Tag: organizational culture

How Climate and Culture Shape Organizational Effectiveness

Kalani Iwi'ula

We’re presented at CultureCon West in Las Vegas, Nevada on November 14, 2024.

In this interactive session, Roxanne Ray explored how Climate (“How things get done around here”) influences Culture (“How people are expected to get things done around here”) and how both impact Outcomes (behavior, performance, and effectiveness).

By focusing on and improving both climate and culture, leaders can create an environment in which people thrive, leading to sustainable success and long-term adaptability and performance. Ultimately, a positive climate and constructive operating culture provide the foundation for high performance and growth.

Slide deck download pending. To host this learning activity at your organization, inquire here. 

Location: Planet Hollywood Las Vegas Resort & Casino, Melrose 3

Going Beyond Values – Measuring & Transforming Culture

Kalani Iwi'ula

Thanks to all who attended today’s virtual discussion! Chicago OD Practitioners Network (CODPN) hosted this complementary presentation on organizational culture, “Going Beyond Values – Measuring & Transforming Culture.” 

This interactive program explored how constructive cultures drive engagement, financial success, and societal impact. Featuring a real-world transformation story from ERDMAN (a Madison-based healthcare design leader recognized as a Great Place to Work®), participants learned how to quantify values and culture using the Organizational Culture Inventory® (OCI®). The session was based on a hands-on experience mapping organizational culture and explored how AI can identify effective levers for cultural change. 

Organization development experts sharing their insights were: 

Cathleen Cooke, Chief Client Officer at Human Synergistics, brings 20 years of experience helping organizations quantify and transform their cultures using the OCI. She works with companies of all sizes to drive engagement, safety, growth, and DEI initiatives. 

Andie Hopkins, an accomplished consultant and coach with 30 years of experience, specializes in culture transformation and people strategy for small to medium-sized businesses. She shared insights from ERDMAN, widely recognized for its exceptional workplace culture. 

Note: If you’re a culture change or OD professional in the Greater Chicago Area, considering following the CODPN LinkedIn page for networking and learning updates, or contact them at CODPNetwork@gmail.com.

Culture as the Gatekeeper to Success…

Kalani Iwi'ula

Tuesday, August 13, 2024

Thank you to all who attended and contributed to this engaging panel discussion, “Culture as the Gatekeeper To Success: Realize, Reorganize, Run With It”!

Culture can be seen as a gatekeeper to driving success in organizations of various types and demographic profiles. Organizational conditions shape members’ understanding of the expected ways to behave at work, thus creating the overall culture. The resulting shared expected behaviors govern effectiveness criteria, such as creating fruitful policy, formulating purpose, and overall effectiveness, including innovation. The challenge for change agents and managers is discovering how to uncover and manage the change process, given members’ different identities, values, and ethnic backgrounds. 

To address this challenge, panelists discussed their experience with various organizational environments, specifically a not-for-profit in the process of succession planning, a police department under pressure to rebuild trust in the community, an organization expanding globally, and organizational culture measurement and application, specifically the Organizational Culture Inventory® (OCI®). 

The panelists took part in a formal, moderated, interactive discussion of (1) the importance of culture in driving outcomes within organizations; (2) the panelists’ personal research experience that demonstrated culture being a barrier or potential enabler to action; (3) the relationship between culture and the mission; and (4) how each variable was interconnected with the others, particularly in how organizational factors contributed to a desirable organizational culture. They did this by discussing how they became aware that culture needed to be addressed (Realize), how they accepted the realities and determined interventions (Reorganize), and the actions that took place (Run With It).

Robert A. Cooke, Ph.D., CEO of Human Synergistics International and Associate Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago, was one of four panelists on this discussion. A renowned expert in organizational development, he has developed widely-used surveys for individual, group, and organizational assessment, including the Organizational Culture Inventory® and Leadership/Impact®. Dr. Cooke’s nationally-supported research on management and organizational change has been broadly published and recognized with multiple awards. Drawing from his experiences at educational institutions and with corporate clientele, Dr. Cooke continues to influence our understanding of organizational culture and leadership effectiveness. In July 2024, he presented “Using AI for Culture Transformation” to discuss the application of artificial intelligence in helping leaders and teams make informed decisions about cultural change.

Webinar – July 18, 2024 | Using AI for Culture Transformation

Kalani Iwi'ula

using ai for culture transformation

Using AI for Culture Transformation

Thank you to all who attended our July 18th webinar, we’re grateful for your participation and engagement.

Dr. Cooke’s special appearance shed light on the innovative use of Artificial Intelligence in culture transformation, showcasing our proprietary approach to help leaders and teams make informed decisions. His expertise in culture and leadership assessments provided valuable insights for driving organizational excellence.

To continue the conversation, connect with Cathleen for timely, high-impact insights.

Missed the webinar? Access the recording and presentation deck here.

The Journey of Improvement is Continuous

Kalani Iwi'ula

In today’s ever-evolving workplace, adaptability is crucial—not just a welcomed advantage, but a fundamental necessity for staying relevant and thriving. Achieving success goes beyond just sketching out goals and strategies; it’s about consistently reviewing our progress and adjusting our sails as needed. Developing constructive leaders, fostering unified teams, and nurturing an achievement-oriented organizational culture are now essentials, not just goals. It’s all about taking a proactive approach to improvement, ensuring we’re not just setting targets but actively monitoring and refining our journey towards success with every step we take.

This post dives into the critical, yet often overlooked, step of remeasurement in an organization’s development process and examines how planned remeasurement can drive improvements benefiting both individuals and organizations.

The Importance of the Remeasure

Remeasurement serves as a bridge between where we are and where we aim to be. The process recognizes clear signs of improvement while pinpointing areas that require further fine-tuning. By reviewing and comparing initial assessment results against remeasure assessment results, leaders and organizations can ensure that their development strategies are yielding the desired outcomes and make informed decisions about what comes next.

Encouraging Sustained Progress

Remeasuring isn’t just about monitoring progress; it’s about instilling the importance of continuous improvement within an organization. This approach shifts the focus from achieving fixed goals to nurturing an environment where learning, development, and growth are ongoing processes. It aligns leadership approaches with individual and organizational objectives ensuring that each endeavor contributes to an overarching vision of success.

Throughout my consulting career, I’ve seen the positive impact of integrating a remeasurement process into client strategies. The approach not only empowers clients to take ownership of their change journey, but also ensures their continued growth.

~Roxanne Ray, Senior Consultant, Human Synergistics

Strategies for Effective Remeasurement

To leverage the full potential of remeasurement in developing leaders, individuals, teams, and organizational cultures, consider the following strategies:

  1. Set Clear Benchmarks: Begin with clear expectations and establish specific, measurable objectives. This clarity forms the basis for effective remeasurement and adjustment.
  2. Establish a Cadence: Incorporate remeasurement at the onset and into the regular rhythm of your organizational processes. Once every two years – with at least one pulse in between – ensures that progress is continually monitored and addressed.
  3. Foster Transparent Communication: Open communication helps in recognizing accomplishments and areas for further development, which is essential in the change process, whether it’s an individual leadership assessment or an organization-wide assessment. This transparent approach can make the reassessment process more relevant and actionable. Consider cultivating an environment where feedback is not only encouraged but actively sought.
  4. Utilize Proven Tools: Implement proven methodologies like the Human Synergistics’ Circumplex and range of assessments to dramatically enhance the impact of your development strategies. Embracing Constructive styles aligns you and your team with time-tested practices to support change initiatives locally, regionally, and even globally. This approach nurtures an environment where positive behaviors thrive and leads to a more vibrant and effective organizational culture.
  5. Enlist Experienced Help: With the right expertise, navigating the complexities of culture change turns seemingly impossible challenges into opportunities. Whether you want to boost the effectiveness of your internal consultants or gain insight from an external expert, a network of accredited practitioners can facilitate your remeasure process and guide you through the intricacies of growth.

For organizations looking to develop their internal capacity, we provide comprehensive accreditation in our models and tools, ensuring your in-house team not only understands the path forward but excels in guiding others along.

For those looking outside your walls, our broad network spans industries, states, and even international borders, ensuring a match with consultants who bring expertise and an understanding of your culture and language nuances, regional specificities, and unique challenges.

In my experience, remeasurement is foundational for lasting change. It acts as both a reflection and a compass, revealing the organization’s progress and guiding members towards their long-term aspirations.

~ Mary McCullock, Senior Consultant, Human Synergistics

Moving Forward

Integrating the remeasure process into your development strategies ensures continuous improvement and alignment with broader objectives. This structured approach celebrates progress, identifies growth prospects, and equips leaders and teams with the insight, agility, and resilience needed to refine their organizational goals.

Call to Action

Are you on course towards organizational success? How can you be certain? Discover how remeasurement can guide you in realigning, refocusing, and revitalizing your organization’s future. Contact us to learn more.

Leveraging Expertise for Organizational Success

Kalani Iwi'ula

Experienced consultants bring a wealth of knowledge and understanding that can contribute greatly to guiding organizations towards their cultural objectives. These change agents offer perspectives that go beyond conventional practice to provide tailored strategies that help leaders with their constructive impact or in discovering their organizational potential. By leveraging a skilled consultant, leaders can navigate the complexities of today’s business climate to drive effective change.

For a comprehensive change process, it’s crucial to understand the key components and strategies that skilled consultants rely on. At its core, a professional’s toolkit should include a suite of fundamental elements and methodologies as outlined below.

Charting Course: The Vital Role of Assessments

In the realm of organizational development, valid and reliable assessments form the foundation for organizational culture understanding. They offer clear, measurable insights into the current state of affairs highlighting strengths, identifying themes, and pinpointing areas for growth and improvement. Utilizing assessment tools such as the Organizational Culture Inventory® or Leadership/Impact® not only establishes a benchmark but also paves the way for targeted and impactful development strategies.

Cultivating a Positive Culture with a Constructive Approach

Embracing Constructive Styles as identified by Human Synergistics is central to establishing a positive and productive workplace environment. These four behavioral styles – Achievement, Self-Actualizing, Humanistic-Encouraging, and Affiliative – as described in Dr. Robert A. Cooke’s article “Create Constructive Cultures and Impact the World” are linked to enhanced motivation, engagement, teamwork, quality, adaptability, and profitability. Encouraging these styles is essential for achieving long term organizational success and retaining top talent.

Navigating Growth Through Feedback

Objective, behavior-based feedback, especially when delivered constructively and strategically, is a powerful catalyst for growth and development, encourages learning, and builds trust. When facilitated by an accredited coach, this feedback can align individual efforts with the broader goals of the organization. With their unique perspective, a skilled practitioner can offer insight and new awareness for personal achievement or organizational progress.

“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.”

~ Margaret J. Wheatley

Evaluating Progress & Making Adjustments

One integral step often overlooked in the improvement journey is the remeasure – reassessing to measure progress and identifying areas for further improvement. By comparing the initial assessment against the remeasure results, you obtain tangible evidence of improvement while pinpointing areas where adjustments are still necessary. Whether for individual or organization-wide development, regular remeasures embed a culture of continuous improvement ensuring that leadership strategies contribute to both individual and organizational goals.

Integrating Wellness and Adaptive Leadership in the Digital Age

In today’s rapidly evolving workplace, prioritizing wellness and adaptive leadership is essential for maintaining productive, creative, and engaged employees. Upskilling the entire workforce, while critically important, isn’t just about business growth; it involves developing all personnel in being resilient and agile, understanding empathy, and being prepared for future challenges. Working with consultants can be invaluable for leaders as they strive to find balance between upskilling initiatives and cultivating adaptability within their teams.

Launching for Success

As you reset your focus this new year, reflect on the past for useful insights and consider the value an experienced perspective could provide.

For more than five decades, Human Synergistics has been at the forefront of driving constructive change worldwide. We’re dedicated to creating lasting change across all levels of the organization with our globally recognized solutions and experienced team. Whether as professional consultants or in-house HR professionals, our trusted network of accredited practitioners are diverse in their backgrounds, experiences, and industry knowledge to support your organizational change journey.

When you’re ready to chart a path for organizational success, let’s begin a conversation.

Challenging Industry Assumptions: Unveiling Cultural Similarities

Cheryl Boglarsky

But my industry is different! … We often hear this from our clients when we present data-based evidence that Constructive organizational norms lead to increased effectiveness, while Defensive norms decrease effectiveness. But are industry-specific norms and expectations for interacting with others and approaching work hindering our potential for success? Let’s dive deeper.

The Impact of Industry Standards on Effectiveness

Many businesses and professional practices strive to adhere to industry standards or the required or ordinary manner of performance in their field. For example, the medical field has standards of care for cardiac repair; similarly, ISO standards for quality management are reviewed and updated almost yearly. These standards serve various purposes, especially providing professional or legal guidelines for what is considered reasonable.

However, when it comes to norms and expectations for interacting with others and approaching work, are they specific to each industry? Can we expect that the effectiveness of Constructive behavioral norms transcends industry boundaries? Janet Szumal’s research on the Global Ideal Culture Profile indicates that people across countries strongly agree on the importance of Constructive styles. And our published research on organizational cultures across industries does not show significant differences across the industries studied. But can we show that Constructive styles are associated with effectiveness more than Defensive styles?

Challenging Fundamental Assumptions

Organizations and leaders often have fundamental assumptions about what motivates their members. These assumptions influence management styles and, ultimately, the behavioral norms and expectations within their organizations. One such assumption is that members dislike their work and have little motivation, leading to a ‘hands-on’ management approach that involves micromanaging to ensure tasks are done properly.

This assumption gives rise to the belief that Constructive styles won’t work in certain industries, leading management to state, “My industry is different.” Manufacturing organizations, for example, argue that their workforce requires close attention to every behavior and detailed job planning to minimize mistakes. They believe that allowing individual thoughts and autonomy wouldn’t increase effectiveness. However, when comparing Constructive and Defensive cultures within manufacturing organizations, we find that Constructive organizations (which encourage individual discretion and initiative) report higher effectiveness in three key areas (see Figure 1):

  1. Role Clarity (and Conflict): The extent to which people receive clear messages regarding what is expected of them (and the extent to which they receive inconsistent expectations from the organization and/or are expected to do things that conflict with their own preferences).
  2. Satisfaction: The extent to which members report positive appraisals of their work situation.
  3. Quality of Service/Products: The extent to which the organization has achieved service excellence with respect to internal and/or external customers/clients.

Figure 1 (click image to enlarge)

Challenging Assumptions in Education and Non-Profit Sectors

Another assumption is that the work itself is satisfying, and members are self-motivated, needing little direction. This assumption is commonly made and applied within the Educational and Non-Profit sectors. Educational and Non-Profit organizations provide services that aim to help others grow, develop, or heal. However, leaders in these industries often hesitate to compare themselves to ‘businesses’ with traditional bottom-lines, as the focus is on social causes, the clients or patients they serve, or the public at large. This can ultimately lead to understating the needs of employees.

Figures 2 and 3 present comparisons between Educational organizations with Constructive versus Defensive cultures and for Non-Profits (NPOs) with Constructive cultures and those with Defensive cultures. Once again, we find that members of Constructive organizations report higher effectiveness in the three important areas.

Figure 2 (click image to enlarge)

Figure 3 (click image to enlarge)

Exploring the Legal Services Industry

Legal Services is an industry known for its competitive and aggressive nature, with firms and brands that uniquely set themselves apart from competitors. However, even in this industry, Constructive organizations report higher effectiveness in terms of the three important outcomes (see Figure 4).

Figure 4 (click image to enlarge)

Constructive Norms: Breaking Industry Assumptions

These examples clearly demonstrate that Constructive norms provide an environment for increased effectiveness across industries. Culture matters, and to enhance effectiveness, regardless of your industry, embracing Constructive norms should be the goal.

Ready to Assess Your Organizational Culture?

How effective is your organizational culture? Contact us to find out how you can use the Organizational Culture Inventory® (OCI®) to gain valuable insights and paint a clearer picture of your organization’s effectiveness and full potential.

And if you are already accredited in the OCI®, our recently updated Comparative Results by Industry reports can offer valuable insights. These insights will enhance your recommendations and conversations with clients and prospects. Contact us today for details.

References

1 https://www.hg.org/legal-articles/what-is-the-relevance-of-industry-standards-under-the-law-36794

2 https://www.cabem.com/top-10-most-popular-iso-standards/

3 https://www.humansynergistics.com/blog/constructive-culture-blog/details/constructive-culture/2023/04/10/what-do-people-in-organizations-around-the-world-value-most

4 Douglas McGregor developed two contrasting theories that explained how managers’ beliefs about what motivates their people can affect their management style. He labeled these Theory X and Theory Y. While these theories have been refined and updated, for present purposes the simple dichotomy works. See https://mitsloan.mit.edu/institute-work-and-employment-research/douglas-m-mcgregor

5 See Justin Henry’s “Everyone Talks About Their Law Firm’s ‘Culture,’ But Is It Possible to Measure It?” in https://www.law.com/americanlawyer/2023/03/15/everyone-talks-about-their-law-firms-culture-but-is-it-possible-to-measure-it/

Delicato Family Wines – The Perfect Blend of Success



Delicato Family Wines, one of the fastest growing wine companies in the U.S., is a family-owned winery with nearly a century of history farming grapes in California and crafting superior quality wines.

Like a fine wine, organizational culture is crafted over time and we’re delighted to welcome Delicato senior HR leaders – Emily Ingram and Steve Hopper – to highlight the company’s culture journey and strategic framework.

Key takeaways:

  • Don’t change who you are
  • Hold leaders accountable
  • Don’t overcomplicate things
  • Communication matters

Click the play-arrow above to enjoy the webinar recording

For the webinar slide presentation, click here:

Speakers

Emily Ingram True Headshot Blue SuitEmily Ingram is Executive Vice President, Human Resources for Delicato Family Wines. Her career includes tenure with Hyatt Hotels, Shaklee Corporation, Convergys, and Wyndham Worldwide. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Cornell University and holds the Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) certification.

Steve Hopper, DelicatoSteve Hopper is Vice President, Human Resources for Delicato Family Wines. A seasoned leader in human resources, he drives business results with HR strategy and organization development initiatives. Steve is skilled in optimizing HR efficiency and effectiveness, talent management, recruitment, employee relations, safety, employee opinion surveys, team building, leadership development, downsizing, rapid growth, and building organizational capabilities.

mary mccullockMary McCullock, moderator of this webinar, is the Director of Leadership & Culture Solutions at Human Synergistics and assists clients with practical solutions in achieving their leadership and organizational development objectives. In addition to being accredited in the Human Synergistics’ suite of diagnostics, she has deep experience with the ACUMEN® Leadership WorkStyles™ (LWS) assessment and in helping organizations integrate LWS into their leadership development programs to support greater levels of awareness and effectiveness.

Human Synergistics, host of this webinar series, specializes in developing and providing tools, information, and proven change strategies that help enable individuals to reach their potential, groups to realize synergy, and organizations to achieve sustainability. Celebrating 50 years of guiding organizations in developing effective leaders, innovative teams, and positive workplace cultures.

Webinars are Copyrighted © by Human Synergistics International 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Group Dynamics as a Pathway to Changing Culture and Developing Leaders

Launching an organizational change program is an ambitious undertaking, can be overwhelming for those involved, and is capable of derailing even the most well-planned initiatives.

At times, a fresh approach is warranted. Thus, we welcome Marcela Hurtado and José Eusebio López, experienced consultants with Blue Sector Group based in Mexico City, to share what prompted the redesign of their consulting approach, highlight the beneficial impact of the revised process for their clientele, and discuss the positive outcomes for their own consulting agency.

In Group Dynamics as a Pathway to Changing Culture and Developing Leaders, key discussions include:

  • What leaders learn by solving problems as a team that serves as a catalyst for culture change
  • Why group dynamics as a solution offers a clear and manageable pathway for sustained change
  • How this approach provides a cost-effective entry point when initiating organizational change

Click the play-arrow above to enjoy the webinar recording.

For the webinar slide presentation, click here.

Speakers

marcela hurtado barajasMarcela Hurtado is Project Director at Blue Sector Group, a consulting firm based in Mexico specializing in performance improvement through the development of one’s constructive styles. Accredited in various assessments from Human Synergistics, Marcela has participated in the Constructive Styles Development Programs (in culture, leadership, management, teams, and individuals) at Pemex, Helvex, Transportes MexAmerik, Papel Satinado, CSL Behring, Call Center de México, Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos, Grupo Salinas, Tecnofire, Bonafont/Danone, Prinsel and others.

jose eusebio lopez
José Eusebio López heads Blue Sector Group, a consultancy based in Mexico specializing in performance improvement of senior leaders. Organizations such as Pemex, Agroenzymas, Transportes MexAmerik, Bonafont/Danone, Helvex, CSL Behring, Albea, National Human Rights Commission, National Security Commission, Call Center de México, among others have engaged in transformation projects headed by José Eusebio. He’s accredited in the Human Synergistics’ Integrated Diagnostic System and has assisted more than two hundred executives in strengthening their constructive impact and increasing their effectiveness and satisfaction.

alysun hudepohlAlysun Hudepohl, formerly with Human Synergistics, moderates this webinar and is now a Culture Navigation Strategist with Compass.

Human Synergistics, host of this webinar, specializes in developing and providing tools, information, and proven change strategies that help enable individuals to reach their potential, groups to realize synergy, and organizations to achieve sustainability. Celebrating 50 years of guiding organizations in developing effective leaders, innovative teams, and positive workplace cultures.

Webinars are Copyrighted © by Human Synergistics International 2022. All Rights Reserved.

Culture Change Agents and their Role in Transforming Organizations

Kalani Iwi'ula

The Beacon

Being an agent of change for an organization’s culture requires solid strategic and communications skills. Those experienced in helping organizations to change their culture confirm that it can be a massive undertaking.

Whatever challenges the organization is facing—low morale among staff, bad behavior at the senior ranks, unhealthy team culture, employee burnout or poor performance, lack of innovation—the situation requires attention and implementation of corrective strategies to position the company for sustainable improvement and success. If left unexamined, these problems inevitably worsen and cut off the organization’s chances for recovery.

Enter the Role of the Change Agent

Cultural change agents, whether internal or external, provide guidance and expertise and help leadership teams understand the challenge at hand, assess next steps, and collaborate on a clear path forward.

What is a cultural change agent?

An agent of cultural change within an organization is a person who is trained and empowered to facilitate change. Sometimes this individual will be an internal member of the organization who has the perspective to see how things are and how they can improve. A cultural change agent is often external to the group—a consultant, for example—who has specific training to analyze and evaluate the organization’s culture and recommend ways that that might change. No matter the type of change agent, or their role in the organization, the work of facilitating cultural change is vital.

Examples of cultural change agents at work

In the casual setting of a recent Ultimate Culture Conference, skilled culture change agents shared the following success stories on culture transformation. Covering diverse industries such as architecture, construction, consumables (food), and healthcare, the experiences of these agents of cultural change are worth examining for useful insights to apply in your own cultural journey.

Let’s get started.

HKS Architects

Culture Change at HKS: Resilient and Responsive

Challenge

US Bank Stadium_HKSDallas, Texas-based architectural firm HKS Architects creates places that enhance the human experience, like the US Bank Stadium, home of the 2018 Super Bowl. After collecting employee satisfaction data for 10 consecutive years, leadership sought to better understand the current culture and the roadblocks that were inhibiting employees from taking the most successful actions.

Solution

A culture survey was initiated firm-wide using the Organizational Culture Inventory® (OCI®) from Human Synergistics.1 Well-coordinated company-wide discussions, covering 20 offices across the globe, were conducted to review cultural attributes and the climates and prevailing behaviors of the various offices. Office leadership engaged staff in goal setting and planning. A new performance development system, ELEVATE, was implemented; not linked to compensation, the system involves managers meeting with team members three times each year. Culture change agent Cheryl Kitchner led ongoing discussions to facilitate participation and learning; vocal support from senior leadership is visible.

Outcomes

HKS reassessed its culture in 2016 using the OCI and added an assessment of the work climate with the complementary Organizational Effectiveness Inventory® (OEI).2 The retest, showing an impressive increase in survey participation, confirmed remarkable reductions in Passive/Defensive and Aggressive/Defensive styles and vital improvements along the Constructive styles. Key changes included a stronger commitment to and focus on personal and professional development.

The second phase of improvement is ongoing and includes:

  • Definition of a clear “FROM-TO” shift to consistently support the company-wide strategic priority, “Responsible Design.”
  • Implementation of a creative and engaging leadership development program, Root Compass. “Responsible Leadership Workshop” was customized based on culture assessment results and launched for use with all managers. Goal: 100 people trained by end of 2018.
  • Enhancement of the ELEVATE platform is further enhanced to include peer reviews for project teams and benchmarking by role.
  • Roll-out of personal assessments to identify individual styles and strengths. Goal: 600 people trained by end of 2018.

Summary PDF

Video

 

 
 

Advocate Health Care*

Culture Shift + Leadership Development = Sustainable Results

Challenge

AdvocateHealthCareAs the largest health system in Illinois, Advocate’s challenge was to increase and stabilize engagement, focus on culture change, and strengthen relations within a high-profile, semi-autonomous unit that struggled with negative team dynamics, unproductive work relations, and entrenched passive-aggressive behavior.

*Advocate Health Care is now Advocate Aurora Health, April 2018

Solution

Focusing more on culture than climate, emphasis was placed on helping leaders and teams make the connection between outcomes and their actions and behaviors. Simultaneous “teach & learns” were delivered at all organizational levels with a keen focus on achieving ideal behavioral styles and impact.

The change initiative was guided by an OD professional specializing in culture transformation and leadership development. Culture change agent Diane Stuart’s 10 years of healthcare management experience qualified her to lead Advocate’s change effort through an intense and collaborative learning process using assessments like the OCI and Leadership/Impact® (L/I).1, 3

Outcomes

As leaders gained awareness of their behaviors and their impact on others, Advocate achieved a dramatic shift in culture, attained high levels of engagement, and exceeded financial goals. The impressive turnaround results realized by the focal unit have subsequently been used to motivate, guide, and transform other Advocate teams and departments.

Summary PDF

Video

 

 
 

Johnsonville Sausage & Wisconsin School of Business Center for Professional & Executive Development (CPED)

Ensuring a Culture for Growth

Challenge

UnivOfWisconsin_JohnsonvilleSausageMembers and leaders of Wisconsin-based Johnsonville Sausage have a bold vision to “be the best company on earth.” This requires that the leading national sausage brand be culturally prepared and poised for aggressive innovation on its way to growing and becoming a $1 billion company. An important step was determining whether the company’s Research and Development subculture would foster innovation and growth while supporting their desired culture famously cultivated in the “Johnsonville Way.”

Solution

Susan Dumke, Johnsonville’s Research & Development Senior Project Manager, partnered with CPED to coordinate a pilot culture study led by Lisa Yaffe, Program Director for Executive Leadership.

Accredited in the OCI, culture change agent Yaffe guided the Johnsonville team through the assessment and reporting process.1

Outcomes

A pilot study confirmed that the R&D employees maintained a strong Constructive subculture that helped the team stay aligned, focused, and to work together and grow. The process also confirmed that the OCI could be leveraged for assessing and developing the Johnsonville culture more broadly.

Summary PDF

Video

 

 
 

Lessons Learned

Culture-related change efforts come in many forms. These three very different success stories provide the following lessons:

  • Recognize how your current culture is helping and hindering progress toward key strategic priorities.
  • Use a valid and reliable survey to gain a common language for and measure of both culture and climate.
  • Understand culture and climate as a foundation for adjusting strategies or plans to improve results.
  • Combine culture assessment and development efforts with leadership assessment and development.
  • Partner with experienced culture change agents for perspective and expert guidance.
  • The journey never ends. Engage leadership and all team members in additional phases of improvement as progress is measured and confirmed.

The guidance and expertise of a culture change agent can be invaluable to your change effort. For additional examples of how change agents guide leaders in transforming their organizations, check out part two of this series.

References:

1 Cooke, R. A. & Lafferty J. C. (1987). Organizational Culture Inventory®. Plymouth, MI: Human Synergistics International.

2 Cooke, R. A. (1995). Organizational Effectiveness Inventory®. Arlington Heights, IL: Human Synergistics/Center for Applied Research.

3 Cooke, R. A. (1996). Leadership/Impact®. Plymouth, MI: Human Synergistics.

Culture Change at HKS: Resilient and Responsive

This is an excerpt from our Constructive Culture blog post, “Change Agents and their Role in Transforming Culture,” by Kalani Iwi’ula. Click here to read the full post.

Challenge

US Bank Stadium_HKSDallas, Texas-based architectural firm HKS Architects creates places that enhance the human experience, like the US Bank Stadium, home of the 2018 Super Bowl. After collecting employee satisfaction data for 10 consecutive years, leadership sought to better understand the current culture and the roadblocks that were inhibiting employees from taking the most successful actions.

Solution

A culture survey was initiated firm-wide using the Organizational Culture Inventory® (OCI®) from Human Synergistics.1 Well-coordinated company-wide discussions, covering 20 offices across the globe, were conducted to review cultural attributes and the climates and prevailing behaviors of the various offices. Office leadership engaged staff in goal setting and planning. A new performance development system, ELEVATE, was implemented; not linked to compensation, the system involves managers meeting with team members three times each year. Change agent Cheryl Kitchner led ongoing discussions to facilitate participation and learning; vocal support from senior leadership is visible.

Outcomes

HKS reassessed its culture in 2016 using the OCI and added an assessment of the work climate with the complementary Organizational Effectiveness Inventory® (OEI).2 The retest, showing an impressive increase in survey participation, confirmed remarkable reductions in Passive/Defensive and Aggressive/Defensive styles and vital improvements along the Constructive styles. Key changes included stronger commitment to and focus on personal and professional development.

A second phase of improvement is ongoing and includes:

  • Definition of a clear “FROM-TO” shift to consistently support the company-wide strategic priority, “Responsible Design.”
  • Implementation of a creative and engaging leadership development program, Root Compass. “Responsible Leadership Workshop” was customized based on culture assessment results and launched for use with all managers. Goal: 100 people trained by end of 2018.
  • Enhance the ELEVATE platform to include peer reviews for project teams and benchmarking by role.
  • Roll-out of personal assessments to identify individual styles and strengths. Goal: 600 people trained by end of 2018.

Summary PDF

Video