Culture Isn't the Culprit, But It's Also Not a Bystander

In response to Harvard Business Review’s cover article, “Culture Is Not the Culprit.”

When culture is viewed as being great, good, bad or toxic, I would agree culture is not the culprit and is a byproduct of success or failure of the business.  However, when we think of culture as “how” work gets done, there is more than one great way of doing or thinking about the work. 

People like to work for successful organizations.  When the strategy execution of the organization is going well, people are generally more positive.  When there are fundamental problems or issues that continuously go unresolved employees begin to doubt, lose trust, and lack confidence in the future. 

This view of culture is merely the health of the organization and is only part of what culture is.  Feeling good or bad about the organization is not the same as “how” work gets done and does not fully define what organizational culture is.  

Unfortunately, many organizations limit their view of culture to this continuum of great to toxic and do not add the perspective of what is the right culture for a given strategy. The culture at Ecolab is very different than Delta, and while both are now seen as successful, healthy, and service oriented organizations, they are still profoundly different.  The “how” of delivering service is clearly defined and glued to the strategy of each organization. 

When culture is viewed from the lens of “how” work gets done and is purposefully aligned to the strategy, the speed and ease to execute the strategy grows exponentially.  Being more purposeful in defining culture from the view of “how” work gets done can be the core differentiator and drive significant competitive advantages. 

Instead of thinking of culture on a scale from great to toxic, view culture as great to great.  Should an organization provide service with a world class transactional approach or with deep customer intimacy? Should the company focus be external or internal?  Should risks be mitigated or embraced? Market adopter or market leader---high process variation or low process variation---Fact or intuition based decision making---disciplined or social atmosphere? It depends. Each organization is unique in their strategy and culture.  When strategy (the WHAT) and culture (the HOW) are purposefully aligned, these organizations become the case studies we all espouse.    

Minneapolis-based Work Effects encompasses two organizational management consulting practices: Leadership and Culture, both rooted in the concept of Trust. To learn more about the Work Effects approach, join our upcoming Strategy Culture Alignment Certification by visiting Work-Effects.com/Register