Culture has long been a favorite corporate buzzword — along with “agile,” “diversity,” “customer-centric,” among other favorites.
But these terms, over time, become so overused that we almost forget what they mean and how they impact us. They become boxes to check, instead of actual values to strive towards.
Culture is a composite of so many things: Leadership, Behaviors, Processes, Org Structures, Technology, KPIs — it’s truly the DNA of the organization.
And yet, culture is so often sidelined, brushed under the rug, written off as “fluffy.”
The problem starts with the fact that organizations make “diversity” and “culture” separate functions of the company, by designating titles and roles for them. In reality, it’s not like: “Alright, this person will handle diversity and culture for us.”
To actually get a return on these initiatives, every employee needs to be the diversity consultant, the culture change consultant — not just the ‘diversity leader.’ Each team, function, process, and tool needs to be aligned, for diversity and culture to progress.
The Path to Culture Change: Data and Analytics
We all know that culture is important. Culture is the reason a couple of years ago, Uber’s CEO came under fire and was forced to resign for propagating sentiments of male chauvinism and disrespect, in the midst of the #MeToo movement. It is the reason Starbucks had to close its stores and remind and retrain its entire staff on what “diversity and inclusion” actually means.
Yet, there are very few “culture change” initiatives that fully succeed in their goals of transforming culture.
Perhaps we need to start by actually quantifying the problem. If we can’t measure something, we can’t assess its importance or identify when there is an improvement. So how do we actually put numbers to culture and behavioral change? To mindset change?
Another popular buzzword: Analytics. 🙂
At CultureStrategy, we help clients answer questions like:
1. Which brand perceptions are most predictive of business value drivers at your organization?
2. What are the mindset and behavior changes that need to happen over time to stay competitive?
3. How to predict a potential culture risk before it results in a full-blown PR crisis?
4. What are the most effective training strategies for changing behaviors at your organization, and how do they differ by team/business unit?
5. What is the ROI of building a culture of innovation on x team?
and many more.
Of course, we cannot measure everything in the world, as much as we’d like to. There will always be some aspects of culture that are simply “felt,” and these qualitative aspects should not, by any means, be dismissed. To quote Leonardo DaVinci: “Learn how to see.”
Learn about our unique assessment and methodology, which sets us apart from other organizational change management firms by helping organizations understand and quantify the full value of change efforts.
Get in touch with us for a free 30 minute workshop!
