Fundamentals: Culture NDMA Inc.: Culture
This page is an overview of the basic concepts of organizational culture, including how to change it quickly.
It includes links to frequently asked questions (FAQs) , more detailed explanations of each of these topics, as well as to NDMA resources that can help you implement a new organizational culture or fine-tune your current culture.
Definitions
Culture, "the way we work around here," may be broadly defined as the behavioral patterns (habits and conventions) generally adopted within the organization. It includes all the beliefs, values, attitudes, rituals, and behavior patterns that people in an organization share.
The Key to Changing Culture Quickly
Culture includes two things:
* Values, attitudes, feelings, beliefs.
* Behaviors, habits, practices.
Those who attempt to change culture by dictating values find themselves on a long, frustrating path. It's exceedingly difficult to teach people what to value or how to feel.
On the other hand, a behavioral approach is consistent with learning theory. Behaviors are tangible, and they're easy to teach, model, and measure.
Example, trust....
Example, entrepreneurship....
Scope of Culture
Cultural principles (behaviors) are crafted in any or all of the following themes:
Ethics (right versus wrong). Examples of Ethics principles....
Integrity (inspiring trust). Examples of Integrity principles....
Interpersonal Relations (how we work with others). Examples of Interpersonal Relations principles....
Meetings (scheduled business events). Examples of Meetings principles....
Cooperation (one organization). Examples of Cooperation principles....
Teamwork (project teams). Examples of Teamwork principles....
Empowerment (matching authority to accountability). Examples of Empowerment principles....
Customer Focus (how to treat customers). Examples of Customer Focus principles....
Entrepreneurship (remaining competitive). Examples of Entrepreneurship principles....
Contracts (making commitments). Examples of Contracts principles....
Quality (how we fulfill commitments). Examples of Quality principles....
Risk (who takes risks, how they're evaluated). Examples of Risk principles....
Feedback (measuring results, consequences). Examples of Feedback principles....
Database of cultural principles....
Overview of these themes....
Change Process
Through NDMA's Culture in Action process, dramatic cultural change is achieved in less than one year.
Cultural change begins with carefully crafted principles of behavior, written in such a way that everybody knows exactly what to do. The various principles can be grouped into sub-topics (chapters), and published in a document that is distributed throughout an organization.
Beyond "Best" Practices: Database of Ideal Practices
A database of "ideal practices" has been collected and fine tuned. It's the product of the collective wisdom of the many organizations that have been through the Culture in Action process in the past decade.
This database provides a comprehensive starting point for leaders who are developing their own unique set of principles. It's not intended as an "off the shelf" culture; rather, it helps leaders word their ideas clearly, and suggests topics they might want to consider a part of their own culture.
Roll-Out
Once they're clearly documented, cultural principles are "rolled out" through either training courses or a series of manager-led workshops.
Education is best done in small-group sessions in which people have time to ask questions and fully understand each principle. In these sessions, it helps to translate principles into local practices by discussing what people in the group must do differently. These sessions can also be used to gather people's feedback and update the principles accordingly.
Education must be reinforced by continued leadership modeling and mentoring, and by incorporating adoption of the new culture into people's performance appraisals.
Culture Resources
Organizational Culture: Frequently Asked Questions
Best practices database
"CULTURE IN ACTION" Rapid Change Process: straightforward process to rapidly change your corporate culture.
Publications
CULTURE: Fast Track to Changing Corporate Culture.
MEETINGS: Meyer's Rules of Order: how to hold highly productive business meetings.
Seminars
Change Your Culture Now!
What Exactly Is Customer Focus?
What Exactly Is Entrepreneurship?
What Exactly Is Empowerment?
Consulting
Cultural Principles Database: a database of behavioral principles that comprehensively describe a world-class organizational culture.
Contact us for a free one-hour telephone consultation on your unique challenges.
