Comments on: Company Culture: Doing the Right Thing http://www.hrmtoday.com/talent/human-resources-management/company-culture-doing-the-right-thing/ Social Networking for Today's HR Professional Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:56:04 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.5 By: Dr. G. http://www.hrmtoday.com/talent/human-resources-management/company-culture-doing-the-right-thing/comment-page-1/#comment-1800 Dr. G. Tue, 09 Dec 2008 00:04:28 +0000 http://blogs.hrmtoday.com/?p=5384#comment-1800 It is my sense that all of these voices are saying important things. One thing is for sure. My experience suggests that the corporate world is far from where it needs to be. Our challenge may be in how to really understand the competing values (see Robert Quinn, Univ. of Mich) underlying the very foundation of corporate life. That being said, success depends upon simultaneously 1) acheiving defined goals in the context of the organization's mission, vision and values, 2) maintaining the organizations culture in keeping with it's values and dealing congruently with internal and external tensions -Say what you mean and do what you say; Encourage sensemaking and high levels of trust and employee engagement. 3) creating and continually adapting, flexible yet effective structures (organization design, policies and procedures, communication mechanisms, etc. and 4) seeking out and enabling information and knowledge to flow and develop appropriately throughout our organizations. Somewhere along the way, some organizations really believed they could take short cuts without consequences. You can't seek the ends without paying attention to the means. You have to look both internally and externally as well as short and long term when assessing your environment and options. Here are some things that would put "culture" in the context of our businesses. 1) Make mission, vision, and values an organization wide conversation - "Here's what I think and how I fit into the picture." And, "This is what I see from where I sit." "This is what I am hearing out in the community...from my customers...from my patients, etc." 2) Encourage the organization's members to define the competencies they need to meet their goals, today and tomorrow. Facilitate "futuretalk" so that insight and foresight can be dynamically harvested in the strategic thinking of the organization. This engages enployees and customers such that energy and motivation drives the development of needed competencies, processes, and innovations. 3) Faciltate action learning as an arena to explore conflict resolution skill development, values and culture reinforcement, leadership development, problem solving and decision making. By successfully addressing "real probelms" in this way the organization also begins to form new 'structures' by means of informal relationships and networks. You are correct...Do the Right Thing. It is my sense that all of these voices are saying important things. One thing is for sure. My experience suggests that the corporate world is far from where it needs to be. Our challenge may be in how to really understand the competing values (see Robert Quinn, Univ. of Mich) underlying the very foundation of corporate life.

That being said, success depends upon simultaneously 1) acheiving defined goals in the context of the organization’s mission, vision and values, 2) maintaining the organizations culture in keeping with it’s values and dealing congruently with internal and external tensions -Say what you mean and do what you say; Encourage sensemaking and high levels of trust and employee engagement. 3) creating and continually adapting, flexible yet effective structures (organization design, policies and procedures, communication mechanisms, etc. and 4) seeking out and enabling information and knowledge to flow and develop appropriately throughout our organizations.

Somewhere along the way, some organizations really believed they could take short cuts without consequences. You can’t seek the ends without paying attention to the means. You have to look both internally and externally as well as short and long term when assessing your environment and options.

Here are some things that would put “culture” in the context of our businesses.

1) Make mission, vision, and values an organization wide conversation – “Here’s what I think and how I fit into the picture.” And, “This is what I see from where I sit.” “This is what I am hearing out in the community…from my customers…from my patients, etc.”

2) Encourage the organization’s members to define the competencies they need to meet their goals, today and tomorrow. Facilitate “futuretalk” so that insight and foresight can be dynamically harvested in the strategic thinking of the organization. This engages enployees and customers such that energy and motivation drives the development of needed competencies, processes, and innovations.

3) Faciltate action learning as an arena to explore conflict resolution skill development, values and culture reinforcement, leadership development, problem solving and decision making. By successfully addressing “real probelms” in this way the organization also begins to form new ‘structures’ by means of informal relationships and networks.

You are correct…Do the Right Thing.

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