Manage the Culture or Get Run Over by It
Research has shown a growing perception among executives about the importance of Corporate Culture, even greater than Strategy. Other signs of this emphasis are the huge number of books currently available on the topic, and Google returning almost 11 million search results. The main motivations for this in the business world could be:
1. Engage all the employees in the mission and values, for greater collaboration and productivity;
2- Equip the front line team for quick and effective response to customers, in an ever challenging and competitive business environment;
3- Increase appeal for generation Y professionals, who seek identification and purpose in work;
4- Change the game with resilience and innovation, in the face of crises and the disruptive market.
Corporate culture can be perceived by the way people think and act in the company, based on established formal and informal beliefs, and is naturally inherited from the founders. Murals and posters on the walls cannot define culture, but mostly the everyday experiences do it, influenced by example that comes from the leadership. By the way, almost all companies have their mission published, however most of their people are not able to recite it.
If you are looking for very different results and/or understand that your business needs a significant change of direction, it is inevitable having to change the organizational culture. It is the leadership responsibility to manage the organizational culture for desired results, and not end up being run over by it.
