Organizational Culture: Effective Circles Create Lasting Change

“You can have all the right strategy in the world; if you don’t have the right culture, you are dead.” -Patrick Whitesell, CO-CEO of WME

How can something so powerful never be seen? Be truly invisible on every level? Although organizational culture physically cannot be seen, one can surely feel it. When the culture is positive, it is like a sailboat gliding with the wind, effortlessly moving forward across the water. Although not everything can be controlled because outside influences will always exist, you can still intentionally take things into your own hands. On the other hand, when the organizational culture is negative, it is like the wind and the current are moving against you. The waves are choppy, and the ride is not enjoyable, leaving those in the sailboat feeling unsafe or insecure.? As the captain of the sailboat, you are struggling and struggling to propel the sailboat forward, but even with all this effort, you can sometimes end up in the same place, or unfortunately, farther back from where you began.?

Now take culture and intertwine it with leadership. When leadership and culture are perfectly woven together a flawless dance is created. Efficient movement is very easy to recognize—we all know when we observe a dancer whose every action seems intentional and effortless. However, that precision took months and sometimes even years of continual practice to achieve. It took hard work, dedication and perseverance, but most of all it took intention. Dance partners know the movements of each other so well, they can immediately sense when something is off. In a dance, sometimes you lead and sometimes you follow. But for a seamless dance, both must work in synchronized tandem. It is the same when it comes to leadership and culture.?Both culture and leadership are mutually influential, and it would not make sense to write an article solely on organizational culture without also speaking to leadership. The reverse is also true. According to Harvard Business Review, “7 out of 10 people in organizations are not actively engaged at work . Disengaged workforces are a global problem; and the costs are high. In the U.S. alone, companies are hemorrhaging $450 billion to $550 billion in lost productivity each year ” (Osterwalder, Pigneur & Gupta, 2016). This statistic is almost eight years old and is unfortunately only increasing.

Organizational culture requires intentionality and focus by the leader. They say, “You can have a culture by design or by default,” but if businesses want to thrive, be profitable, and retain its employees, it should be an integral priority of every leader to implement a culture by design. But how do leaders do this? To build and sustain a culture where employees thrive and feel valued, organizational leaders need to ensure the core-four are always a priority: Curiosity, People, Humanistic Listening, and Action.?

1.???? Curiosity?

“If it’s not broke don’t fix it” and “This is the way we have always done it.” Haven’t we all heard these axioms before? These old adages are the demise of any organization. For organizations to move forward, stay progressive, current, and relevant, leaders need to promote in the workplace an insatiable curiosity among their employees. Having a thirst for knowledge and a willingness to discover and comprehend new things can only be accomplished if the leader has created a safe and secure environment where employees can cultivate new ideas and new ways of doing things. Insatiable curiosity not only stimulates innovation, professional/personal growth, and problem-solving abilities which propel the organization forward, it also leaves employees feeling more satisfied in their job and with their work performance. So why is curiosity not promoted more in the workplace?

I believe curiosity is really squashed in childhood. When kids are growing up, they ask their parents a million questions. Why is the grass green? Why is the sky blue? Why do we call our meals breakfast, lunch, and dinner? The child is repeatedly told, “Stop asking so many questions!” Then the child reaches adulthood, gets their first job, and must learn a plethora of new things and asks, “Why must we do it this way?” “Could we do it another way?” They are advised, “Just do what you’re told and don’t ask questions.”

I don’t know what makes one person more curious than someone else, but I would say that if I could bottle it up and serve it to others, I would! We all understand the value and benefit of asking a good question. Curiosity breaks down walls, connects us with others, and really pushes us beyond the search for “more of the same” toward a new and innovative way of thinking. Create a culture of curiosity!

?2.???? People

?If you do not know people you do not know leadership. If you do not understand people, you do not fully understand how to be an effective leader.

Leaders need to see their employees as people and not just workers. As Bob Chapman, CEO of Barry Wehmiller says, “your employees are someone’s precious child” (Forbes, 2022). Because they don’t feel valued by their leadership, most employees do the bare minimum or only what is needed to get by in their organizations.

?According to Gallup data collected in 2023, three-fourths of employees are either not engaged or are actively disengaged at work (McShane, 2023). If we had technology in our departments that only worked 50% of the time or were only running at 25% of capacity, we would address this as a major problem and call the vendor. When leaders start genuinely caring for people, when employees feel safe and secure, valued, and truly part of the team, they will share gifts and talents they most likely didn’t even know they had. People are our investments. People are our human resources. People should be placed at the very center of things and valued over profits. I assure you, if you flip the traditional model and place people over profits, the profits will return tenfold—and those profits will prove to be more than just financial. Create a culture with people at the center!

?3.???? Humanistic Listening

Rather than guessing what your employees may want, feel, or need, wouldn’t it be better to just ask them? Humanistic listening increases employees' morale and sense of value, and also improves productivity levels. Humanistic listening will cultivate a safe environment where people are not afraid to voice their opinions for fear of repercussions. They will feel free to talk more openly with their colleagues and team, as well as give and receive suggestions as to where improvements are needed.

?Leaders can begin 1:1 listening sessions with members of their organizations now. Employees might see things through different lenses and perspectives, and it is those differences that add value and will ultimately advance the organization. Leaders need to promote a culture of listening and be the last ones in the room to speak.

Just like leaders send their employees to training classes on such topics as technical skills, leaders should also invest in humanistic listening training. The training should emphasize that people must listen with an intent to understand and learn and not to judge and/or debate. The training should stress the importance of asking clarifying questions, and an opportunity to take time to reflect on what they learned should be given. Being a more effective leader helps all to express themselves more clearly, build more meaningful and longer relationships, and improve levels of self-awareness. Humanistic listening isn’t a one and done; it needs to be continuous and ongoing. Create a culture of humanistic listening!

?4.???? Action

Leaders pay a price for indecision. They can effectively listen, understand people, and move the organization forward by creating a culture of curiosity, but if they don’t make decisions and act decisively, nothing will ever be achieved. When creating a culture in which employees thrive and feel valued, if action isn’t taken on the insights presented and gained, employee trust will be forfeited. ?Leaders need to take what they have learned through listening sessions, observations, and interactions, and from them implement real, positive change. Afterward, leaders must follow up and ask for continual feedback.

Great leaders also need to understand how to balance emotion with reason and make decisions that will positively impact themselves, their employees, their community, stakeholders (internal and external), and their departments. Making good decisions in difficult situations is no small feat because these types of decisions involve change, uncertainty, anxiety, stress, and sometimes the unfavorable reactions of others. Create a culture of action!

?Conclusion

Everyone is a chief culture officer in an organization, but organizational culture always starts at the top. All of these, the four culture necessities: curiosity, people, humanistic leadership, and action, create and sustain employee trust. The need for leaders to prioritize and nurture a healthy organizational culture cannot be overstated. Organizational culture significantly influences its effectiveness and accountability, as well as the well-being of both the team and the communities they serve. A positive and inclusive culture fosters trust, transparency, and collaboration, which leads to improved employee morale and healthier public relations.

Conversely, a toxic or negative culture can erode public trust, increase misconduct, and hinder the overall mission of the organization. By recognizing the paramount importance of organizational culture and actively working to shape it, leaders can guide their agencies toward greater success, resilience, and ultimately, safer, and more harmonious communities.

A culture by design must include the core four: curiosity, people, humanistic leadership, and action. Start where you want but start! Remember, leadership is a heavy responsibility. It is also a privilege and not a right. So, lead and lead well.Create a culture by design.

References:?

Frischen, K. (2022). Your employees are somebody’s precious child. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/sites/ashoka/2022/12/13/your-employees-are-somebodys-precious-child/?sh=89319695173b

McShane, J. (2023). Most Americans just aren’t into their jobs, new gallup data shows. NBC News. https://www.nbcnews.com/business/business-news/americans-just-arent-jobs-new-gallup-data-shows-rcna67653

Osterwalder A., Pigneur, Y., & Guppta, K. (2016) Don’t let your company culture just happen. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/07/dont-let-your-company-culture-just-happen

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