In the intricate tapestry of organizational success, leaders play a pivotal role, not just in driving outcomes but more crucially in shaping the climate and culture. Traditional leadership models often emphasize direct accountability for outcomes like employee engagement. However, a deeper understanding of the ‚How Culture Works‘ model reveals that leaders‘ true impact lies in their influence on the organizational climate, which in turn nurtures the desired outcomes. This blog post explores why leaders should shift their focus from mere outcomes to actively cultivating a constructive culture.
The Limitation of Outcome-Centric Leadership: Focusing solely on outcomes such as engagement can be a narrow approach for leaders. Engagement, while a critical indicator of organizational health, is a result of deeper, underlying factors. Leaders who concentrate exclusively on engagement metrics may overlook the root causes that drive these numbers, such as the prevailing organizational culture and climate. The Organizational Effectiveness Inventory® (OEI) is used in particular to identify and analyze these causal factors.
Leadership’s Role in Shaping Climate: Leadership is a significant component of an organization’s climate. The actions, decisions, and behaviors of leaders are constantly observed and interpreted by employees. These observations significantly influence employees‘ beliefs about the preferred ways of working and behaving within the organization. Leaders, through their daily interactions and decisions, send powerful signals about what is valued, tolerated, and discouraged in the organizational culture.
Shifting Focus to Culture and Climate: Encouraging a Constructive Culture: Leaders should prioritize fostering a culture that encourages constructive behaviors like collaboration, innovation, and ethical conduct. This involves leading by example, open communication, and creating an environment where constructive feedback is valued.
Enabling the Right Climate: By focusing on creating the right climate, leaders can indirectly yet effectively influence positive outcomes. This means designing and implementing policies, structures, and systems that align with and reinforce the desired culture.
Empowering Through Climate: A leader’s role should evolve from driving outcomes to empowering employees through the right climate. This empowerment comes from providing autonomy, encouraging skill development, and recognizing achievements aligned with the constructive cultural norms.
From Engagement to Engagement Through Culture:
Instead of directly chasing engagement metrics, leaders should aim to cultivate a culture that naturally fosters engagement. This approach ensures that engagement is not just a temporary spike in metrics but a sustainable trait of the organizational ethos.
Leaders in contemporary organizations must understand that their influence extends beyond direct outcomes. Their most significant impact lies in shaping the climate and culture, which are the bedrocks of all desired outcomes, including engagement. By shifting their focus from outcomes to culture, leaders can foster a more engaged, productive, and innovative workforce. This strategic shift is not just about changing a leadership approach; it’s about transforming the very fabric of organizational success.
Remember, great leaders don’t just aim for good numbers; they cultivate great cultures. Let’s lead the change by focusing on what truly matters – culture.