Every time I’m asked to speak or write about organization culture change, I get really mixed feelings.
On one hand, I know that conversations about culture
(“the way things are around here”)
and how to change it are some of the most energizing I experience…
and on the other, I get this sinking feeling because achieving any meaningful change can be so daunting.
Simply put, an organization culture is what we’ve learned to say, do, think and feel because it works well enough in getting us through the day.
Organization culture is an adaptation; a survival strategy.
This is why so much change work focuses on the individual
(“be the change you want to see in the world”)
If only that were all it took to change organization culture – but it isn’t…
Organization culture doesn’t just reside in individual behaviors – it lives and breathes in the norms that underpin systems, processes, work environment and governance.
Culture is a story reinforced in moments.
Let’s look at an example company, and isolate just one part of the story:
“People are nice at our company, we don’t upset people”
How do we see this alive in moments:
- Avoid celebrating high performing talent for fear of upsetting the “meets expectation”crowd;
- Endless meetings to get everyone to agree, only to find that no-one agrees outside of the room;
- Pursue alternative roles for people who are failing in their current role;
- Create a shadow organization rather than addressing service level issues with internal and external support functions;
- Avoid a critical business decision that may displace colleagues only to have to do it two years later anyway;
- Others? (I know you can fill in the blanks)
There is a comfort zone in keeping the culture the way it is – it’s the story we know, and have learnt to deal with, even if it’s painful.
Like I say, culture is a survival strategy.
So, for a potential change agent in our example company…
A company where energy is directed to activity more than results…
Where drawn-out consensus wins over “decide-move-adjust”…
Where “I won’t change until <something/someone else> changes”…
Many days can feel like stepping back into madness.
We can all see the culture, but it takes energy to step out to change it, and that step carries risk of the unknown.
And that’s where leadership comes into play.
For now, let’s not argue whether leadership is a virtue of position (“what grade makes me a Leader?”) or of spirit (“every colleague a leader”, “leading from every chair”, etc, etc, etc.)
Let’s instead define leadership as the state of having followers – and, for organization culture, leadership is simply a matter of living and breathing the new culture, and inspiring others to do so.
After all, it’s pretty unlikely that anyone will follow somebody to where they already are, right?
When it comes to organization culture, leadership confronts the difficult comfort zone:
- why it’s unsustainable;
- what would be better; and…
- what bits we should definitely keep.
Leadership is always founded upon dissatisfaction with the way things are.
Leadership is what we do when all around cry “stop rocking the boat!”
Leadership is relentless in its pursuit of a different future.
Note that I’m talking leadership here, as opposed to specific Leaders.
(I’ll be the first to admit that Leaders are important for cultural change. They can, after all, chart a strategic North Star and reinforce movement towards it – and, conversely, they can destroy all momentum with a casual relapse into old, comfortable habits)
Here’s the thing, in the moments that constitute cultural change, no Leader can be everywhere all the time.
And, when it comes to shaping organization culture, opportunity is, quite literally, everywhere.
Most importantly, opportunity is in our future, not in our past – in “what happens next”, not “what happened when…”
It’s not enough to spot opportunities. We must seize and deliver upon them.
An idea is nothing without execution.
For a true shift in culture, the commitment to step up and make something happen must become the norm at every level of the organization: personal, team, enterprise, and beyond.
It may be that “be the change you want to see in the world” is pretty close after all…
I would argue, however, that organization culture change takes more – maybe its closer to
“Lead myself and others to become the change we need to see in the world”
That’s what leadership has always been about…
And it’s essential if we are to hope to shift a prevailing organization culture.