Organizational culture isn’t what most think it is
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Think about what makes up the culture in any organization. Things like:
- The character & personality of the leader
- The physical environment
- The types of hires usually made
- How empowered and confident people are allowed to be
- The communication style of the top leaders
- How things get done
- The industry you're in
- How your business is doing
- Whether you're merging with another organization
- Geographic location
- Size of the organization
- Age of the organization
These are just a few factors that contribute to culture. You could list another dozen I'm sure.
If you want to change culture, just remember … it's extremely difficult. It is the logical result of numerous factors working together, many of which are out of your control. Who's in what position could be the most controllable – and impactful – change you can effect.
Culture isn't a thing, it's a result.
Why do they say #culture trumps #vision? Why do #mission & vision have to be separate? The longer I lead, the more I wonder.
Excerpted from Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership, by Tom Harper (DeepWater Books, 2019). For more information about the book, visit https://deepwaterbooks.com/.
 | Tom Harper is publisher of BiblicalLeadership.com and executive chairman of Networld Media Group, a business-to-business publisher and event producer. He has written five books, including Servant Leader Strong: Uniting Biblical Wisdom and High-Performance Leadership (DeepWater Books, 2019) as well as the Christian business fable Through Colored Glasses and its sequel Inner Threat (DeepWater, 2022). Learn More » |
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