Group Styles to Improve Team Outcomes

Today’s competitive economy presents unique challenges for organizations of all kinds. This is particularly true for organizations concerned with safety management: It has become even more critical that managers have the ability to manage for continual improvement. Companies are fairly proficient at the technical or “hard” side of training, but evaluating and teaching the soft skills required for effective team problem solving remains the holy grail of a learning organization.

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