Lets talk about culture
Investments in training or change may carry high hopes but deliver disappointing results. Good intentions sometimes just don’t pan out. Why?
Strategy, information and documentation has a role, but for real improvement organisational culture needs to be examined. Good processes, even with bells and whistles, will not create change if the culture of the company facilitates resistance.
The codes and patterns of company culture may differ from Vision and Mission Statements, Branding and Codes of Conduct in the same way that body language may convey a different message to a speaker’s words. Congruency between the undercurrents and the public face of a company is found, although can be rare.
Most cultures emerge from relationships and behaviours that dominate the workplace. Culture permeates an organisation. It influences how interactions and directives are interpreted and acted upon. Developing over time from the habits and attitudes of the dominating Influencers, it’s entrenched in the subtle dynamics. (Note, the Influencers are not always the management, although they can be directly and indirectly affirmed by management response.)
An obvious and overworked example of the effect of cultural signals is when a company has a clear policy of equity, but one race and gender at executive level. No matter how many logical reasons are given – the message is clear to all.
Staff interpret discrimination consciously or not. It plays out in expectations, alliances and career choices. Naturally it affects performance, the service and people’s willingness to do what is best for the company. Development and motivational interventions will bow to the glass ceiling, because participants cannot see a reality in which they are included. Management will despair because no matter how hard they try, they cannot get the right calibre of executives other than the norm. They will prove their reason for continuing as is.
Culture that limits growth and effectiveness is not something that can be changed in a day; it requires awareness, commitment and practice. However, it can change.
Given scope, dialogue's work facilitates cultural change. The nature of what we do requires that we build trust, hear stories and get to know what motivates and drives people. We're exposed to interesting perspectives on the organisation. We see the culture play out in language, symbols, signs and relationships. It clearly reveals the potential success or failure of the company’s investment in specific outcomes.
We’re required to observe and facilitate understanding. Sometimes we have groups of people that do not work together on their day-to-day tasks, or senior management and junior level staff combined. These combinations, if consciously facilitated, act as a potent research tool and change agent. They unpack the inner workings and sub-cultures of the organisations we’re privileged to work with.
(Alignment, symmetry and harmony show in intimate, seemingly one-off moments where employees express their authentic work-self and do so in a completely congruent way. It's unfortunately also alarming how clearly and quickly negative dynamics similarly surface.)
As social beings, it’s the nature of humans to respond to group norms. Shifting culture means shifting paradigms and perspectives. These are neither formed nor changed by official pronouncements or documents, unless they’re in absolute alignment with dominant actions and attitudes.
Cultural paradigms begin in a social context and, with willingness, can be adjusted the same way. Meaningful development and change begins with an openness to discuss different perspectives of the way things are and facilitated, sustained group dialogue (no pun intended) that allows re-aligned values and new behaviours to emerge.
Although positive results need some time, the rewards are worth it. This is written to encourage organisations to interrogate the influence of their dominant culture on performance and effectiveness. We also hope to show that dialogue is key to ensuring that Change or L&D investments deliver real results (and this pun is intended!)