People gather. It is part of our nature.
And since the dawn of time, there have been governing rules of how we interact in these gatherings. They may be called rules, laws, or norms, but it is generally understood that there are codes of behavior that will or will not be tolerated.
Adhere to the behaviors, and you are rewarded by acceptance and becoming the in-group. Buck the system, and you may quickly find yourself experiencing ridicule, shame, or even exile from the group.
Why do some believe that organizations are different?
A business, team, or organization is a gathering. Even virtually, a team will gather to work on a shared goal or vision. And with it, certain norms and acceptable behaviors come attached.
In modern speak, we often refer to this as “organizational culture”, which I will just call culture for brevity.
We sometimes codify our culture in a mission, vision, and values or even an employee handbook. Our culture is communicated on day one with our new hires, and referred back to when an employee is disciplined.
Our culture determines how early people show up for meetings, how we talk to (and about) our team, how loyal our teams are and ultimately how successful our business will be.
Culture should be aligned with the purpose and vision of the organization. If not, you risk your mission, vision and values being a written manifesto that never gets lives out.
In order to effectively plan where you want to GROW you need to KNOW what your current culture looks like. You may have written vision and values, but your culture is what defines the behaviors that are accepted and reinforced.
And here’s a hint, your culture has many layers and can be a complex picture to paint.
You wouldn’t leave your business strategy to chance, and you shouldn’t let your culture “go with the flow”. Intentionally creating a culture is about the day to day commitments every team makes within the context of the team.
We help businesses build fantastic teams – and a foundational part of that is creating a strong foundational culture. Learn how we can help you business by scheduling a free discovery call today.
