1000 words for snow

Question. Are you involved in some kind of transformation programme or reorganisation programme? We think possibly you are, as everyone seems to be transforming and resetting. Do you get involved in conversations about the need to change the underpinning culture? Do you and your colleagues use words and phrases like; we need to be more agile, develop authentic leadership, empower staff, digitise our activities and other expressions that are certain to sound impressive to the board?

When you take a look at other organisations do you discover that they, like you, are listing core values to support their change. They all talk about having a similar wish list of new values often including; Inclusion, Honesty Integrity Agility, Respect, Ingenuity. They tumble out like 1000 words for snow.

But are you sure that makes sense? Can a successful company's values really be decided without looking at the context and the nature of the enterprise?

Today's challenge, whatever change programmes you are involved in, is to really help teams develop a culture that will help them to success and not to hinder them.

Imagine your are an Inuit. You've gone out hunting on your own. You've bagged a seal enough to feed you for six months. What do you do? You don't even take a bite. You put all your energy into taking it back to the village for a feast for all as soon as possible. Why? Because in that situation the culture that works is a sharing culture that keeps you alive by depending completely on each other.

If we used the Bulls-i PET to capture your primary values, secondary cluster, incidental cluster and what you defiantly won't do, it might look something like this:

Now imagine you are a New York trader. You have to win on every deal you close. You have to get from A to B fast. You've just nabbed a yellow cab off an old lady by jumping in ahead of her in the queue and promising a big tip. Why? Because in that situation the culture that works is "MeMeMe" and pulling a fast one over everyone else.

So now we have two different cultures, both successful but with completely different primary values. Now I suggest you live the Inuit culture whilst in New York or the New York culture in the arctic. Both ways, you're dead! Why? Because each situation and context demands a specific culture for success.

Telling an Inuit they are now empowered to be authentic, agile leaders who lead with diversity leaders isn't going to end well. But if your team take the time to understand what is needed from their stakeholders, themselves and their future challenges then you might just create a real description of the values needed for your success.

Using the #PET Bulls-i you can progress from a pretty pointless list of words that really all mean the same thing, to a hierarchy of values including guidance on what doesn't work. And then, together, take the Bulls-i and translate each value to the three cultural shifts:

? People – ensuring the new rituals, roles, relationships (On QUBE people learn new behaviours without resistance to change!)

? Perspective – providing new approach to decisions, information and tools or #PETs.

? Places – laying out an easy way to access materials, machinery, space (on QUBE we have campuses and qubicles). Remember space is important - you behave differently on a dance floor to in a posh restaurant. 'First we shape our buildings there after they shape our behaviour' so choose your space wisely.

You know, you might just transform that snow into an igloo.