People Centred Learning

Corporate Culture

There is a lot of information about Corporate Culture: most of it produced by academics. It all makes sense and yet very often it does not help leaders of organisations all that much.

This is because a corporate culture tracking assessment is required to understand what you have and what you want. Senior management is always responsible for the culture of the organisation – there can be no doubt about that! But they need to know how to identify what they have and what they want.

Culture is the visible face of invisible forces. It shows itself in customer care, sales effort, collaborative events, spontaneous innovations or the lack of them.

Define the Culture You Want

Culture is a label that defines a system. Systems themselves are neither bad nor good - they just are. There are many examples of systems that range from engineering and technology to families and teams.

However, a stagnant pond is also a system, weather patterns are systems. The fact is every organisation is a system – or has a culture. The question is, is it the one you want?

Because organisational culture is made up of so many unconscious patterns which include the collective layers of people's attitudes, expectations and desires, it needs defining. A corporate culture tracking system is required so you know what you want, you know how to measure the current reality gap and take steps to close that gap.

Measure for Attitude

What, for instance, creates attitudes? Attitudes are the interface of personal beliefs emotions and desires coming up against company reality. This is where the rubber meets the road. Those attitudes inform expectations that shape internal social alliances and drive behaviours. Behaviour is where we are judged by our customers, prospects and competitors.

Vision shapes Culture

How do people relate to the company vision?

Are they bought in? Do top managers consistently sell the vision inwardly? Do they care? Does the organisation show through its actions, its rewards and punishment that vision matters?

Does the individual feel their job matters, not just to them or their team but also to the realisation of the Vision? "Am I a bricklayer or am inextricably involved in building Chartres Cathedral. Do I clean the bathroom or am I part of the effort that is getting a man on the moon?"

Are values exhibited just in the chairman's statement and on the walls? Or can we see them, touch them as every day behaviour.

For more information on Corporate Culture Tracking Assessment works contact Chrissie O'Neal on:-

(+44)1372 468 695
marino@pcl-uk.com

PCL 7 Step Approach

• Understand and identify the culture the organisation wants right now for today's challenges
• Measure Current Reality
  interview people across the organisation as well as:-
  • attending internal meetings
  • taking lunch in the office
  • smoke in the smoking room
  • coffee in the coffee room
  • asking customers and clients for their perception
  • interviewing people who are leaving
• Provide gap analysis on current reality vs. desired culture
• Test for senior management commitment
  • New Mind Sets
  • New Beliefs
  • Sell the Message
  • Be the Message
  • Changes to the Rules
  • Changes in Behaviour
  • Changes to processes, structures, rewards and punishment
  • Test for employee flexibility
• Identify the key individuals who can and will champion the emerging culture and make them part of the process
• Implement Change process
• Check, measure and re-measure

If you would like to know more about how PCL work and how Corporate Culture Tracking Assessment works contact Chrissie O'Neal on:-

(+44)1372 468 695
marino@pcl-uk.com