Benefits for leaders and managers by focussing upon Organisational Cultures

We hear, see and read a lot about "culture" these days in the press, on television and in our professional workplaces. It seems that culture is on everyone's thoughts and lips.

However, do we really understand the benefits of increasing our energy and expertise and focussing upon culture in our organisations?

Whether we are a program manager, director, CEO, executive manager, project manager, change manager and the like, culture is at the centre of all we do: artefacts, values and assumptions are the lifeblood, the soul and the spirit and DNA of every organisational workplace.

Once we understand that as decision makers we have to give culture makers more influence, resources and support, our organisations will begin to succeed more effectively in terms of human dynamics and efficiently in terms of economics.

I have read a number of perspectives on organisational culture recently both on Linked In and in the national press expounding the benefits of a renewed and real focus upon organisational culture.

Our organisational, institutional, company cultures influences everything we do in our businesses and groups and organisations as a whole; culture touches everyone.

Let's really understand and acknowledge that... and make decisions that help to form a great culture.

Culture creates positive changes across the organization.

Leaders and managers who have developed their company’s culture advise us of improvements and benefits in many areas, including 22 that I will list below, taken from my recent readings from others and my own experiences.

Focussing upon culture drives:

1. Sustained increases in productivity and performance.

We know from research that the average employee contributes only 10 to 20% of their potential.

A culture that deeply engages people enhances productivity and even 10% increase in productivity assists other organisational flow-on productivity; into a continuous improvement norm.

As the culture builds, people take personal responsibility for costs giving rise to lowering of administrative and operating costs.

Here is a major business reason for improving the company culture … profit margins- even in the public service where rather than profit it is the efficiencies and effectiveness which are important in the careful and responsible utilisation of taxpayers' money.

2. Recruitment

Good people will be attracted to a well developed company culture.

It is a powerful recruiting point for attracting the best people on the market.

If the workplace is an open, participative workplace, where people enjoy working, and have broad opportunities for growth and creativity, the company or government institution will attract top candidates.

Do your employees urge their friends to join? That's a measure.

3. Morale

High cultural team and organisational morale is a key to cultural success. It is closely connected to trust, purpose, team loyalty, pride, and faith in the leadership — all qualities that improve as the culture develops.

What is the rating from 1-10 of your team for organisational morale?

4. Supply Chain

Writers and business researchers tell us that "supply chain efficiencies depend on internal cooperation between multiple functions and levels and with external suppliers and customers". Relationships, cooperation and communications are critical.

Is your organisational culture efficient, streamlined and responsive to rapidly changing markets, technology, and customer needs?

5. Customer Service

Customers are highly attuned to their suppliers’ cultures. They can easily tell when things are working well and when they are not.

Will your customers recommend your organisation?

6. Employee Motivation

Motivation grows when your culture recognises personal work needs and desires and allows people to fulfill these needs through the business tasks.

Are your people recognized and appreciated for who they are and what they can contribute?

7. Responsiveness to Change

Again, business cultural researchers tell us that openness to change and the desire to make changes work increases in trust and responsibility and initiates improvement, ideas and initiatives connected to marketing and product development.

Are there silos, separate functions, limiting communications in your organisation?

8. Involvement

People want to be involved and appreciated and seen as an important contributing member of the team or the agenda and the challenges ahead. Include them! This is such a no brainer...but due to human factors from inadvertent forgetfulness or paternalism at one end of the spectrum to narcissism at the other extreme we do not ensure this is done well at all.

9. Leadership

Many leaders and managers say developing the culture of the organisation is one of the most satisfying yet most difficult in their careers.

This difficulty, complexity is probably why people do not hire as much for cultural change- they see it as too hard.

Yet culture development is at the centre of everything we do in organisations.

Cultural development is the soul and the DNA of our organisational fabric.

Cultural change expertise needs much greater focus than we currently acknowledge or enable our people to deliver.

10. Meetings

More effective meetings; better, improved meetings are a great result in a well developed culture. We know this- running better, smarter, tighter, clever meetings.

11. Mergers and Acquisitions

During mergers or machinery of government changes, there is a lot of cultural transitions requiring all hands on deck by the right people.

Leaders and managers need change managers, cultural change managers in particular, walking beside them.

Well-developed cultures bring smoother mergers and acquisitions with people getting more involved to make it work.

Cultural change specialists lead the culture merging process so that anxiety is minimized, productivity is maintained, and highly valued employees in the acquired company stay.

12. Cooperation

It goes without saying that: A well-developed culture increases cooperation, collaboration, and motivation. Improving cooperation between divisions and between levels profoundly improves communications, decisions, and problem-solving.

Yet we do not focus on these matters and instead go about like busy ants in an ants' nest focussing upon production of IT widgets and digits and products, often forgetting the specialist focus we should do and spend upon culture to improve skills and implementation of teamwork, cohesion, and cooperation skills.

13. Teamwork

Teamwork involves the people who are affected by a decision. They are intricately involved and take responsibility. This is fundamental to developing teamwork, cooperation, involvement, and trust, between people, divisions, and levels.

Does your organisation have high performing teams? How can you make sure they become high performing?

14. Relationships

The culture change process improves relationships between people, levels, and departments. Improved relationships brings improve communications, decisions and overall performance. Again, another no - brainer...yet often not done.

What is going on in the decision making mindsets and boardrooms in your institution?

We utilise 10% of peoples' efforts and expertise and wonder why we fail 70% of the time to deliver.

Fresh decision making, new priorities, and paradigm shifting to deal with chaos and complexity in our workplaces are all needed for change in our organisational cultures.

15. Responsibility

When people can take full responsibility for what happens in their work areas, problems are solved where they happen and by those affected.

Self-actualisation rises and there is no command and control type leadership and management that numbs creativity.

Renewed responsibility then gives people even greater responsibility and motivation, creativity and motivation. It is cyclical and shows up in the cultural surveys and climate of groups.

16. Safety

Cultural focus on safety means a safer culture which in turn means trusting, open relationships.

People speak up, and constantly look for ways to improve safety, and they take personal responsibility for creating and maintaining a safe workplace.

As we know, a safe workplace can be a big contributor to savings and net financial effects of organisations, often kept invisible and not advised by boards of management but a drain on organisational purses often reaching millions of dollars. A good culture helps to minimise this.

17. Retention

Fewer people leaving the organisation is great. Less turnover leads to a stable team and steady approach to accomplishing goals.

Do you have people who do not want to leave because of the leaders, managers and culture?

18. Absenteeism

This is a common measure of both good and bad culture. Measure it ! Find out why it is "good" or "bad".

19. Union-Management Relations

Often forgotten these days...unions and their membership are important for productive cultures. A well-developed culture moves away from adversarial relationships and towards cooperation. There is less strife between management and unions.

20. Injuries and Claims

Within good cultures lost time due to injuries can be expected to fall which is a bonus for industries.

21. Insurance Rates

Safer workplaces, fewer injuries and claims, lead to lower insurance rates and a better bottom line.

22. Satisfaction and Happiness

Satisfaction ratings are a good cultural measure of well being and organisational health.

Do your workers enjoy each other, cooperate, problem-solve together and recognize each other for their special contributions to the group’s success?

Satisfaction and happiness go hand-in-hand with improved performance.

To conclude I have collected 22 of the many benefits of focussing upon workplace culture.

As decision makers, CEOs and leaders and managers in industry and government really need to be advised about the facts on cultural change:

You want your culture to change? Well...surprise, surprise!

FOCUS UPON CULTURE!

The right culture is:

A Great, Productive, Satisfying, Successful and Innovative Place to Work.