What Difference Do You Make to Your Culture?
How might you describe the organizational cultures you’ve worked in? For me, I’ve worked in independent-detached cultures, toxic-politics cultures, unhealthy-anxiety cultures, and high-trust cultures. The one constant across all of these is that the organization’s culture—the way people think, behave, and interact—has influenced my own thinking, behavior, and interactions.
You’ve probably experienced something similar. It’s how we know that organizational culture matters and makes a profound difference. The predominant culture usually has a major impact on how we feel and how we work.
I thought about this as the stories of Uber and SoFi have hit my newsfeed recently, reminding me that culture drives brand, quality, and employee engagement. Culture is also trending in consulting white papers. There was even a culture summit in San Francisco last month.
One of the great recent examples of culture’s impact is the culture change at Microsoft. Under the leadership of Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, the culture was rigid, political, and harsh. Satya Nadella has dramatically changed that in his two-and-a-half years as CEO. How?
“The key to the culture change was individual empowerment,” he’s said. “We sometimes underestimate what we each can do to make things happen, and overestimate what others need to do for us.”
His point is simple: Culture doesn’t have to be something that happens to us. We can play an active part in what we want it to be.
And that prompts a provocative self-reflection. Are you:
- Culture-compliant? Do you passively absorb the culture? Do you just go with the flow? Maybe you think, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do.”
At one company where I worked, people would proudly declare that we were a “work hard, play hard” culture. Everyone was always on, and people would work late into the night and on weekends. Then, during company events, people would drink lots of alcohol to have fun and unwind. I worked hard and played hard, too, because I didn’t think I had a choice. - Culture-committed? Do you carry the torch for your culture? Perhaps you’re the first one to tell people about your culture and the last one to leave company events.
My wife recently started a new job at a wonderful company. They invest in their people, take a stand for integrity, and foster a fun workplace. Whenever Kari tells people about her new job, the first thing she talks about is the culture. Recently, she drove over an hour on a Saturday to participate in the Rugged Maniac race with her new colleagues because she is committed to living the culture. - Culture-creating? Do you envision what’s possible and lead the culture? Do you realize that the key to culture change is “individual empowerment,” as Nadella suggests.
One culture-creator in our company right now is Megan, whose responsibilities include project management and customer billing. One of her personally documented performance goals last year was to “Drive a Joyful Culture.” She volunteered to facilitate our bi-weekly, all-company meetings this past year and has turned them into the highlight of the week for many people. The meeting blends business with personal and creates a space where people authentically connect. She’s also organized charitable service work and team events, and she often includes inspirational comments along with standard financial email messages.
There are reasons and seasons to be compliant, to be committed, and to be creating. What’s your current reason and season? Too busy? Too new? Too young? Too low-ranking? Too tired? Too jaded? Too skeptical?
Organizational culture really matters, and it’s too important for us to sit back and take a passive role.
How active will you be in creating your future?
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