Dialogue is the basic unit of work in an organization.

      Ram Charan

Peel away the shell of an organization and there lives a culture—a set of values, practices, and traditions that define who we are as a  group. In great organizations the competence, commitment, innovation, and respect with which people carry out their work are unmistakable to any observer—and a way of living to its members. In lesser organizations, distrust and dysfunction are equally pervasive.

      Frances Hesselbein

Culture is not just about "getting the right people on the bus", as Jim Collins would say, although that is crucial. It is about what happens between the people.The central success factor for any human system, in any sector, is the vitality, intelligence, integrity, and adaptability of the culture. In our era of rapid change, of ever more complex challenges and “wicked problems”, creating and sustaining great organizational cultures has become a mandate.

 

Why? Not because it is nice. Because it is  necessary. Culture is the backbone of effective strategy and execution. It is the ground out of which dynamic leadership grows. It seems intangible, but it is an indelible asset.

 

There is a direct correlation between culture and performance. Harvard Business School professors John Kotter and Jim Heskett did a landmark study in 1992 called Corporate Culture and Performance. They documented results for 207 large U.S. companies in 22 different industries over an eleven-year period. Kotter and Heskett reported that companies that managed their cultures well saw revenue increases of 682% versus 166% for the companies that did not manage their cultures well; stock price increases of 901% versus 74%; and net income increases of 756% versus 1%. Tom Peters said it decades ago: “the soft stuff is the hard stuff”.

 

In great cultures people “work well together”. Working well together means thinking well together, means making smart decisions, means nimbleness, resilience, precision, an orientation to the future. Is creating a great culture easy? No, it’s hard. But not as hard as continuing to grind through days characterized by mediocre performance and morale. Is it worth the effort? If you’ve ever been part of a great team—in sports, at school or work—then you know it is. All boats rise on that tide.

CULTURE

  • Engineering cultural innovations, transitions, and change efforts
  • Designing integrations during mergers, acquisitions, partnerships, combinations
  • Strengthening boards and board/staff/management team dynamics
  • Developing and facilitating effective meetings and “social operating mechanisms”

Great to spend time working together—you did a superb job of facilitating the various meetings, large and small.

 

Sir Ken Robinson

I've had the privilege to work with David on several projects. He's a gifted facilitator and leader of groups - in fact, I've learned much tradecraft from him - he's insightful, he's high-energy, and he's fun! He combines strategic thinking with best-in-class process skills. I'd recommend him to anyone looking to improve their organizational or team performance.

 

Heather McLeod Grant

Author, Forces for Good

Senior Consultant, Monitor Institute

You did a wonderful job working with our organization, culture, and team. We were all very pleased with your style, exercises and the content delivered.

Suzanne DiBianca

Executive Director, Salesforce.com Foundation

©2006 David Sawyer - Context