Organizational Culture

Optimize Your Culture for Results

Has the competitive environment ever changed around you such that the old ways of thinking and acting are no longer sufficient, or even appropriate? Have you ever been part of an acquisition, or taken over in a turnaround situation, or after layoffs amidst and organization re-invention? Then you know you must attend to culture and take intentional steps to shift it.

Culture is a powerful driver of organizational results. Peter Drucker, the father of modern management science, famously said, “Culture eats strategy for lunch.” How people act, and the underlying beliefs they hold, drives execution.

While is can seem overwhelming or amorphous, leaders can intentionally and systematically foster the cultures in their organization. It need not be left to random chance, idiosyncratic personalities, or self-interested power dynamics. Whether you are seeking to facilitate a shift in current culture or creating it anew, LeadershipDNA has the expertise and experience that can help you accelerate transition to the required state.

Principles for Accelerating Culture Transition

  • Perform a rigorous assessment of current culture – that is both comprehensive (e.g. using online survey tools), and deep (via interviews).
  • Engage the Top Team to take personal responsibility and ownership for leading the culture change. It is imperative that they model the targeted new ways of working, and be held accountable for that.
  • Be transparent in cascading the culture assessment through the organization.
  • Be highly inclusive in engaging departments and intact teams in working with the required Beliefs and Actions. Empower them to own it; they know the changes that will help them do their work!
  • Allow freedom for experimentation and subcultures to express the Beliefs authentically.
  • Support respected Key Opinion Leaders who emerge as early adopters.
  • Communicate. A lot. Keep focus on the end results and case for change – not on the process, lest they get bogged down.
  • Create metrics and measure progress. Celebrate early wins
  • Coach key leaders who may not have mastered the skills of leading culture change.

Creative

LeadershipDNA’s guidance was key for our senior leaders to understand their roles and key skills required to embody as well as successfully lead a significant shift in culture to continue winning in a dramatically changed market environment.  Drew is creative in ways that enable leaders to get outside their comfort zones in a safe and secure way, which was essential to achieve the level of authentic communication needed to honestly diagnose and intentionally shift our culture.

Val Harding

VP Pharmaceutical Sciences, Pfizer

How Can We Help You?

Schedule a free consultation with Drew to discuss your leadership opportunities