Positively impacting society on a global scale through culture awareness, education and action.

In business, there’s a prevailing belief amongst leaders that “doing more and more” is the only way to increase sales and profit. It is an easy notion to nod to because inherent in the assumption is a paradigm – the belief that additional activity such as new brand introductions or entry into a new markets or geographies bring incremental rewards. And, in many cases this is true. But there’s a downside, a nasty one. “Doing more and more” can create cultures of complexity, and left unchecked, complexity stifles, stagnates, and eventually brings organizations to their knees.

All cultures have their blind spots, those commonly-held beliefs that become so ingrained no one bothers to challenge their truth. One of the most common blind spots I see in my work might be called the meritocratic presumption. For many senior executives, their own success confirms the essentially meritocratic nature of their enterprises, proof positive that cream rises to the top.

Culture is the single most important factor in organizational success or failure. It tells employees how to behave, how to do their jobs and how “things are done around here.” But would your employees, middle-management and executives all describe your culture the same way?

Organizations are communities of people, and when those communities become upset, the organization is in serious trouble.

All organizations face problems from time to time; what matters is whether there is a collective will to solve those problems, or whether the culture of the organization has broken down in some way: when one group of people feels that another group is trying to impose its vision without any real consensus or agreement, for example, or – especially – feels that one group is not acting in the best interests of the organization’s core purpose.

This is the second in a series of blogs about virtuous organizations — businesses where employees model the highest aspirations of human kind. In this series, authors Graham Williams and Gerald Wagner draw on examples and insights from around the world — Brazil, USA, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand, and Turkey. Readers may be pleasantly surprised by how many virtuous companies already exist! The series addresses what makes these virtuous organizations tick and what practices they have in common, telling compelling stories about the power of positivity. While everyone is likely to enjoy these case studies, organizational leaders in a position to affect culture change are likely to benefit most.

The topic of values is gaining more and more attention on a number of levels: organizational, personal, community, societal, political. At an organizational level, the values define what the organization stands for and how it is seen and experienced by customers and other stakeholders (employees, service partners, suppliers and communities). Values act as guiding principles – as a behavioural and decision-making compass. If these values are not embraced and displayed by everybody representing the organization, there is a likelihood that customers will, at best, be confused and at worst, not trust what is being communicated through “official channels.” In today’s super connected, transparent world, the value of values is greater than ever before – workplace culture is at the hub. This article provides an insight into the culture journey of the UK’s leading independent protection insurance adviser, LifeSearch.

This is the first in a series of blogs about virtuous organizations — businesses where employees model the highest aspirations of human kind. In this series, authors Graham Williams and Gerald Wagner draw on examples and insights from around the world — Brazil, USA, India, Netherlands, New Zealand, Pakistan, Thailand, and Turkey. Readers may be pleasantly surprised by how many virtuous companies already exist! The series addresses what makes these virtuous organizations tick and what practices they have in common, telling compelling stories about the power of positivity. While everyone is likely to enjoy these case studies, organizational leaders in a position to affect culture change are likely to benefit most.

When it comes to accidents at work, prevention is the first line of defense. For typical work environments, such as offices, this arguably lies with staff. A strong culture based around prevention only decreases the likelihood of such incidents occurring in the first place. As such, many workplaces should be looking to enhance the various factors and attributes that make up such a working mind-set.

As you lead through culture change are you “playing to win?”  Who is on your team?  Culture is all about people. In order to play to win you need to know who is on your team and make sure that the right people are in the right positions.

“How can I motivate my employees to ________? (work harder, be safer, be healthier, participate, etc.)? is a futile question. Research has shown consistently that one person cannot force another person to change. However, cultivating a thriving workplace culture will foster intrinsic motivation, support employee wellbeing, help employees successfully adapt to change, and will also reveal the valuable connection between corporate culture and success. Instead of a host of gimmicks to entice employees, create the conditions in which they can find their own motivation – and then help them be the authors of their own change journey.¹ Here’s how:

One of the biggest opportunities missed by companies everywhere is knowing how to tap into the power and potential hidden within the organization—the front line employees. What can companies do to create a culture of engagement that benefits the company, the customer and the employees? Focus on Super Vision versus supervision.

“I never give a 5”, said the senior executive when evaluating one of his people on a 5 point scale. “No one is perfect.” All our lives, in school, athletics, or socially, we are poked, prodded, and pushed to be perfect by evaluation systems that merely show us we are not 5’s, “not good enough”. We are less than perfect, based the standards of others, so peer pressure becomes our moral compass. In the business world, it’s organizational politics and fear that shape how we behave. We have to take orders, get along, and not rock the boat in order to advance. 

How do leaders and team members treat each other in your workplace today? Do they interact respectfully and civilly . . . or aggressively and selfishly . . . or somewhere in between?

When I ask leaders this question, they typically respond with “Well, I think they treat each other OK.” They are not confident in their perceptions because they don’t pay enough attention to the quality of workplace interactions.

Have you ever felt like a donkey chasing a carrot that is always tantalizingly just beyond reach? Maybe it’s not a carrot you’re chasing, but if you’ve ever found yourself thinking, “I’ll be happy when…” then you’ll understand.

Culture is not about being cool or even being a “best place to work.” It’s about being more successful. Period. So while a lot of organizations may spend time trying to find the right balance of happy hours or break-room perks to try to bolster their culture and employee engagement scores, the companies that have the truly strong cultures—that run circles around their competition—actually take a different approach. They directly connect their culture to what drives their success.