Culture Matters

A well-run organization is essential to support high performing employees. Understanding your phase of Enterprise Evolution is a first step. Enterprise Evolution explains where you are in your organizational development. Culture explains who you are. Culture, as expressed in shared values, beliefs, and behaviors, affects every facet of your organization and business outcomes.

Zelle knows that creating the right culture provides employees a place where they will thrive. Many organizations spend significant effort and cost on amenities and other satisfiers. Few spend enough time on culture. The right culture is a continual motivator. 

Culture is a powerful force. Contrasting organizational culture to employee engagement can shed some light on the nature of that power. 

Employee Engagement studies employee motivation as an outcome of leaders and managers actions and behavior. Increased engagement depends on the future actions of those managers. The focus of action planning is derived from a point in time measure leading to point in time actions.  

Culture has a life of its own, defined through hundreds, even thousands of interactions between people each day. The nature of those interactions continually defines and reinforces the culture. Without guidance and leadership, the culture emerges as positive, negative, or somewhere in between. Why would anyone leave culture to chance? 

Most leaders would acknowledge the existence of culture in their organization. More leaders should spend time thinking about how culture is affecting their business. Without some outside perspective, it is difficult to objectively analyze and give definition to one’s own culture. But through supported discussions leaders and employees can describe the culture by articulating their feelings, perceptions, and experiences. A clear picture of the culture emerges from that data. It is a combined process of science and art. 

The leadership imperative is to define what the culture is today, and what the culture needs to be in the future. Leaders should strive to understand and define the current and aspirational culture. Active leadership and endorsement put clear focus on the associated values, beliefs and behaviors that will be expected, reinforced and rewarded.   

These actions set in motion the way people interact each day. Employees have a code of conduct, and they know how they are supposed to treat each other. Key organizational processes such as decision-making, communications, recognition and customer focus are improved through stronger relationships.  Now the culture is positively supported and reinforced through the hundreds of daily interactions previously mentioned. 

Zelle is committed to helping define your current and aspirational culture.  Feel free to call or email us to discuss further, or respond online to add your perspective on this very important topic.