Multi-focal Views of Organisational Culture

 

Organisational Culture – Part 2

Gaze Awareness

In sociology, critical theory, and psychoanalysis, ‘the gaze‘ refers to the awareness and perception an individual or group has of other individuals, other groups or themselves.

In literary criticism, for example, the gaze of the writer and the gaze of the reader are often the subject of comment. We recognise that different points of view offer qualitatively different perspectives on what is happening in a storyline and what it means.

In postmodernist and post-structuralist terms, truth is relative and depends on the filters and perceptions of the perceiver. Postmodernism is highly sceptical of explanations that claim to be valid for all groups, cultures, traditions, or races, and instead focuses on the relative truth of each person. Post-structuralism seeks to go beyond the structuralism of theories that imply a rigid inner logic to relationships that describe any aspect of social reality. In governance terms, the view from the boardroom is only one of a number of valid views.

Organisational culture lenses

Similar observations can be made about the various lenses brought to bear on ‘organisational culture’ and ‘organisational behaviour’. (I tend to use these terms interchangeably, reflecting an underlying belief that “by their deeds you will know them”). Depending on the context, and the skills, knowledge, and worldviews of the players, an entirely different analysis of an organisation’s culture will be generated.

Leaving aside, for now, the differences which result from the personalities, sectors, and roles involved, and restricting our gaze to the formal dimensions in which cultural analysis is conducted, I found an article by iEduNote on the 6 contributing disciplines to the organisational behaviour field offered useful insights.

As illustrated in the animated header image, they identify the following disciplines as the key lenses of analysis:

• Psychology – the study of mind and behaviour, including the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena
• Anthropology – the study of the relationships between human beings and their environment
• Sociology – the study of social systems, their interactions, and the processes that preserve and change them
• Social Psychology – the study of social interactions and cognition, including their origins and their effects on the individual
• Political Science – the study of the behaviour of individuals and groups within a political environment
• Economics – the study of the satisfaction of needs and wants through the allocation of scarce resources which have alternative uses.

The governance lens has been added to these six disciplines, to acknowledge the board’s obligation to address both the performance and conformance aspects of the organisation’s operations.

Avoiding ‘narrow’ gaze

Each of these seven lenses offers valuable perspectives which can help directors and managers to better understand what is happening within their organisational culture and why.

No one of these disciplines alone will necessarily identify measures that can assist with cultural improvements – or reformation in some cases – required for your organisation. In various combinations, however, they may reduce the risk of too narrow a gaze, leading to either superficial measures which fail to address deeper or enduring issues, or the adoption of measures that misfire entirely.

Transdisciplinary cultural review

In research, the distinction between multi-disciplinary and transdisciplinary studies is understood. As illustrated in the chart below, multi-disciplinary studies involve faculty members from different disciplines working independently on a common problem or research question. Transdisciplinary studies actively involve researchers from multiple disciplines, often also including stakeholders, in a shared process of defining and solving problems.

Sharing the process of defining the cultural problem (accommodating relational gaze), and then jointly setting about solving it offers a much greater likelihood of delivering the shifts in assumptions and beliefs which will address poor or under-performing behaviour for your organisation.

Defining and solving the cultural problem in the boardroom without engaging stakeholders is pretty much guaranteed to fail. The key exception to that would perhaps be where the problem in question relates to the relationships between (and behaviour of) the directors themselves.

https://tinyurl.com/4teewpx8

Working ‘on’ or ‘in’ your organisational culture

 

Organisational Culture – Part 1

When we read about an association’s or charity’s culture in the media, all too often it is not a ‘good news’ story.

They don’t generally give out Walkley or Pulitzer awards to journalists for stories about innovative, caring, or ethical cultures. The news focus, therefore, skews towards corrupt, risky, toxic, or greedy cultures, and the directors and managers on whose watch that culture was created or allowed.

‘Organisational culture’ is an ephemeral concept. It means different things to different people, but also different things to any one of us depending on the circumstances.

We will have a different view about it as a ‘new hire’ than we have after years of service. We will also hold different perspectives within the same organisation depending on our role or ‘position’ within the organisation.

Working ‘on’ your culture

For some, culture is like the weather. It exists independently of anything we say or do, and we operate as best we can within it, whether it is ‘stormy’ or ‘fine’. Directors and managers however are held accountable for the effects of culture, especially if something goes wrong or someone gets hurt. It is therefore preferable that they work together to deliberately nurture their best possible organisational culture.

Both internal and external stakeholders know that what we pay attention to is what we care about. That is the true expression of our values – not what we say in glossy publications or online. Paying the right kind of attention to the right things is the key.

When reflecting on how to work on your ‘organisational culture’ (not just in it), it will be helpful first to ‘map the territory’ by coming to a shared view on your present culture compared with your desired one, and how this analysis relates to your organisation’s effectiveness. Understanding the elements, characteristics, and dimensions of your NFP culture is merely a first step in the process of exerting a positive influence.

Defining organisational culture

‘Organisational culture’ is commonly defined as the set of underlying values, beliefs, assumptions, and ways of acting and interacting which create the unique social and psychological environment of an organisation (Source: GothamCulture).

Daniel Coyle, the author of The Culture Code, offers another version:

“Culture is a set of living relationships working towards a shared goal. it is not something you are, it’s something you do.”

Elements of Culture

Johnson and Scholes devised the cultural web model (included in the header image above) to outline the complex interaction of the major dimensions through which culture is expressed. In their model, those cultural elements which interact to create a paradigm, or prevailing climate, are:

• Stories
• Symbols
• Power structures
• Organisational structures
• Control systems, and
• Rituals and routines

The values, beliefs, and assumptions of the individuals and groups within the organisation, and their behaviour, are not highlighted in this model, but rather implied.

Cultural orientations

The cultural ‘climate’ can also be modified by shifting the emphasis placed on certain attitudes, or orientations, as suggested in the work of O’Reilly et al, and Hofstede et al. These shifts will be designed to promote certain behaviours and sanction others.

The key domains in which the attitudes of the board and management can affect the culture of an organisation (set the tone) have been identified as follows:

• Innovation (Risk Orientation).
• Attention to Detail (Precision Orientation).
• Emphasis on Outcome (Achievement Orientation).
• Emphasis on People (Fairness Orientation).
• Teamwork (Collaboration Orientation).
• Aggressiveness (Competitive Orientation).
• Stability (Rule Orientation).

These orientations are based on factors explored in:

O’Reilly, C., & Chatman, J., & Caldwell, D. (1991). People and Organizational Culture: A Profile Comparison Approach to Assessing Person-Organization Fit. Academy of Management Journal. 34. 487-516, and

Chatman, J., & Jehn, K., Assessing the Relationship between Industry Characteristics and Organizational Culture: How Different Can You Be? The Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 37, No. 3 (Jun., 1994), pp. 522-553

Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions, offer an alternative set of focal areas in which directors and managers can set the orgaisational ‘tone’. In their model, calibration can be achieved within a spectrum of possibilities for each of the featured domains.

• Power distance
• Collectivism Vs Individualism
• Uncertainty Avoidance
• Femininity Vs Masculinity
• Short-term Vs Long-term
• Restraint Vs Indulgence

These two sets of orientations provide the other two faces of the Organisational Culture Cube in the header image above.

Model mashups

The header image juxtaposes three organisational culture models related to the elements and dimensions of culture, each of which refers to somewhat different cultural factors or orientations.

Traditional cube charts seek to suggest specific relationships ‘inside the cube’ between each of the factors or variables identified on the three outer faces. In the case of the cube in the header image, and the two below, the implied relationships between factors and variables are not so much a matter of locating points of intersection between three specific criteria or factors (one from each set). Instead, the ‘mashups‘ offer potential catalysts for reflection on how quite different perspectives might need to be accommodated when seeking to improve culture via governance and management measures.

The three model mashups selected here involve just nine of the many cultural models and frameworks that have been devised over the years to help practitioners and academics better understand organisational culture, and to engage with it more constructively. As a thought experiment that seeks further insights for your organisation, you could try juxtaposing these nine models in different combinations, or in combination with other models you are familiar with.

The organisational culture series

This introductory post is the first in a series on organisational culture (and behaviour), which is a vast and complex field. Future posts will include reflections on:

• the various lenses through which culture may be viewed
• some of the metaphors (in addition to ‘the weather’) we use to characterise organisational cultures, and
• some insights offered by ‘anthropo-morphising’ the organisation.

See also:

Multi-focal Views of Organisational Culture

Choosing an organisational metaphor? Choose wisely!

Organisational mindfulness

Golden means or ends?

What? So What? and Now What? – your reflective practice guide

Hofstede, G., Hofstede, GJ., and Minkov, M., Cultures and Organisations: Software of the Mind, McGraw Hill, 2010

Coyle, D., The Culture Code: The secrets of highly successful groups, Cornerstone Digital, 2018

https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-education/program/Robbins-Organizational-Behavior-Plus-2019-My-Lab-Management-with-Pearson-e-Text-Access-Card-Package-18th-Edition/PGM2703216.html

https://www.pearson.com/uk/educators/higher-education-educators/program/Mullins-Organisational-Behaviour-in-the-Workplace-12th-Edition/PGM2586147.html

https://tinyurl.com/yck3b8eu

Culture Eats Strategy for Breakfast

 

Deloitte found that 95% feel culture is more important than money.

"Culture eats strategy for breakfast."

As Peter Drucker famously said.

Today we are going to better understand this through:

‘The 8 Pillars of a Positive Culture.' 

Let’s deep dive into how to do this!

1. Respect

   • Engage in active listening to show each voice matters

   • Create an inclusive environment for sharing ideas

2. Support

   • Help colleagues with tasks and provide guidance when needed

   • Invest in team members' career development

3. Recognition

   • Regularly acknowledge both large and small team successes

   • Make recognition meaningful by personalizing it to individual contributions

4. Unity

   • Conduct team-building activities to strengthen camaraderie

   • Establish goals that require collective effort to underscore collaboration

5. Empowerment

   • Trust team members with meaningful autonomy in their roles

   • Motivate individuals to lead projects, fostering accountability

6. Communication

   • Maintain openness in sharing key information with the team

   • Solicit and incorporate feedback to improve team dynamics

7. Work-Life Harmony

   • Adapt work schedules to support personal life balance

   • Encourage use of breaks and vacation time for well-being

8. Trust

   1. Build trust through reliable and consistent behavior

   2. Foster a safe space for honest conversations and vulnerability

Trust

One of my managers hesitated to delegate critical tasks, fearing the work wouldn't meet their high standards.

I recognized they did not trust their team.

I began by assigning a small, yet significant task to the manager, ensuring I provided clear expectations and the context for its importance.

I made myself available for guidance but resisted the urge to micromanage, demonstrating my trust in their capabilities.

The manager delivered excellent results, bolstered by the autonomy they were given.

This success led to an increase in their confidence and a willingness to delegate more of their responsibilities as they saw how I did it.

To solidify this trust, I made sure to publicly acknowledge their work, tying it back to the significant impact it had on the project's success.

This manager did likewise and became one of my most productive and trusting managers.

Here's how you can make it real over the next 4 days:

Day 1: Choose Your Pillar

• Write down a pillar you want to work on most.

• Describe why you chose this specific pillar and what you believe it will bring to your workplace.

• Reflecting on its importance will help you commit to the challenge.

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Draft a reflective journal entry on why I've chosen [Pillar Name] as my focus for improving workplace culture, and what positive outcomes I expect to see from strengthening this aspect.”

Day 2: Small Actions

• Identify a small action related to your chosen pillar that you can take today.

• For example, if you're focusing on 'Communication', make an effort to clearly articulate your ideas in a meeting or ask a colleague for their input on a project

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Suggest a list of small, actionable steps I can take today to demonstrate [Pillar Name] in my workplace, that are easy to implement but can have a meaningful impact."

Day 3: Feedback

• Seek feedback on the action you took on Day 2.

• This could involve asking a colleague how they felt about your communication in the meeting or your gesture of support or recognition.

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Guide me in creating a feedback request template that I can use to ask my colleagues for their honest opinion on the action I took yesterday to embody [Pillar Name]."

Day 4: Reflection and Planning

• Reflect on the feedback received and plan a slightly more challenging action for the upcoming week.

• If the feedback was positive, consider how you can build upon that action.

• If it highlighted areas for improvement, adjust accordingly.

  • ChatGPT Prompt to Help: "Assist me in analyzing the feedback I received and help me plan a more challenging action related to [Pillar Name] for next week that builds upon what I've already accomplished."

Remember, the goal is to take small, consistent steps.

Change doesn't happen overnight.

But daily attention to these pillars can lead to a significant impact over time!

Imagine a workplace where each of these 8 pillars stands strong.

Supporting a culture of growth, understanding, and success.

It starts with you.

With one choice, one action, one moment of trust.

Until next week and with lots of love,

Justin

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