Next Big Thing - Culture Catalyst的动态

? Culture vs. Brand: Which Drives Success? Most businesses focus on one—or neither. The Problem: ? A strong brand with a weak culture? Customers lose trust. ? A great culture without branding? Your value stays invisible. The Solution: ??Align culture (your values in action) with your brand (how customers perceive you). When they work together, you create trust, loyalty, and unstoppable growth. Here’s How to Align Culture and Brand: 1?? Define your values clearly and authentically. 2?? Live your values every day—internally and externally. 3?? Communicate one consistent story to your employees and customers. 4?? Recognize and reward alignment within your teams. 5?? Track progress, measure impact, and adapt as needed. Examples of Companies Leading the Way: ??Patagonia: A sustainability-driven culture fuels an authentic eco-conscious brand. ??Apple: A culture of innovation drives a cutting-edge technology brand. ??Zappos: A customer-first culture creates outstanding service. ?? Even AI Companies Get It: ??OpenAI’s culture of collaboration drives trust in its innovative tools. ??DeepMind’s ethical responsibility aligns with its mission to solve global challenges. ??Hugging Face’s community focus amplifies its approachable, open-source brand. ?? Key Takeaway: ??Culture drives your actions. Brand proves your impact. Together, they build trust, loyalty, and business success. ?? Share this post with someone who wants to create trust, loyalty, and growth for their business. ??Follow Hartmut Hübner, PhD for actionable insights on AI, innovation, and leadership. ??Subscribe to The Flow Factor for weekly strategies to drive your business forward (Link in Profile).

By fostering a culture that values creative problem-solving, organizations can tap into the collective wisdom and expertise of their employees, unlocking new opportunities for innovation. Read more ?? https://lnkd.in/d9N7taKR #DriveChangeForward #CultureChange #InnovationStrategy #LeadershipDevelopment #CorporateCulture #CultureInnovation #InnovationLeadership #ChangeManagement #BusinessTransformation #CompanyCulture #DrivesGrowth #AttractingTopTalent #CorporateCultureInnovation

Your true values are what you do when your values are tested. I avoid 'fast fashion' and prefer trains to flying, but otherwise don't give the climate much thought. Others, with their howls about plastic use, dashed into tools whose environmental impact can only be described as catastrophic (crypto, genAI), in pursuit of profit. In other words, concern about environmental responsibility is not a lived value for most people. I can tell that a lived value of my department lead is "integrity". If someone cheats at something, he gets far more upset about it than most other people, for far longer. Even if he broke any other value, I would not expect this person to lie to me. Then again, I notice my white hot fury when I perceive a piece of work as "sloppy", or when somebody breaks a promise, rooted in a very deep sense that "if you make a promise, you will do it when you say you will, with the utmost diligence to its quality." Both are dimensions of trust. Most companies hire for stated values, but there's one trait that almost every employee has that defines the real culture. Think of the one type of person who would not survive a single day in your company. Where I work, it's "uncurious" - wilful ignorance and rigidness. The dominant trait is openness, the real value is responsiveness. At my previous company, it was "lazy"; the trait hired for is conscientiousness, the real value is reliability. This article then talks about dilemmas in which those values are tested, giving a familiar case where reliability conflicts with innovation. Here, someone both responsive AND reliable would agree a Definition of Done that allows promises to be kept with flexibility in how to get there. A culture of openness will be tested any time a manager is tempted to withhold information to avoid upsetting people (in the article, a restructure), or, as it grows, to introduce more rules and processes that might constrain its explorer spirit. The article describes a dilemma on whether to permit a risky project - I wouldn't choose either option, but train everyone in both traditional and emerging business theories. Pivot triggers avoid waste in prototyping and risk registers force us to consider mitigation when failure is expensive: if Sheila had truly done her homework, there would be no doubts about the proposal - she'd have already weeded out weak ideas with cheap experiments and have a robust plan with backup options if this one fails. Responsive AND reliable. Still, it's practical advice: work out what's REALLY important to your company, and find real life dilemmas to test it.

Nothing kills your strategy quite like being weighed down by admin tasks and muzzled by politics. An insightful post from Alex M H Smith. Culture and strategy need to be in lockstep to execute successfully.

What is a strategic culture? - It’s where everyone sees the big picture - It’s where everyone knows where you’re going - It’s where everyone know how you’re getting there - It’s where everyone understands their place within it - It’s where everyone has the power to make decisions Yes, we might call this simply a great culture. But it can ONLY exist if there is a business strategy in place to build it around.

My first contribution to the Rolling Stone Culture Council in reply to a question about balancing business innovation with financial stability: Protect the Core and Innovate on the Adjacent When resources are limited, focus your innovation efforts on what is adjacent to what is already working well. Bigger bets on wilder innovations should be reserved for times when you can better afford the risk. Always remember that more or bigger isn’t always better — better is always better. Innovate on what makes good great, not net new or risky. –?Scott Curran,?Beyond Advisers Click the link to read more on this topic by other Culture Council contributors! Solid guidance for any growing business!

When it comes to corporate strategy, one size does NOT fit all. Coherent corporate strategy clarifies the degree of corporate activism and the approach to synergy. Here’s a breakdown of the four prototypical corporate strategy models: 1?? The Buffet Model: Decentralized Excellence ?? Activism: Minimal. Corporate center acts as a capital allocator. ?? Synergy: Low. Each unit operates independently. This model thrives on trust and autonomy. Inspired by Berkshire Hathaway, it gives business unit leaders full control to play to their strengths while the corporate team focuses on resource allocation. 2?? The PE Model: Active Oversight for Performance ?? Activism: High. Regular reviews and active intervention. ?? Synergy: Minimal. Units are standalone. Think of this as the private equity approach—hands-on, data-driven, and focused on turning underperforming assets into star performers. 3?? The Danaher Model: Unified Excellence ?? Activism: Medium-High. Common operating model applied across units. ?? Synergy: Medium. Shared systems foster collaboration. With its hallmark Danaher Business System, this model champions a unified culture and continuous improvement. 4?? The Disney Model: Synergy-Driven Magic ?? Activism: High. Synergy is actively pursued. ?? Synergy: High. Units maximize shared assets. From blockbuster films to theme parks and merchandise, Disney is the gold standard of synergy. It’s all about creating interconnected revenue streams that amplify creativity and reuse resources for maximum impact. ? Strategic Insight Choosing the right model isn’t about copying success—it’s about aligning your strategy with your goals, structure, and industry dynamics. Whether you’re leaning toward decentralized trust or active synergy, each model offers unique pathways to long-term growth. Which model resonates with you? ? Repost to help your network in 2025. --------- I'm Alex Nesbitt. I help CEOs build more effective companies. ?? If you like this kind of thinking, ?????????? ?????? ???? ?????????????????????? on Strategic Thinking for Advantage. Secure a seat while you can: https://lnkd.in/g-CE8Vf8

Different corporate strategies required to suit different businesses

Building strategy is all about storytelling- and making sure others understand your vision and milestones involves great communication and collaboration.

A Gamespace Musing… Which is more detrimental to the human condition? Working in an office or hanging out in Gamespace? Matt Klein and Elisabeth Bromberg awesome piece, Self-Sabotaging Innovation: The Art of Doing Dumb Shit (https://lnkd.in/dFsk-3ty) outlines how in the 1950s, the CIA created a "simple sabotage" leaflet that recommended a list of bureaucratic behaviors that could sabotage enemy economic productivity, I quote: “fast forward 80 years and it’s as if today’s organizations have interpreted this guide’s section on corporate sabotage as a?how-to manual for success: “Insist on doing everything through 'channels.' Never permit shortcuts to be taken in order to expedite decisions...” “Make 'speeches.' Talk as frequently as possible and at great length...” “Refer all matters to committees for further study and consideration...” “Attempt to make the committees as large as possible - never less than five...” “Haggle over precise wordings of communications...” “Refer back to matters decided upon at the last meeting...” “Advocate ‘caution’ and urge your fellow-conferees to be ‘reasonable’ and avoid haste...” “Insist on perfect work in relatively unimportant products...” “To lower morale, and with it production, be pleasant to inefficient workers; give them undeserved promotions...” “Demand written orders...” “Ask endless questions...” “See that three people have to approve everything where one would do...” Oops. Once designed to sow chaos in enemy states, these are now the backbone of how modern offices work. Endless meetings, bureaucratic bottlenecks, and obsessive perfectionism about trivial matters aren't just inefficiencies—they're encoded rules for surviving and thriving in the modern corporate game. And, here’s the kicker, the more office workers master these skills, the less likely their company is to win. In contrast, my recent joyous (re)immersion into gaming has been a refreshing reminder of how clean, rational, and relatable rules in Gamespace are. In Gamespace, the "why" of rules are clear. Mastery of those rules, whether understanding gameplay algorithms or perfecting controls, leads to winning. It's a system that rewards learning, adaptation, and improvement. While gaming fosters autonomy, collaboration, and clarity of purpose, the modern workplace optimises for frustration, inefficiency, and a lack of agency. It’s little wonder the Gamer Generation don’t want to play.