3 ways to avoid being a 'personality-based' organisation

I've already shared what are some dangers of being a 'personality-based organisation' in my previous article here, but can we actually do anything to avoid being one?

It's definitely not easy. As with any effective activity you would like to execute across an entire organisation, it has to start with the head and in most personality-based organisations, this would probably be the 'personality' themselves.

But let's assume the 'personality' is self-reflective enough to realise the dangers of barreling down the personality-based route and would like to actually do something about it - even that isn't usually quite sufficient. Why? Because having the intention to not be an organisation that's focused on a personality is not enough to stop your organisation from being one, you have to also actively put measures in place to stop it from happening. Because as was mentioned in the aforementioned article, the culture and practices of an organisation led by someone talismanic can sometimes strongly gravitate towards a personality-based direction, intentional or not.

So what can be done? Many potential options of course, but rather than focusing on the actual steps, let's focus on some basic guidelines and mindsets that need to be in place before any actual steps or activities are formulated and designed.

Develop a practical organisational philosophy, and go back to it

Get a group of internal stakeholders together and thrash out a operating philosophy that is practical for the organisation. Involve a group of stakeholder in its development as it strengthens the credibility of the philosophy at grassroots level. Avoid fairy language that is pretty on paper but absolutely useless in the trenches of daily operations. Keep it easy and relatable. When you find yourself in a decision-making intersection, refer back to the philosophy. It ensures that everyone, including the personality is constantly on the same page.

Make 'doing the right thing' the priority

That means not always doing things the 'quickest', which could be annoying for organisations with a culture that's constructed around a personality that is impatient. Adhering to a logical and consistent baseline is an essential component in ensuring your organisation does not get sucked into a personality-based culture. And really, there is not better baseline than to ensure that all decisions are made with 'doing what's right in mind'. The additional silver bullet is that younger workers entering the workforce now are also likely to be attracted to an organisation with a conscience. The Cone Millennial Cause Study back in 2006 found that 80% of 13-25 year olds wanted to work for a socially responsible company, while 50% of them would refuse to work for a socially irresponsible company. Ensuring that your decisions are always funneled through a 'doing what's right' sift is definitely a defining step in improving your overall employer value proposition.

Be inclusive in decision-making

At times, in a personality-based culture, there is a tendency to rush through a decision-making process because it's quicker and less complicated, especially when there are no clear baselines to follow. So instead of doing that, be more inclusive in all decision-making processes. Involve as many key stakeholder as practically possible to not only increase the credibility of the final decision but also to ensure that there is some calibration at all levels of the decision-making process.

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