In every organization, there are posters, flyers, videos, meetings, songs, and stories that present the culture in a manner that senior management deems appropriate. Quite often, this media blitz portrays an accurate representation of the organization's culture- the way it works and the way it communicates. But not always.
If you are new to an organization, or trying to really understand its culture, are there any shortcuts besides playing the trial and error game and taking 2 years to figure things out? There ARE some ways to shortcut the trial and error learning over time method.
One of the quickest ways to understand the true nature of a culture is to identify who the heroes and villains are, from the perspective of front line employees and senior management. A great source of this information is the break room lunch table, listening to comments before meetings begin, and reviewing company memos and newsletters.
Quite often, you can get most of this information simply by asking someone at the lunch table: "So who are the heroes in this organization? And why are they considered heroes? What do you think of them?"
If you hear stories of people who do a great job by doing the right thing, you can begin to feel good. If you hear about someone who gets great praise but is perceived by peers as cutting corners or focusing too much on politics, you can begin to think about who you need to build relationships with so you don't get unexpectedly caught up in politics. (NOTE: You don't have to "play" politics, but you have to understand that they do exist, and understand how they might impact your effectiveness or job satisfaction.)
Also beware if you hear stories of "great people" who are no longer with the organization. this could mean several things: 1- It could mean that there is a disconnect between the organization's leadership and the person you are talking to and/or the person who is no longer here. 2-It could mean that there is a disconnect between the values of the organization and your personal values. 3- It could mean that you are simply talking to a disgruntled employee who is looking for actions to criticize.
Pay attention to stories of villains in the organization as well. Are there people that management perceives as a waste of payroll? If so, then be sure you do not adopt the attitude or approach that this person utilizes. Or perhaps the villain is someone who plays the role of the enforcer, or internal auditor. Do they have open support from management, or are they simply tolerated?
In many organizations, there may be a "Queen Bee", or "King Bee", who works closely with a senior leader, and who has been with the organization for many years. These folks are typically neither heroes nor villains, but they have a wealth of information, and don't underestimate their influence either!
In short, it's OK, and recommended that you ask lots of questions, while still keeping an open mind and drawing your own conclusions.
Learning about an organization is enjoyable, and it is critical to your success!
Monday, March 28, 2011
Monday, March 21, 2011
Your Organization's Culture- Part I- Communication
What is the culture of your organization? How do you describe it? Does it need to change? How do you change it? What do you do when you don't think your personal style fits your organization's culture? Which one of the 10 million books on corporate culture should I read?
Just the simple concept of understanding what a culture is can be ovewhelming, and every individual tends to (naturally) interpret work culture as the way that the workplace helps or hinders their effectiveness, and how work processes, people, and incidents make them "feel."
For purposes of our discussion, we will define workplace culture as: The way you work and the way you communicate. This is narrow enough for discussion purposes, but broad enough to encompass the critical aspects for both the organization and the individual.
Point #1: Your culture is perfectly designed to give your organization the results it is currently getting. 99% of cultures are NOT broken or flawed, they simply are what they are. The way that the people in your organization communicate, the systems in place for driving and monitoring work, and the work-social patterns in the workplace are simply the ways that results are driven.
First of all, to understand your organization, think about the way that you communicate. Do you follow every single link in the chain of command, or do you have a very flat communication culture? Within the smller communication groups (work teams, lunch groups, bowling teams) what is the difference in their internal communications vs. the communication between groups? Is knowledge hoarded or freely share? Is the success of another group truly appreciated and celebrated, or is there friendly/unfriendly competition, making the other group's success your group's failure?
Does your organization communicate mostly through email, instant messages, written notes, group meetings or face to face individual conversations? Does this tendency make you feel more effective or less effective? Are there differences in how you communicate with customers, or with levels in the organization higher or lower than your level?
Every organization has its own language. Having its own language helps an organization be more specific and communicate more rapidly, and can also help foster a sense of belonging for its members. Does your organization teach others and show forgiveness for not understanding or using the incorrect words or phrases? If it does, you certainly need to learn the language, and if you can find a safe mentor/guide to help you understand, that is a great approach. Also, when you do use the wrong word or don't understand, be very respectful in asking for clarification or accepting correction.
In short, understanding the way your organization communicates can greatly increase your comfort, understanding, and effectiveness of your world of work.
If any of you have any questions or would like to discuss a confidential culture issue, feel free to reach out to me via email.
Until next time, have an awesome week!
Clark
Just the simple concept of understanding what a culture is can be ovewhelming, and every individual tends to (naturally) interpret work culture as the way that the workplace helps or hinders their effectiveness, and how work processes, people, and incidents make them "feel."
For purposes of our discussion, we will define workplace culture as: The way you work and the way you communicate. This is narrow enough for discussion purposes, but broad enough to encompass the critical aspects for both the organization and the individual.
Point #1: Your culture is perfectly designed to give your organization the results it is currently getting. 99% of cultures are NOT broken or flawed, they simply are what they are. The way that the people in your organization communicate, the systems in place for driving and monitoring work, and the work-social patterns in the workplace are simply the ways that results are driven.
First of all, to understand your organization, think about the way that you communicate. Do you follow every single link in the chain of command, or do you have a very flat communication culture? Within the smller communication groups (work teams, lunch groups, bowling teams) what is the difference in their internal communications vs. the communication between groups? Is knowledge hoarded or freely share? Is the success of another group truly appreciated and celebrated, or is there friendly/unfriendly competition, making the other group's success your group's failure?
Does your organization communicate mostly through email, instant messages, written notes, group meetings or face to face individual conversations? Does this tendency make you feel more effective or less effective? Are there differences in how you communicate with customers, or with levels in the organization higher or lower than your level?
Every organization has its own language. Having its own language helps an organization be more specific and communicate more rapidly, and can also help foster a sense of belonging for its members. Does your organization teach others and show forgiveness for not understanding or using the incorrect words or phrases? If it does, you certainly need to learn the language, and if you can find a safe mentor/guide to help you understand, that is a great approach. Also, when you do use the wrong word or don't understand, be very respectful in asking for clarification or accepting correction.
In short, understanding the way your organization communicates can greatly increase your comfort, understanding, and effectiveness of your world of work.
If any of you have any questions or would like to discuss a confidential culture issue, feel free to reach out to me via email.
Until next time, have an awesome week!
Clark
Friday, March 11, 2011
"Line of Sight" in Your Organization: Aligning Front Line Decisions with an Organization's Strategic Plan
Several years ago I wrote an article for AAHSA, the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. As articles do over time on the internet, this one seems to have become very difficult to locate, so I am rehashing it in this forum.
Most organizations have an annual strategic planning process. Their board members and executives normally discuss these objectives on a regular basis. Strategic level goals are not normally written in a way that easily translates into decision factors for front line employees, so how do you help front line folks make the decisions that drive strategic success? Here is a proven methodology that has shown to be successful over and over again.
First: Your Board of Directors and/or Executive Team sets (normally) 5 to 7 strategic goals for the year. These goals are designed to address the most pressing needs of the organization and your customers, and also to have the most potential impact on your success. These tend to be high level goals impacting EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), market share, business model change, and internal high impact metrics. High level goals are not always easily translatable into front line action. However, it is not only appropriate, it is vital for organizations to set these top level goals. The Executives then brief and educate their teams, especially their direct reports, on the top level objectives.
Second: The next level of the organization's leadership (often grouped by department or function) meets to review and discuss the top level goals. A new set of goals, built on the strategic goals, is developed. This group's work develops the same number or a smaller level of key goals. The goals are articulated in a manner that reflects the span and scope of control of the group. Once complete, these goals are reviewed and approved by the executive responsible for this department/function to assure understanding of and alignment with the higher level goals. Once approval from the executive is obtained, this level then cascades their goals to the next level.
Third: The cascading process continues for each layer of the organization, until it reaches the team level. It is critical to remember that strong facilitation must be in place to assure alignment with higher level goals. It is also critical to assure that no more than 5 to 7 (preferably no more than 5) goals are established at each level. Each level of goals must be reviewed by the level above.
Fourth: (This is the easiest step to achieve failure!) On at least a monthly basis, the 5 goals are reviewed with front line employees. This provides the opportunity for feedback and discussion, as well are reinforcement that these goals are important at the individual level. While executives may only discuss their strategic goals quarterly, front line employees need guidance and engagement to assure they are driving the results the organization must have.
Fifth: Include the achievement of these goals into your annual performance management process. They do not have to be tied into unique monetary rewards (merit rewards will be the topic of a future blog) they should be a part of any formal process your organization uses. This demonstrates that the Line of Sight goals are important, and hard wires them into your culture and processes.
This process is not a super time consuming process- most organizations can accomplish this from beginning to end by addressing three or four levels of meetings. Assuring Line of Sight provides decision making tools to front line employees, who, when faced with multiple options, will be better able to choose the option that best supports strategic direction.
When we all pull in the same direction, getting to the destination is easier and far more satisfying!
Most organizations have an annual strategic planning process. Their board members and executives normally discuss these objectives on a regular basis. Strategic level goals are not normally written in a way that easily translates into decision factors for front line employees, so how do you help front line folks make the decisions that drive strategic success? Here is a proven methodology that has shown to be successful over and over again.
First: Your Board of Directors and/or Executive Team sets (normally) 5 to 7 strategic goals for the year. These goals are designed to address the most pressing needs of the organization and your customers, and also to have the most potential impact on your success. These tend to be high level goals impacting EBITDA (Earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization), market share, business model change, and internal high impact metrics. High level goals are not always easily translatable into front line action. However, it is not only appropriate, it is vital for organizations to set these top level goals. The Executives then brief and educate their teams, especially their direct reports, on the top level objectives.
Second: The next level of the organization's leadership (often grouped by department or function) meets to review and discuss the top level goals. A new set of goals, built on the strategic goals, is developed. This group's work develops the same number or a smaller level of key goals. The goals are articulated in a manner that reflects the span and scope of control of the group. Once complete, these goals are reviewed and approved by the executive responsible for this department/function to assure understanding of and alignment with the higher level goals. Once approval from the executive is obtained, this level then cascades their goals to the next level.
Third: The cascading process continues for each layer of the organization, until it reaches the team level. It is critical to remember that strong facilitation must be in place to assure alignment with higher level goals. It is also critical to assure that no more than 5 to 7 (preferably no more than 5) goals are established at each level. Each level of goals must be reviewed by the level above.
Fourth: (This is the easiest step to achieve failure!) On at least a monthly basis, the 5 goals are reviewed with front line employees. This provides the opportunity for feedback and discussion, as well are reinforcement that these goals are important at the individual level. While executives may only discuss their strategic goals quarterly, front line employees need guidance and engagement to assure they are driving the results the organization must have.
Fifth: Include the achievement of these goals into your annual performance management process. They do not have to be tied into unique monetary rewards (merit rewards will be the topic of a future blog) they should be a part of any formal process your organization uses. This demonstrates that the Line of Sight goals are important, and hard wires them into your culture and processes.
This process is not a super time consuming process- most organizations can accomplish this from beginning to end by addressing three or four levels of meetings. Assuring Line of Sight provides decision making tools to front line employees, who, when faced with multiple options, will be better able to choose the option that best supports strategic direction.
When we all pull in the same direction, getting to the destination is easier and far more satisfying!
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