Organisational culture can be expressed as ‘what we do around here’, and ‘who we are around here’.

When you have the right culture, the following become true:

Consistency, direction and predictability

A strong culture enables everyone to predict with accuracy what to expect following any given action, as well as guide on how to act when faced with making decisions – even in new circumstances.

This enables the organisation to react consistently and move in a common direction.

Employee wellbeing and retention

It is well established that employees prefer to work in environments that have little toxicity, prioritises wellbeing and provides the right level of socialisation between its employees.

With the ncreasing prevalence of hybrid working, organisations are experiencing the cumulative effect of remote workers’ isolation and the formation of cliques between workers that spend more time in the communal office.

Micromanagement of remote workers and the feeling of abandonment by the in-office workers and management can lead to employees ‘quiet quitting’ or leaving the workforce altogether.

A strong culture enables everyone to predict with accuracy what to expect following any given action, as well as guide on how to act when faced with making decisions – even in new circumstances

Alignment

Established cultures often align the employees and the organisation towards a common purpose that everyone believes in.

This can improve workflows and quicken decision making and reduce procrastination caused by uncertainty on how to act or behave.

It is therefore important that you understand whether your own behaviours or actions are in conflict with the organisational culture.

There are a number of steps that you can take to assess your current position:

1. Define the desired culture

Many organisations have articulated their values and mission, enabling leaders to benchmark their success in emulating them in the work that they do.

For example, if an organisational value is collaboration, and you nurture a silo mentality, you are clearly acting against the organisational culture.

All great leaders ensure that they regularly reflect on their own behaviour and the impact of the decisions that they make. This reflection should also include how aligned you are to the culture.

With the ncreasing prevalence of hybrid working, organisations are experiencing the cumulative effect of remote workers’ isolation and the formation of cliques between workers that spend more time in the communal office

2. Seek feedback

It is good practice to actively seek feedback from your stakeholders, by creating a psychologically safe environment for them.

This is one of the ways you can elicit honest feedback on how your behaviour and actions exemplifies the organisational culture.

If the feedback that you receive indicates that you do not, then ask for specific feedback so that you can address the shortfall.

3. Assess the impact

This is where you can reflect on the impact that your behaviour and actions are having within the workplace.

Are you increasing or decreasing morale? Does the environment that you are nurturing promote engagement, productivity and a sense of belongingness?

4. Prioritise your own development

Where you discover a mismatch between your own behaviour and the organisation’s desired behaviour, consider developing yourself further.

If your organisation chooses not to fund this, for example by putting you on courses, then there are plenty of opportunities for you to self-educate.

This could include hiring a coach or mentor and/or choosing to watch Ted Talks, YouTube videos, listening to podcasts or reading relevant books on the areas that you find yourself deficient in.

Are you increasing or decreasing morale? Does the environment that you are nurturing promote engagement, productivity and a sense of belongingness?

Are you committed to the culture?

For authentic, transparent and effective leadership, you need to recognise that you must align yourself and demonstrate your commitment to the organisation’s culture as far as you are able, and it does not affect your conscience to do so.

If you suspect that your own behaviour is in conflict with the organisation’s values, then there are a number of things that you can do to address the situation and resolve it.

This article is part of the upcoming live session on 8th August 11am BST, where Judith will be discussing prolific leadership behaviours that are damaging workplace cultures, which you can register for here.

This session is part of a new series called ‘Evolving Leaders’ from the team at Culture Pioneers. This series offers empowering talks and thought-provoking conversations that confront the complexities of leading organisations today.

Check out the other sessions here

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