In another career (as you know I’ve had a few) I joined a large, brand named, organization as a senior leader of a newly forming division. The concept, while not new, was different from the core business. When I interviewed for the job, my future boss gave me the challenge, “You‘ll be in charge of creating the culture of this group.” I accepted not knowing exactly what that meant or how I was going to do it. I knew many groups evolved into what they became, somewhat haphazardly, with only a select few working from a defined vision. I also knew we had to be the latter because 598 of the 600 people who worked for me were not in Headquarters but working at 60+ locations and haphazard could easily turn into chaos.
With hindsight, I share with you the essentials of how we became a unified, cohesive company culture and how it was reflected in every person who ultimately helped form this new group.
The basics of organization team culture:
Why are we here?: The easy answer would be “to make money” but in this case it was not that simple or the only goal. Surely, we had to be profitable; however, we also were the first venture into a more public image and a test lab for the product. People were watching us, some imitating us, others hoping for our demise. It was essential that what we said, looked like, how we sounded, and how the customer experienced us was consistent and accurate in all ways. My ultimate test would be to randomly ask multiple levels of the staff “why are we here” and get a similar customer-focused response.
Shared Language: “You purse your lips; you carry a handbag” was one of hundreds of slogans that we had to make sure whether you bought the tote in Southern California or Boston, we all were using the same terminology. You hear it in many places. Starbucks calls its customer “guests,” Costco has “members,” lawyers say “clients,” and doctors say, “patients.” However you refer to the people you serve (and we all serve someone), it is essential to a foundation of culture that you see and refer to them in a consistent way. Language forms and alters an organization’s team culture.
How do we communicate?: The choices are greater than ever. A colleague swore that “good news comes in person, bad in an e-mail” and there’s probably some truth to that. I’ve coached in organizations where people e-mail the person at the next desk, others where it is acceptable to yell from cubicle to cubicle, or where most meetings happen over some form of video conferencing. In their own way, each of these works; however, have they chosen the ideal for the circumstances and the message, or stumbled upon it? The strongest teams I know have a culture of contact — ideally face-to-face or screen to screen. They also communicate briefly and often with a sense of decorum, no matter the message.
Included in the communication area is what type and in what time frame are responses expected. I personally find the one word reply rather harsh but am also irritated by the back and forth of a thread that offers nothing but thanks or agreement. Turnaround time says something about urgency and respect for those waiting. In some instances, it needs to be immediately but in others, a month might be reasonable. Without some form of stated guidelines, people delay and wait, or worse, never respond, damaging the core communication of the group.
Role of Hierarchy: As in families, someone is ultimately in charge and has the final say. The question is how much input do the kids actually have? Company team culture often says everyone has a voice but in reality is that true or even desirable? The ultimate example of respecting the views of everyone is Toyota’s philosophy that those closest to the action know the most the soonest. This is why anyone on the line can stop production when they see a problem. Read about recent GM issues and you know hierarchy and censored communication were at the root of their long-term, multi-level cover-up.
Respect or fear of rank can determine if people feel they have permission to voice their opinions or if what they have to say falls on deaf ears. I have a number of executive coaching clients who refer to co-workers by title rather than name. For me, this is very telling and scary. It’s as if position was more important than the person and the person’s credibility was based on rank rather than insights or experience. This is treacherous territory and dehumanizing.
How/if gratitude is expressed: “We promoted you and gave you a raise, what more do you want?” is the answer often given to top performers looking for thanks and feedback. It’s a culture of reward, which is important. What’s missing is gratitude. The money is appreciated but is quickly taken for granted. People hold on to expressions of appreciation longer. As silly as some of the certificates and awards may seem, it does formalize the thought, “You really did well, and we are grateful.” Successful team cultures have multiple ways of saying thank you.
A team culture that understands who they are and aspires to be, communicates often and in a way that is appropriate and effective, expresses gratitude and applies hierarchy in a way that fosters leading and not dictators, is one to be admired and emulated. Executive coaching helps individuals and teams at all levels make this happen.
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