How do you maintain a strong organizational culture during uncertainty?

When an organization is faced with uncertainty, the reality of their existence at that time is to go back to the drawing board and itemize all their visions and values one after the other and double check if their current practice aligns with the values or not. Use SWOT framework to further identify what you should focus on more and what you should drop completely and those to modify.

When things were all over the place, I realized how important our company culture was for keeping us steady. To keep our culture strong, I had to figure out where we were at first. I began by chatting with my team, getting their thoughts and stories to understand whats going on around us. This approach wasnt just about finding out what were good at or bad at—it was a way to let everyone know that their opinions count. Their feedback showed us where we could do better and where weve already succeeded. If I really get to know our workplace culture, I can help us stay on track and keep our special connections strong.

Aceptar que la incertidumbre nos genera temores a todos, es un buen primer paso para uno como líder, y para el equipo y organización: conecta. Es determinante la comunicación abierta y transparente, y diría hasta sobre comunicación, para ayudar a construir confianza entre los colaboradores. Además, es importante reforzar los "basics" de la empresa, los porqués y paraqués estamos aquí (propósito y valores de la empresa). Finalmente, promover la resiliencia y la adaptabilidad, como destaca Nassim Nicholas Taleb en "Antifragile", puede ayudar a la organización a no solo resistir, sino prosperar en tiempos de cambio.

During uncertainty, a strong culture hinges on aligning global values with local realities. Most culture assessments miss this distinction, often overlooking specific team-level strengths and needs. To maintain a resilient culture, organizations must involve employees in every step—from shaping the questions to co-creating solutions based on the data. This approach ensures that insights reflect both top-level goals and grassroots experiences. By fostering collaboration and feedback, organizations can stay adaptive, engaged, and human-centered, even amid unpredictability.

Yes, it is important to understand what's going right and wrong in an organization, but collecting feedback has another benefit entirely. Employees who feel seen are more likely to trust their leaders and organization. Make sure when collecting information the feedback is documented, shared, and most importantly, acted on. If nothing changes as a result of these surveys and focus groups, they are likely to be less engaged as a result, and less likely to respond next time they are asked. That said, not all suggestions are good ones. Employees only need to know their ideas were considered. When a leader demonstrates they are listening, employees feel reassured they won't be left behind during times of change.

Something I'm not seeing here is the importance of being authentic and genuine with communication. I moments of uncertainty and crisis, it's not good if leaders are sending emails that sound like they were written by ChatGPT, or even worse if it sounds like ChatGPT could have done a better job of writing the email. Be open with what you know or don't know, treat employees as valued teammates not to be kept in the dark, and communicate often.

The best thing you can do if your culture is uncertain is go back to your roots. What are we built on? Is it still relevant? How can we communicate it better? Who needs to hear it? And how often can we meet to align? If leaders are not communicating properly people will fill in the gaps of what they don't know. Most of the time it's not with sunshine and rainbows. Make sure to communicate as often as you can what's really going on. Trust me when I say it pays to be transparent.

In my experience, it is crucial to anchor values throughout the entire company (because if they are only present on the wall or on coffee mugs, they don't have a particularly strong impact. ??) Routines and rituals provide an excellent platform for making company values more tangible and enriching them with examples. One of my favorite rituals is, therefore, the part in our Tribe Weekly where we reflect on our highlights from the past week based on our values. The beauty of it is: We always link the highlights to one of our five company values, so we constantly remind ourselves of where our values are reflected in our daily collaboration.

Figuring out how to deal with the unknown, I realized that making sure our company had a good culture meant telling everyone what we stand for and what we want to achieve. I started talking openly with the team, sharing our goals and values. When leaders actually live these values, it sends a strong message to others to do the same. We showed people how we put our values into practice, and it made them even more important. Being straightforward and honest helped us get on the same page and work together. We had a culture where everyone knew their part in keeping our shared vision alive, and we stuck together through tough times.

In my experience, effectively communicating your vision and values becomes the bedrock of nurturing a resilient organizational culture in times of uncertainty. The secret lies not only in top-down communication but also in fostering an environment that encourages bottom-up dialogue. This creates opportunities for employees to share their unique perspectives, potentially unlocking innovative solutions to intricate challenges. Ultimately, it cultivates psychological safety and lays the foundation for building robust and thriving cultures.

???Keep employees informed about changes and updates, and be transparent about the reasons behind them. This help build trust and reduce anxiety. ???Encourage employees to work together and share ideas. This help build a sense of community and support. ???Provide employees with the resources and support they need to do their jobs effectively, whether that means access to technology, training, or mental health resources. ???Encourage employees to think creatively and come up with new ideas. This help organization adapt to changing circumstances and stay ahead of the curve. ???Recognize and reward employees who demonstrate a commitment to maintaining a strong organizational culture during times of uncertainty.

Empowering decisions enhances resilience by promoting agency. Create an environment where team members feel confident to make choices and take initiative. Strengthen connections through open communication, encouraging collaboration and shared decision-making. Apply systems thinking to understand how individual decisions impact the whole team and exercise adaptive leadership to build trust with your team and encourage them to make informed decisions, supporting continuous learning, and fostering a culture where everyone feels valued and capable of driving positive change. Perhaps re-conceptualize "empower" - people are capable/deserving of power on their own and don't need it given to them. They do need agency, communication, and support.

Empowerment comes through an example daily. Authentic leadership is not climbing to the top of the ladder. It is becoming a ladder to others. In times of uncertainty, your goal is to remind your employees that you're one of them, you're in this together. You've been there when everything started. Now, 'WE' can do better. Because 'YOU' trust in them. Don't talk about trust; show your trust by entrusting your employees with your hopes and fears in search of a collaborative action plan. Every contribution matters. Often, uncertainty arises because the CEO tries to figure out everything by herself/himself/themselves. In doing so, CEOs forget that they are not the company. The company is 'WE' = 'YOU/I" + (Insert your employees' names here).

During uncertainty, empowering employees is crucial to maintaining a strong organizational culture. Provide them with autonomy and decision-making authority within their roles. Encourage innovation and creativity, allowing them to contribute ideas and solutions. Offer support and resources to help them adapt to change and overcome challenges. Recognize and celebrate their contributions and achievements to foster a sense of ownership and pride. By empowering employees, you build trust, resilience, and commitment, ensuring your culture remains vibrant and resilient even in uncertain times.

While delegating isolated tasks may yield faster results, achieving superior outcomes requires empowering your team by equipping them with pertinent context, information, tools, and all necessary resources for making informed decisions during task execution. Although this approach demands time and dedication from managers, the long-term benefits include enhanced trust, increased team engagement, and a higher quality of work delivered.

?Encourage employees to continuously learn and develop new skills. This can be done through training programs, mentorship, and coaching. ?Encourage employees to take risks and learn from their failures. This can help create a culture of experimentation and innovation. ?Provide employees with opportunities for growth and advancement within the organization. This can help increase employee engagement and retention. ?Encourage employees to ask questions and seek out new information. This can help create a culture of continuous improvement and innovation. ?Recognize and reward employees who demonstrate a commitment to learning and development. This can help reinforce the importance of continuous learning and development.

Na minha vis?o, uma boa prática é promover uma cultura de aprendizagem para manter a organiza??o forte durante a incerteza. Valorize a curiosidade, a experimenta??o e o feedback, oferecendo oportunidades de aprendizado e desenvolvimento para todos os funcionários. Implementar treinamento, mentoria, coaching e programas de aprendizagem entre pares pode ajudar a criar um ambiente seguro e de apoio. Incentivar a aprendizagem com os erros e o compartilhamento de melhores práticas e li??es aprendidas fortalece a resiliência e competitividade da organiza??o.

We cannot “paralyze” the process. We've to be flexible, seek support from management and other interested parties with transparent communication. It's also necessary to map the needs in order to adapt the organizational design according to the company's situation.

To maintain a robust organizational culture during uncertainty, fostering a learning culture is vital. Encourage continuous learning and development opportunities for employees to acquire new skills and knowledge. Provide access to training programs, workshops, and resources that support personal and professional growth. Embrace experimentation and innovation, promoting a mindset of curiosity and exploration. Encourage feedback and reflection, allowing employees to learn from both successes and failures. By prioritizing learning, you empower employees to adapt to change, stay resilient, and drive organizational success amid uncertainty.

Learning cultures are often (naturally) found in (what we like to call) Autumn cultures. However, there are various learning styles that can be more dominant at certain stages of business. To encourage learning, incentivize applied learning. Reward new behaviors, strategies, or tactics. Implement tools that track these things more seamlessly. Include a “learnings” section in your daily standup. To cement a learning culture, ensure all leaders are leading by example in this area.

I think being transparent in times of uncertainty is key, being able to communicate what we know, and also being ok with saying "we don't know". In VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) contexts, it is impossible to pretend we can keep everything under control and manage every situation. What is most important is to communicate frequently with our team, so that we can solve problems together. It is this togetherness what will help us face whatever challenges that lie ahead.

Absolutely don't start blaming others and stay professional. Leadership is more important than ever in times of uncertainty. This way you can preserve trust and respect and inspire employees to pull together.

Trabalhei em uma grande empresa que passou por um período extremamente crítico durante a pandemia, principalmente no ano de 2020. No meio do "caos" pude absorver alguns aprendizados, dentre eles, é que a lideran?a deve-se manter numa posi??o de tranquilidade, demonstrar firmeza na gest?o e ser a porta-voz para seu time. A comunica??o apoia a alta gest?o com agilidade e transparência. Seja em momentos de crise ou em um cenário de mudan?a de cultura, as partes interessadas devem formar um grande "cord?o": unido e forte.

In challenging moments, example has the greatest weight. Keep the leadership team close and aligned, constantly reminding them of the organization's core values. More than that, emphasize the importance of exercising these values, including examples of what should and should not be done (from major strategies to small tasks). In uncertainty, people tend to look at their colleagues and, especially, their leaders. They assess whether they are confident in what the organization represents and its strategy. They need to perceive this trust in the practical actions of their leaders.

During uncertainty, building trust and transparency is paramount for maintaining a strong organizational culture. Communicate openly and honestly with employees about the challenges and changes facing the organization. Encourage leaders to be accessible and approachable, fostering open dialogue and feedback channels. Demonstrate integrity and consistency in decision-making processes, ensuring fairness and accountability. Build trust by honoring commitments and following through on promises. By prioritizing trust and transparency, you create a supportive environment where employees feel valued, informed, and motivated to navigate uncertainty together.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is easier to commit to than operationalize primarily because weaving DEI into the DNA of an org requires bold and systematic change. It is also highly contextual to the type of org and its sphere of influence (multi-dimensional persona based on industry, business model, scale, geography, leadership etc.). A dedicated team with a certain level of autonomy to lead DEI is crucial. Once the sphere of influence is mapped, and an ideal state envisioned (with qualitative and quantitative factors) a gap assessment between current state and the target can be done followed by a transition roadmap. Do know that the roadmap will be dotted with small wins but also setbacks, and many uncomfortable conversations.

Na minha experiência, uma boa prática é implementar programas de treinamento contínuos que promovam a conscientiza??o sobre diversidade e inclus?o. Fomentar um ambiente onde todos se sintam valorizados e respeitados, incentivando o diálogo aberto e a colabora??o, fortalece a coes?o da equipe e a capacidade de inovar, especialmente em tempos de incerteza.

Geben Sie jeder Person im Team, seinen/ihren Beitrag zu leisten. Oftmals stehen die extrovertierten und lauten Personen im Vordergrund, obwohl das nicht bedeutet, dass diese bessere Beitr?ge leisten, als die eher leiseren oder introvertierten Menschen. So k?nnen beispielsweise in Team Meetings schon im Vorfeld Themen verteilt werden, auf die sich eher introvertierte Menschen, für die Ad Hoc Beitr?ge eher unangenehm sind, entsprechend vorbereiten und damit gl?nzen k?nnen.

It has already been shown that diversity is an important strategy for boosting organizational efficiency and competitiveness (HANASHIRO; CARVALHO, 2005), and we also know that the public is increasingly concerned about consuming products from companies with which they share the same worldview and values. There are a lot of ways of cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment, but the starting point is to provide a safe environment for people to express themselves as they really are and also that organization be open so that each group has the chance to be heard on issues related to their experiences. The maxim "nothing about us, without us" must apply.

In times of uncertainty, you can't overcommunicate. Clear, concise and frequent communication is the best way to help prevent your culture from eroding. The moment employees feel as though the organization is holding back information...is the moment they start to disconnect from the organization.

Dear leaders, Culture is not good or bad, it can be right or wrong depending on context, objectives and vision. Stop building a good culture, start knowing the one that you already have. Do you know if your organization’s culture is an ally or an enemy to your projects? Culture is the sum of behaviours and habits of the people in your team, not some fairy-tale you heard from a guru!

Ambientes de incerteza provocam as empresas a mudarem suas equipes, processos e objetivos com mais frequência. Quando a cultura é muito dependente dessa estrutura "fixa", seja por pessoas ou processos que est?o ali há muito tempo, pode ocorrer de ela se dissipar nas grandes mudan?as. A "sacada" é que é possível mudar a equipe, os processos e até mesmo a estratégia mantendo características culturais importantes para a organiza??o, porém isso só acontecerá se as lideran?as tiverem consciência de quais s?o essas características e as considerarem como fatores "n?o-negociáveis" na constru??o das mudan?as. Quando for fazer uma mudan?a importante, pergunte-se o seguinte: - Essa nova pessoa / processo / estratégia refor?a ou enfraquece a cultura?

Uncertainty and unpredictability are the biggest factors that will contribute to the erosion of a strong culture. This is linked to evolutionary biology - we are wired to look at/for risk in order to survive. So in times of uncertainty it is important to be mindful that we will consciously and unconsciously look to fill gaps (of context or information). And in the absence of facts we will fill this with assumptions. Leaders need to be overly deliberate in communicating, leaving little to no opportunity for assumptions to enter the conversation.

Be empathic, vulnerable, and transparent. Yes, people will come to you looking for answers. But, you, as a leader, may not always have that. Say that. Say you don't have the answers, and find common ground. It's equally as valuable to showcase how human you are. Your team will connect on that and build a stronger relationship with you moving forward.