Company culture is one of my favorite topics. We spend a lot of time at work, I think we should enjoy what we do and who we do it with. There is no greater satisfaction than working for an organization that you love being a part of. Too often, though, leaders leave culture to chance, especially if it’s going well. This is when corporate culture is most at risk.
The company culture needs a leadership mindset, from all
Culture can always improve. How can we foster a flourishing culture? Trying some experiments.
Corporate Culture Experiment #1: Give time to projects you’re passionate about.
Everyone from Dan Pink to Steven Kotler has cited research showing the importance of autonomy in people’s work. Autonomy, coupled with the encouragement to spend a few hours per week on a passion project in the service of the organization, will spark new ideas and increase commitment. Have you tried this already?
Corporate Culture Experiment #2: Encourage Research Outings.
A crucial component of creativity is being exposed to novel situations. When we visit other workplaces, industries or places, the new materials activate the association machine in our brain, creating new connections and generating new ideas. What if you tasked your executive team with organizing a field trip to another workplace in a new industry and followed it up with a briefing over drinks? There may be some amazing ideas that stem from it. At the very least, you’ll be fostering a leadership mindset of always looking for ideas and improvements.
Delegate leadership responsibilities to drive the leadership journey of others
Corporate Culture Experiment #3: Create a Culture Team
The cultural team can be invited from the entire organization, at all levels. Their mandate may include monitoring the implementation of the Cultural Compass, seeking suggestions for peer recognition, organizing celebrations, facilitating people’s concerns about cultural issues. People live up to expectations as long as they live up to them. By inviting people who don’t normally have leadership delegations to be responsible for managing the culture, encourage others to step up and see the workplace with fresh eyes.
How could you include experiments in your leadership development framework?
***
Related Posts:
- 7 Ways to Avoid Devastating Corporate Culture Failures
- How to build a better team with Culture Compass
- The #1 mistake in handling cultural issues
***
About the author, leadership expert Zoë Routh:
Zoë Routh is one of Australia’s leading experts on things related to people: the things that get in our way of producing results and the things that enlighten us. She works with growers, fabricators, and builders to make things fun and practical.
Zoë is the author of four books: Composure: How Focused Leaders Have the Biggest Impact, Moments: Leadership When It Matters Most, Loyalty: Stop the Churn of Unwanted Stuff, Increase Engagement, and Develop Lifelong Advocates, and People Stuff: More Beyond Personalities: An Advanced Guide. handbook for leadership. People Stuff was awarded Book of the Year 2020 by the Smart WFM Australian Business Book Awards.
Zoë is also the producer of The Zoë Routh Leadership Podcast.
http://www.zoeruth.com
