Decisions. Your business and its stakeholders depend on you making good ones that stick. Sometimes they gain traction. Sometimes derailment. The difference has to do with whether or not your organizational culture is well-aligned with the decisions you make and the actions you take. In a misaligned culture, good decisions experience dis-traction.
Alignment. Anything that grows requires a framework. That framework must be congruent with the purpose and type of growth desired. The same is true for organizations. The clarity, structure, and tools of this framework equip leaders and teams to effectively align “The way we do things around here” with intentionally chosen beliefs and behaviors.
Systems. The following ten mechanisms act as a multi-faceted system for maintaining organizational health and vitality while fulfilling mission, pursuing profit, and providing meaning. Organizations, like organisms, thrive when properly nourished. These ten primary culture-embedding mechanisms, categorized below according to degrees of “visibility”, may also be viewed as essential nutrients for the sustainable scaling and success of your business..
Most Visible
- Values, Mission, & Vision – Your DNA and sense of “reproductive purpose”
- Language – How it defines and influences perceptions of reality
- Metrics– What is measured, why, reporting of it, to whom, etc.
- Leadership – Awareness and efficacy around leadership’s influence on culture
- Team Learning – Getting better at becoming a team that gets aligned results
Least Visible
- Power Structures – Formal, informal, public, discreet…where and how its used
- Social Control Systems – How to intentionally leverage positive peer pressure
- Narratives – Stories define and reinforce organizational identity, for good or ill
Nearly-Invisible
- Mental Models – Healthy growth requires clear, commonly-understood structures
- Basic Assumptions – Deep, “proven” beliefs about solving problems and leveraging opportunities
Intentionality. Culture-shaping is the #1 priority of a leader. Shaping it requires the best that leaders and teams have to offer. The Culture Realignment service from TurningWest guides you and your team toward the realization of an intentionally integrated foundation, framing, and finishing of your business as an operation, an environment, and a difference-maker.