Written by: Leah Tomlin, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
We have all heard that ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’, as culture, alongside leadership, is the most important factor in determining the success of an organisation (Xenikou and Simosi, 2006). Culture should be the impetus that propels the organisational mission forward. Too often it is the very element that causes the downfall of strategies, and even the slow and painful demise of a business.
Toxic leadership creates and exacerbates toxic cultures (Watkins and Walker, 2021). Organisations pay hefty prices for allowing such leadership traits and cultures to persist. In order to create prosperous, successful, thriving and productive workplaces, organisations need to eradicate toxicity in all its forms (Anjum et al, 2018).
Create a Vibrant Organisational Culture One Transparent Step At A Time
Many senior leaders know that they need to address culture change, but they frequently feel overwhelmed in terms of where to begin, and don’t see the ability they have to create deep, transformational and sustainable change in culture. Culture change should be transparent and all employees given a voice to share and take ownership of the cultural mission.
So, what steps can leaders take to create a thriving and vibrant culture that places their greatest assets (their employees) at the heart of the business?
1. Define ‘culture’ as a wider team
My definition of culture is ‘the attitudes, beliefs and behaviours that are accepted as norms, and which act to propel or impede organisational development’. Whether we look inside homes across the world, businesses, schools, large corporations, or even primate communities, we see cultural behaviours that become ingrained and accepted by the masses, even when detrimental to progress and wellbeing.
Leaders shouldn’t simply use the term ‘culture’ in the boardroom, or with employees, without first unpicking what the term means for the team. Only then can the current culture be scrutinised and paths forged to create culture change across the organisation.
2. Assess the current culture
In order to know how to evolve, it’s necessary to know explicitly what the current culture is.
Use methods to assess and measure the current situation:
Interviews of employees at various levels will determine any sub-cultures that might exist and will enable a rich and varied qualitative data source to be obtained. Interviews should be recorded and analysed by more than one individual. Leaders should ask open questions that generate detailed answers but they must be mindful of their own confirmation bias when analysing the answers.
Anonymous surveys can be more broadly applied throughout the organisation, and provide powerful quantitative data.
360 degree questionnaires.
Staff-generated data provides a powerful means to engage and get people on board the culture ship that’s about to set sail. A system is needed for tracking all data measurements, monitoring progress and celebrating successes. Openly discussing what will be measured to track culture change will help employees to become interested in the results that the data throws up.
3. Define Values
When workers struggle to align the corporate culture with their own values, they can respond in one of many ways. They may orgainse a large and blatant walk out, as organised by 20,000 employees in 2018 over Google’s handling of sexual harrassmet claims. Alternatively, a far more common and insidious response is for employees to metaphorically walk out. In this latter situation, greater damage is caused to organisational strategy and culture. People check out, become despondent, negative and vocally critical. This is where culture and productivity truly suffer, stress increases and sick days become more regular. Leaders can avoid this, not just by modelling openness but by asking their workforce to make explicit their concerns, and having clear strategies for listening, empathising and moving forward with shared values.
The values of the organisation, and open discussion of them in terms of culture change, should drive emotional engagement of all employees. Leaders can sometimes be frightened to make explicit their desires for change in culture, as they feel that it might somehow be insulting to question the culture, or they can be fearful of opening a can of worms. It’s imperative that leaders step out of their comfort zones and model open, honest discussion. People who personify the positive culture and values of the organisation should be openly rewarded and their achievements celebrated.
4. Create a culture vision
It’s important to know your destination before you set out on your journey, as this will determine what you need in preparation and the timescale expected. The vision for culture change needs to be clearly and regularly communicated in creative ways. The greater purpose of an organisation is something that all employees can get excited about and see as relevant in the world. Open and transparent talks about culture need to take place and individuals must understand their place, and their value, in creating culture change. This requires honest discussion about elements of positive culture and what needs to happen to get there.
Everyone needs to be on-board with communicating problems, as well as past and present failures, in order to understand the full journey requirements. Ideas for change must come from the employees themselves, if a change is to be transformational and sustainable.
Ask questions such as:
What positives are there in our current culture?
What needs to change, and why?
What is required to implement the different stages of change?
What do people see as potential barriers to change?
What do individuals need to help them?
5. Designate culture champions
With culture having such a significant impact on performance, organisation should prioritise culture development with a role or team specifically designated to leading culture change. It is the role of the culture leaders to translate the meaning of the organisational culture vision for individuals across the organisation so that they know precisely their place and their roles within the culture and exactly what the desired culture means for their systems and processes. This person or team should be responsible for overseeing the entire process and critically engaging everyone.
6. Create a clear roadmap for change
Just as steps in the strategy may be drawn up, a map of culture change also needs to be implemented. The culture strategy needs to be led by a strong leader or team to ensure that measurable and achievable steps are broken down and culture change is propelled forward. These leaders have a critical role to play in creating the road map, determining success criteria for each step in the process, measuring impact and celebrating progress along the journey.
7. Communicate openly
Culture is determined by the communication and openness in any organisation. Leaders should invite open discussion, particularly about those elements that are not normally being spoken about. Blocking out time and asking, “What are we not openly talking about that we really should be?” will help pave a new path. This may lead to discussions that some might find difficult, but the emphasis should be on how everyone together can solve issues. Through open, supportive and respectful discussions, a culture based on trust can thrive.
8. Celebrate with systems, routines and rituals
Informal routines, planned activities and meetings are crucial factors that underpin positive culture change. It is frequently the case that leaders can be bogged down by the more negatively vocal people instead of focusing energies on the pockets of people who are succeeding in driving the culture change forward. By transferring time and attention onto the examples of excellence, and truly celebrating them, more people will be drawn into the new way of thinking, behaving and feeling. With quick and regular celebrations of success, people can see the progress and feel the change more tangibly, so will more readily sign up to their own part in the process. This increasing support will have an exponential impact on the success and sustainability of the cultural shift.
9. Coach and mentor throughout the organisation
In order for a positive culture to drive forward any organisation, individuals need to be supported in developing curiosity and a deep desire to learn and progress towards higher aspirations. Coaching and mentoring should be part of the performance management system so that each individual is accountable for ensuring their behaviours comply with the organisation’s core values and cultural change agenda. Creating a coaching culture that supports mutual learning will underpin any ambitious mission.
10. Prioritise leader and employee wellbeing
Holistic lifestyles modelled from the top down, should emphasise the importance of all elements of wellbeing. Leaders can empower individuals to analyse all elements of their wellbeing and ask which is being neglected:
Physical (exercise, nutrition, quality sleep, regular breaks, relaxation)
Emotional (stress management, emotion regulation)
Social (connections, relationships, requesting help)
Creative (make, do, indulge and be present)
Intellectual (curiosity, learning)
Workplace (find purpose, meaning and inspiration)
Domestic (get help, enjoy home and be present with those in it)
Spiritual (nature, wonder)
Societal (be part of a cause greater than you)
Leaders need to regularly check-in with people and talk about their own difficulties, to foster a culture of support and openness, and to encourage individuals to value their wellbeing.
11. Recruit the best
People create cultures. Recruiting the right people is key to cultural transformation. Starting by recruiting the people who align most clearly with positive cultural ethics should be an ongoing strategy. Recruitment in-house to culture working groups or teams who propel culture change forward should be carried out strategically to generate the greatest chance of success. When companies adhere to greater ethical principles, they are able to attract a higher calibre of employee. Recruitment procedures should reflect this in order to attract the best people to the organisation who reflect the progress the organisation is making.
12. Explicitly Build Relationships
Performance at work is directly impacted by social relationships within the team, as positive social interactions impact our neurobiology in a plethora of positive ways (Zac and Barraza, 2013). Relationships are a fundamental part of being human and can make or break a culture. A vibrant and positive culture will allow strong relationships to be built on trust and mutual support. This will encourage teams to excel, gain clarity with new systems and increase productivity to shape and drive the strategy forward. Furthermore, such a flourishing culture will attract the highest calibre of new recruits, making the whole cultural transformation more sustainable.
We frequently hear in the media when requirements for change in culture are called out. Whether in police forces, politics, schools or businesses, we can all recall countless incidents that have led to calls for culture change. However, true transformational change in culture is much rarer than the calls for change. Don’t leave culture to chance. Book a free strategy call with me if you wish to assess, re-design and re-shape your organisation's culture.
Leah Tomlin, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine Leah coaches professional women for transformation in leadership and life. She holds an exceptional range of qualifications and skills as a certified Executive Coach, business owner, published Neuroscientist and qualified Head Teacher. Her understanding of the brain, and how people learn, ensures she inspires transformational, life-long positive impact for leaders and their organisations. Her scientific background allows her to employ evidence-based brain and coaching methodologies that achieve success. Leah is passionate about gender equality, helping propel more women to the top and seeing them succeed as incredible leaders. She empowers women to understand how their brains can help and hinder them, enabling them to develop greater self-awareness, confidence and a dare-to-dream vision. Her clients love the way she coaches with emotional intelligence and warmth, focused on improving their leadership competency and helping them develop new and effective professional behaviours and habits. Working with Leah, leaders achieve greater success for themselves and their teams, as well as creating supportive cultures of excellence in their workplaces. Leah lives in Bristol, England, as a single mum to her three young children. She is passionate about wellbeing and takes time to enjoy her hobbies, including music, film, reading, art and design, yoga and dog-walking.
References:
Anjum, A., Ming, X., Siddiqi, A.F. and Rasool, S.F., 2018. An empirical study analyzing job productivity in toxic workplace environments. International journal of environmental research and public health, 15(5), p.1035.
Watkins, D. and Walker, S., 2021. Victims in the Dark Shadows: A Model of Toxic Leadership. Journal of Organizational Psychology. Journal of Organizational Psychology, 21(2), p.10.
Xenikou, A. and Simosi, M., 2006. Organisational culture and transformational leadership as predictors of business unit performance. Journal of managerial psychology.
Zak, P.J. and Barraza, J.A., 2013. The neurobiology of collective action. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 7, p.211.
