Culture is one of those soft and fuzzy concepts we use casually to describe our workplace and our community. Most of us would agree that it is an important parameter to consider while choosing where we work. Even though we can tell 'good' cultures from bad ones, it can sometimes get tricky to point our fingers at what culture exactly is. So today we deep dive into some simple ways through which we can understand our team's / organisation's cultural orientation. We will then look at what to do about it and how to tangibly improve how we operate and perform in a given cultural setting.
What is culture really?
You can find more than 150 definitions of culture from across the scientific community but the consensus is towards the idea that culture refers to the taken-for-granted values, underlying assumptions, expectations and definitions that characterise organisations and their members. It is basically 'how things are around here'. You might have even seen a chart like this:
The most fundamental level consists of implicit assumptions that define the human condition and its interaction with the environment. From these assumptions emerge contracts and norms - these are rules and procedures that form the basis for policies in organisations. Artifacts are the observable components like the buildings, design of the offices, logos and mission statements. Finally, the most obvious manifestation of culture is the explicit behaviours of its members - how people interact, how invested they are at work, how much innovation is encouraged etc. I find it useful to think of culture as the personality of an organisation. Just as our personalities are filters of our perception, cognition and motivation influencing our actions, cultures are the equivalent characteristic for organisations.
What culture am I in?
Research has identified two major dimensions of organisational effectiveness that segment cultures into four main clusters. One dimension being flexibility vs controlling behaviour and the other internal focus vs external orientation. Together these two dimensions form four quadrants / types of cultures as illustrated:
Competing values framework:
The 'control' culture - This is characterised by emphasis on rules, specialisation, meritocracy, hierarchy, separate ownership and accountability. Clear lines of authority and standardised procedures are valued as keys to success in this type of culture. Think of large government agencies.
The 'compete' culture - This type of organisation is oriented towards the external environment. It is focused on transactions with the external stakeholders like suppliers, customers, contractors etc. Emphasis on winning is what that holds the organisation together. Like GE in its golden days.
The 'collaborate' culture - Shared values and goals, cohesion, individuality and team orientation are the key characteristics here. A good example would be Pixar, the Pixar University crest even bears the inscription, Alienus Non Diutius - Alone no longer.
The 'create' culture - This culture fosters adaptability, flexibility, creativity under uncertainty and there is usually significant ambiguity / information overload. Commitment to experimentation and innovation is what holds the organisation together. Pretty much every product company these days.
This might have already given you an idea about which quadrant you team / company predominantly falls into but you can check out this free tool to accurately identify the extent to which each of these four characteristics are present in your current environment. Also you might wonder how all the different kinds of cultures in the world neatly fit into 4 categories and that’s a valid point. Various other models exist but this is one of the best tools that can be used to quickly get a high level understanding of a particular culture.
What should I do with this information?
Though organisations may have different subcultures across different functions, it is found that most organisations develop one of the 4 dominant culture styles. Those that do not have this dominant style tend to either be unclear about their culture or might try to incorporate elements of all four types equally. What is interesting is that the most effective managers - the ones who are rated as successful by their peers / superiors - are found to demonstrate a matching leadership style. In other words, there is a congruence between culture and competencies. Identifying the dominant culture and sub-culture of your team can help you identify what competencies you need to be paying attention to. Having said that, it is also found that the most successful managers tend to demonstrate capabilities that allow them to succeed in each of the four quadrants. The figure below is a handy summary you can use to understand the value drivers and effectiveness metrics that you need to demonstrate and monitor.
Now that you have identified the competencies, it is a good idea to break them down to behaviours and further break them down to say, daily activities. Look for when managers and peers demonstrate these behaviours and how that translates into output. This is not to try to force-fit yourself any of these segments. This is more of a reminder to notice your strengths and learn the cultures they would be best suited for so that you can course correct accordingly. Culture change or any kind of change is slow, boring and ultimately tied to individual change. Strategies and procedures might seem to be more important at the surface but numerous studies have consistently shown otherwise. Merely altering the strategy has only a short term effect if values, orientations and goals stay constant.