History will show this period may be one of the greatest learning opportunities that organizations will ever have. The stakes are high; the decisions that CEOs make will determine the trajectory of their organization, not only for the next few months, but for the next few years.
Before COVID-19 became a pandemic, the majority of people around the globe were already working remotely and interacting electronically part of the time. However, now that entire organizations are required to temporarily work from home, employers have become increasingly concerned about whether their teams will be able to solve problems effectively and achieve goals in a virtual environment. What can leaders and managers do to support team members to work together effectively?
Among the most important and unique points of Creating Constructive Cultures is that leaders affect culture—and culture affects leaders. At least half of this is missing from just about every culture conversation.
While it’s never an overnight change, culture transformation is a vital part of an organization’s success when done correctly. With 12 years of experience and the assessment tools that provided quantitative data showing where we are, where we want to go, and how we need to get there – Inclusa’s culture journey seemed attainable.
For new and experienced professionals alike, being able to explore and analyze personal behavior and thinking styles for improvement and awareness in a focused and disciplined manner can provide a launch pad for personal achievement.
Long-overdue recognition of the role that culture plays in organizational performance is resonating across business and governmental entities. However, close examination reveals most of the conversations about the need to improve organizational culture remain just that. Few organizations readily initiate actions to undertake a comprehensive effort aimed at shifting to a culture that would better serve the organization in addressing performance challenges or a shift in strategy.
While most awake and aware leaders say they want a constructive corporate culture, many are uncertain of what it really takes to cause cultural change. Consequently, many executives and managers unintentionally create conditions in their work environment for a destructive culture to ferment and metastasize throughout their organization. This happens when leaders focus too much on the task dimension and lose sight of the culture dimension. When leaders step over, ignore, or inadvertently reward the five lethal landmines, culture and strategy alignment fragment and fall apart.
In 2017, THRUUE launched a podcast interviewing leaders about their experiences closing the gap between strategy and culture. Recently, Tim Kuppler, Director of Culture and Organizational Development at Human Synergistics, sat down with CultureGap podcast host Daniel Forrester and executive producer Becca Conary for a reflective interview on what they’ve learned from leaders around the world who seek to close the gap between culture and strategy.
The heartwarming movie, Hidden Figures, reveals the overlooked and crucial contributions from a pivotal moment in American history. Through historical footage, we are treated to President John F. Kennedy speaking about NASA’s mission to land a man on the moon. President Kennedy galvanized an entire country behind a seemingly mind-boggling task: to send a man to the moon and return him safely to earth. The team at NASA easily understood and connected with the mission, vision and values that the President espoused. In the same way, leaders and organizations that succeed in connecting their people to a greater purpose can expect to reap the rewards of a robust culture along with healthy outcomes.
Leading is not dependent on title or placement on an organizational chart. Nor is it confined to office walls. ERDMAN’s Integrative Thinking. Healthier Communities.™ occurs when our technical experts realize the importance of developing our leadership excellence is even more vital. ERDMAN’s culture journey has focused on developing a culture of leadership in which people at any level can grow into leaders, support each other’s development, achieve goals, and fulfill shared purpose.
As social and emotional beings, we have a deep need to belong and also to be valued for our unique contributions. When this doesn’t happen in healthy, mature and constructive ways, we seek out ways to get our needs met in unhealthy, immature and destructive ways. When our motives, language and actions become harmful to ourselves and to others, it is time for a detox.
Organizations desiring to leverage culture as a strategic asset are best served when its leaders can link culture change efforts to the ongoing changes associated with strategy execution.
The need for teams to efficiently reach innovative solutions is at an all-time high. Here are three very different kinds of teams that found success using a common approach.
Key insights for creating a remarkable workplace culture! It’s been an exceptional year of shared learning through case examples, stories, and posts on best practices, and we’re delighted to share the following blog posts that garnered the highest traffic during the past year.
Without conducting a cultural assessment up front, we could have only guessed at the organizational dynamics. Having a cultural assessment gave us the information we needed. If you want reliable information built on solid research that validates clients’ experiences and gives you the levers for change, it’s essential to use industry-recognized tools. The rest is up to you!