Org Culture Archives - Page 3 of 24

Your Culture is Not Unique and Doesn’t Need to Be

By Bulldog Drummond

Published at July 27, 2017July 27, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Org Culture

By Mark Tomaszewicz

When any movement gains momentum for a sustained period of time, the “[Insert Movement] is Dead” article appears like clockwork. The corporate culture movement is no exception, yet the recent death knell piece in MIT Sloan Management Review, The End of Corporate Culture as We Know It, is more perceptive than prophetic because the future is already here.

Having worked in the world of culture in various forms – leader, builder, guide – for the past decade and exposed to a myriad of organizational cultures, I have come to believe we are all striving for the same thing – the best way for humans to work together, produce great results and feel good about how it is done.

Therefore, most corporate value systems and cultures connect to three things:

Why Company Culture is Critical to M&A Success

By Chris Cancialosi

Published at July 18, 2017July 17, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Change Management, Growth, M&A, Org Culture

company culture mergers and acquisitions success

The actual results of mergers and acquisitions don’t always live up to expectations.

M&A growth strategies promise a multitude of strategic opportunities; from rapid growth, to elimination of competition, to access to new markets. And many organizations are currently, or have, embarked on merger and acquisition growth strategies to varying effect.

When asked about the primary causes of these mixed results, most leaders cite a misalignment between the two organizations’ cultures. This friction can wreak havoc as the members of different groups assimilate to drive the performance gains that M&A strategies forecast.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion: It’s More Than a Training

By Chelsea Weber

Published at June 29, 2017June 28, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Diversity and Inclusion, Org Culture

diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace

The numbers are out.

It’s been over fifty years since Title VII, the section of The Civil Rights Act that prohibits workplace discrimination. But how far have we really come?

Fortune’s data team recently released their findings on the diversity and inclusion practices of the companies on this year’s Fortune 500 list. The big reveal?

Only 3% of this year’s companies are transparent about the demographics of their workforce. And of those sixteen transparent companies, 72% of senior executives are white males.

Now, more than ever, companies and organizations are feeling pressure to not only be more representative but also more inclusive of people from traditionally marginalized groups. Reports on gender and racial diversity in tech have forced the industry to make public commitments to increase diversity in their workplaces and inspired other companies to do the same.

Millennials are demanding more inclusive work cultures. Our sociopolitical environment has made conversations about the inclusion of marginalized people in every area of life absolutely critical. And according to Deloitte’s 2017 Human Capital Report, 78% of respondents now believe diversity and inclusion is a competitive advantage.

But if major companies can’t even talk publicly about diversity, what do conversations inside of these organizations look like?

The Brilliant Basics of Culture Transformation

By Bulldog Drummond

Published at June 22, 2017June 20, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Change Management, Leadership, Org Culture

By Mark Tomaszewicz

“The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step.” – Lao Tzu

Transforming your culture is about changing individuals first and the organization next. Change is a result. That’s right, organizational change is a result of an individual change.

There are many definitions of culture. The one that I like the best is “what a group of people choose to believe and consistently do”. Changing your company culture means you are:

a) Changing what you believe,

b) Changing what you do, or

c) Finding a way to do more consistently

Embrace a Culture of Self-Leadership to Stay Agile as You Scale

By Chris Cancialosi

Published at June 20, 2017July 11, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Employee Engagement, Growth, Leadership, Org Culture, Process Improvement

nurse next door culture of self leadership

One of the greatest challenges for rapidly growing organizations is how to remain nimble in the midst of growth.

As companies scale, more processes are required to coordinate the growing workforce. And the additional management layers that come with them can slow an organization down.

It’s often the reason why large organizations become weighed down with bureaucracy while small companies remain quick and agile.

Consider this recent story from Hootsuite CEO Ryan Holmes:

“Earlier this year, an employee wanted to send a customer a T-shirt with our logo as a gift. There was nothing special about this particular shirt. It was an ordinary, 100% cotton crew neck. But by the time this employee got approval—factoring in his own time and everyone else’s up the org chart who had to weigh in before signing off on the request—the cost of this t-shirt had ballooned to at least $200.”

Many organizations today are trying to hedge against inflated processes like these by changing their organizational structures. Hootsuite, for example, appointed a “Czar of Bad Systems” to help improve internal processes.

In today’s rapidly-evolving business environment, growing organizations need to remain fast and efficient. And some large, geographically dispersed and complex organizations seem to be able to maintain a level of agility despite their size.

How do they do it?

Can We Use Parallel Processes to Solve Organizational Problems?

By Eva Roszkowski

Published at May 25, 2017May 25, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Change Management, Org Culture

parallel processes solve organizational problems

In 1989, Kenwyn Smith published a study entitled “Fix the Women”, describing a consulting situation characterized by fighting between two women in a troubled unit of a state hospital. After assessing the behaviors, the researchers determined the women’s hostility was actually fueled by feelings of competitiveness among the three senior men in the unit.

This is a phenomenon called parallel process thinking: when dynamics of one system are picked up and enacted by another system. In this case, the competitive dynamics of the men in the hospital unit fueled the conflict between these two women.

Consultants don’t always think of the theories associated with the work we do. They become part of us and our work. We talk to people and through years of experience, theories in behavioral science organically drive what we do, how we speak to people, how we solve problems, how we help, and how we advise.

When focusing on results with clients, especially within a limited timeframe, energy is usually spent toward practical application. But this theory is important because it affects everybody. If you can understand parallel process thinking, then it has potential to serve as a guide for better problem-solving.

So let’s examine this idea of parallel processes.

How To Unlock Your Potential For Innovation Through Crowdsourcing

By Chris Cancialosi

Published at May 23, 2017May 23, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Org Culture, Process Improvement

The human mind has an incredible capacity to learn, recognize patterns, and connect pieces of information together to find new ways to approach old problems.

Unfortunately, our problem-solving abilities are limited by individual knowledge and experience. When problems are large and complex, we might not have the right data available to have any hope of finding a solution if we go it alone. And when we get stuck, collaboration can be a powerful way to find the best solution.

By sharing knowledge and experience amongst a diverse group, we can often tackle complex problems that cannot be solved alone.

How to Use Pattern Disruption to Sustain a Culture of Innovation

By Cary Paul

Published at May 18, 2017May 18, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Change Management, Org Culture

pattern disruption to sustain a culture of innovation

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to lead a webinar about dancing bears in colorful ball gowns. I mean, who hasn’t? The subtext here (and arguably the more important focus) was to discover new methods of disruption and innovation.

In case you missed it, you can watch a replay of the webinar here (gated content).

If you’re in a subway, without your headphones, or reading this on a flip phone for some reason, let me offer this summary.

How Technology Can Save Your Company Culture During an Expansion

By Shawn Overcast

Published at May 2, 2017May 1, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Growth, Org Culture, Process Improvement, Talent Management

technology can save your company culture during expansion

As any business expands — either domestically or internationally — it can be a challenge to maintain a consistent company culture. Communication might suddenly need to bridge time zones, and messages will need to stay consistent despite language or cultural barriers. An expansion can affect organizational design and the centralization of resources, potentially making employees feel detached.

How to Care For Workplace Culture Through Its Awkward Teen Years

By Chris Cancialosi

Published at April 25, 2017July 11, 2017 In Category Blog Tags: Growth, Leadership, Org Culture, Startups

care for workplace culture through its awkward teen years

Building a business is like raising a child. We see them grow up over the years, go through hard times and good, learn from each success and failure, and eventually blossom into something more wonderful than we ever could have imagined.

One of the more challenging stages of the process is a business’ adolescence. It’s no longer a scrappy startup but not yet a full-grown business with established and consistent processes.