Culture is a strange thing. We wonder how it builds, develops and manifests amongst our teams. Most organizations are aware that culture is different from one department to another. This is usually in relationship to the present leadership. The real question is, are you creating Ian intentional culture that you want or are you experiencing the “accidental culture”. There is probably not one answer to this question.
Most organizations know what they want in the way of culture however few organizations know how to create it. If we are using old leadership methods, traditional performance management, and a focus on bottom line profits we often create the accidental culture. If your organization has conflict, high stress, increasingly difficult deliverables that always seem unattainable then you are most likely going to create a culture reflective of this.
Human Behaviour is foundational to culture development. There is a simple flow that allows us to reflect on the process for creating a more intentional culture. Values and Purpose create behaviours, collective behaviours create culture, culture dictates performance. So understanding how to create the behaviours you are seeking is key. Behaviours of leaders is paramount. Behaviours are rarely addressed proactively and at best are often discussed only when there are bad behaviours present.
Have a clearly articulated culture roadmap that links Purpose, Values, and Behaviours. Once this is complete you can link all of your programs, training and other initiatives back to these three critical items. If you have purpose and values but do not have clearly articulated intentional behaviours, that guide everything, you are possibly missing a key ingredient.
