I have been working with organizations for decades and have observed that culture always starts at the top. There can be numerous factors that go into building a great culture. The one with the greatest impact is sitting in the corner office.

Here is a real story about culture

I was sitting in the office of a CEO.  He was telling me about the problems in his organization.  The manufacturing people could not get along with the sales group. The maintenance people were always at war with the designers. The engineers thought the quality people were nuts.  The entire organization was in constant conflict due to these problems.  He wanted to know if I could come in and “fix” the culture to be one of higher trust.

I looked at him and said, “have you considered your part in creating these problems?” He said, “Oh no, there is nothing wrong with the culture of the senior team. It is the groups below that need to be fixed.”  After a few seconds of consideration, I simply stated, “then I don’t think I can help you.”  I got up and left his office and the building. 

Poor culture is a common disease

I noticed that many leaders have a tendency to think this way.  They see all the problems below them in the organization. They do not realize that it is their policies and actions that are creating most of the friction. Here is a link to a brief video I made. The title, The Role of Leaders in Creating Trust illustrates my point.

The culture cure is simple but elusive

Work to convince the senior leader that he or she is at least part of the problem.  If the culture is not what the senior person wants, the cure is staring you in the face.  You just need to convince him or her to try a different style and see if things improve.

To soften the blow, do not have the mindset that you must totally fix the senior person to be successful.  Instead, focus on helping the entire organization function better.

Lower the fear

The usual cause of organizational problems has a root in lack of psychological safety.  Educate the leader on what the words mean and how by changing his or her behavior the culture can be changed rather quickly. 

Conclusion

My work will never end. There are so many leaders who cannot see the link between their behaviors and their problems.  By teaching the leader how to change his or her behaviors, you can have a direct impact on the culture.

Bob Whipple, MBA, CPTD, is a consultant, trainer, speaker, and author in the areas of leadership and trust.  He is the author of: The Trust Factor: Advanced Leadership for Professionals, Understanding E-Body Language: Building Trust Online, and Leading with Trust is Like Sailing Downwind.  Bob has many years as a senior executive with a Fortune 500 Company and with non-profit organizations.

In any organization, leaders create the culture. Apathetic people exist in every organization.  One can fault workers who trap themselves in a state of despair.  Managers typically describe these people as having “bad attitudes.” The culture created by leaders is often the root cause of the problem.

Place these individuals in a culture of trust, respect, and challenge. You will see many of them quickly rise up to become happy and productive workers. It is essential that each individual in the workforce find real meaning in the organizational culture. Culture is determined by numerous actions and concepts, but it starts with the values and vision of the leader.

The culture of an organization is not easy to define.  Most of the leadership textbooks I have read describe the culture in terms of physical attributes that characterize an organization. For example, here is a typical list of the things purported to make up a company culture.

• Physical structure
• Language and symbols
• Rituals, ceremonies, gossip, and jokes
• Stories, legends, and heroes
• Beliefs
• Values and norms
• Assumptions

The above list is a montage of the lists in many textbooks. When you think about it, these items do go a long way toward defining the culture of an organization. Unfortunately, I believe these items fall short because they fail to include the emotions of the people. After all, organizations are made up of people, at all levels, interacting in a social structure for a purpose.  Let us extend the list of things that make up the culture of an organization.

• Is there a high level of trust within the organization?
• To what extent do people have the opportunity to grow in this organization?
• Do people feel safe and secure, or are they basically fearful?
• Is the company financially stable?
• How do people treat each other on their own level and on higher or lower levels?
• Is there mutual respect between management and workers?
• Is the culture inclusive or exclusive?
• Do people generally feel like winners or losers at work?
• Is the culture one of reinforcement or punishment?
• Are managers viewed as enablers or barriers?
• Are people trying to get into the organization or trying to get out?
• What is the level of satisfaction for people in this organization?
• Can people “speak their truth” without fear of reprisal?
• Do people follow the rules or find ways to avoid following them?
• Do people receive a living wage?

How can leaders build the right culture where people have a sense of purpose and meaning in their work?  Here are eight approaches that are used by successful leaders.

1. Have high ethical and moral standards. Operate from a set of values, and make sure people know why those values are important.
2. Operate with high Emotional Intelligence. The ability to work well with people is critical.
3. Build trust. Trust is the glue that holds people together in a framework of positive purpose. Without trust, we are just playing games with each other, hoping to get through the day unscathed.
4. Create a positive vision of the future. Vision is critical because without it people see no sense of direction for their work. Create a common goal that is exciting.
5. Lead change well. Change processes are in play in every organization daily, yet most leaders struggle with change processes.
6. Build High Performing Teams. Enhance a sense of purpose where there is a kind of peer cohesion brought on by good teamwork.
7. Build morale the right way. Motivation is derived by treating people with respect and giving them a clear vision and autonomy. Avoid trying to motivate people by adding hygiene factors, like picnics, bonuses, or hat days.
8. Reinforce good behaviors.

Most of the above concepts sound like common sense; unfortunately, they are not common practice in many groups. This void contributes to much of the apathy in organizations. To have people rise to their level of potential, you need a strong culture. To accomplish that, focus on the above concepts, and see a remarkable transformation in your organization. Become a student of these skills, and teach them to other leaders. Learn how to personify the concepts listed above to rise to the level of great leadership.

Bob Whipple, MBA, CPTD, is a consultant, trainer, speaker, and author in the areas of leadership and trust.  He is the author of: The Trust Factor: Advanced Leadership for Professionals, Understanding E-Body Language: Building Trust Online, and Leading with Trust is Like Sailing Downwind.  Bob has many years as a senior executive with a Fortune 500 Company and with non-profit organizations

When organizations merge or there is an acquisition, the ability to create one new culture is paramount. This aspect is most often the stumbling block that prevents the merged unit from being successful. 

Managers often assume this will happen naturally over time, They give this aspect little attention when planning the merger. WRONG!

Achieving a stable culture where people are supportive is the most significant challenge for most change efforts. Do not assume things will work out; instead, take a highly proactive approach to defining a new culture.

Merger of equals?

In most cases, one group will feel they have been “taken over” by the other.  Curiously, in many instances, both groups feel like they have been taken over. Employees in each former group need to modify their procedures to accomplish the union.  Usually, one of the parties is assumed to be in the driver’s seat. It is the other party that needs to endure the bulk of changing systems.

Why the Resistance?

Lack of trust and genuine animosity lead to resistance when it comes to blending the two groups into one. It is common to have the conflict occur as passive-resistive behavior. People will have the appearance of agreeing, but subversively undermine the other group however possible.  This kind of “we-they” thinking can go on for years if allowed.

What actions can management take to mitigate the schism and promote unity? Here are a dozen ideas that can help:

1. Start early – Do not let the inevitable seeds of doubt and suspicion grow in the dark. Work quickly after announcing the merger to have teambuilding activities. Openly promote good team spirit and put some money into developing a mutually supportive culture. Good teamwork is not rocket science, but it does not occur naturally. There must be investments to accomplish unity.

2. Have zero tolerance for silo thinking – This philosophy is hard to accomplish because human beings polarize if given the opportunity.  Set the expectation that people will at least try to get along at all times. Monitor the wording in notes and conversations carefully and call people out when they put down the other group. This monitoring needs to include body language. Often rolling eyes or other expressions give away underlying mistrust.

3. Blend the populations as much as possible – Transplant key individuals from Group A with counterparts from Group B.  If done with care, it will not take long for the individual cultures to be homogeneous. Sometimes the transplanting process is unpopular, but it is an important part of the integration.

4. Use the Strategic Process – It is important to have a common set of goals and a common vision.  If the former groups have goals that are not perfectly aligned, then behaviors are going to support parochial thinking. When conflicts arise, check to see if the goals are really common or if there is just lip service on this point.

5. Reward good teamwork – Seek out examples of selfless behavior from one group toward the other and promote these as bellwether activities. Verbal and written reinforcement from the top will help a lot. You might consider some kind of award for outstanding integration behavior.

6. Model integrated behavior at the top – Often we see animosity and lack of trust at the highest levels. It is only natural for the lower echelon to be bickering. People have the ability to pick up on tiny clues in wording and body language. The leaders need to walk the talk on mutual respect.

7. Co-locate groups where possible – Remote geography always tends to build polarization in any organization. If merged groups can be at least partially located under one roof, it will help to reduce suspicion. If cohabitation is cost prohibitive, it is helpful to have joint meetings. This is especially important at the start of the integration process.

8. Benchmark other organizations – Select one or two companies that have successfully blended cultures. Send a fact-finding team made up of representatives from each group to identify best practices. This team can be the nucleus of cooperation attitudes that can allow unity to spread through the entire population.

9. Make celebrations include both groups – Having both groups celebrate progress together is helpful.  Make sure the celebrations are for progress toward the ultimate culture instead of sub-unit performance.

10. Align measures with joint behavior – Make sure the performance measures are not contributing to silo thinking.  If the goals are aligned for joint performance, have the measures reinforce behaviors toward those goals. Often, well-intentioned measures actually drive activity that is directly opposite to the intended result. One way to test for this potential is to ask a question. “What if someone pushes this measure to the extreme? Will that action still produce the result we want?”

11. Weed out people who cannot adjust – A certain percentage of the population in either group is going to find it difficult to stop grieving.  Identify these individuals and help them find roles in some other organization. It will help both the merger process and the individual. On the flip side, identify the champions of integration early and reward them with more exposure or span of control.

12. Create incentives for the desired behavior – Encourage people to act and think in an integrated way. Have the incentive plans payout only if both units perform seamlessly.

If something awful happens with the business during the integration, don’t panic. Often by working through a crisis or an emergency, a strong joint identity emerges. Use problems as a way to draw people together rather than a reason to focus blame.

The road to a fully-functioning integrated culture can be long and frustrating. By following the ideas given above, an organization can integrate cultures quickly. Hasten the day when people feel a sense of belonging to a single new order.

Bob Whipple, MBA, CPLP, is a consultant, trainer, speaker, and author in the areas of leadership and trust.  He is the author of: The Trust Factor: Advanced Leadership for Professionals, Understanding E-Body Language: Building Trust Online, and Leading with Trust is Like Sailing Downwind.  Bob has many years as a senior executive with a Fortune 500 Company and with non-profit organizations.  .