Culture Eats Strategy for Lunch

The CULTURESTRATEGYFIT® suite of Culture Surveys are research-based, globally appropriate and ready to help you better understand your culture, set priorities for action, and measure progress. They are unique in that each survey is designed for a specific purpose and context. They are special in that they tell a story rather than simply provide data. They reveal the insights leaders need to intentionally shape and change culture.

Powerful insights inform action. Your organization has a unique culture shaped by shared values, assumptions, and beliefs as to the best and right way to do things to be successful. Over time, this tacit belief system becomes embedded in all aspects of organizational life. The challenge is this very tacitness which makes it difficult for people to articulate why things happen the way they do. While this is fine when times are stable and the organization is successful, it can become a problem when you are in a dynamic environment facing significant internal and external change. How do you know if your culture is helping or getting in the way of your strategy, mission, and goals? How do you know what needs to be protected and changed?

CULTURESTRATEGYFIT® Survey A culture expert tells the ‘story’ of your culture by examining the dynamics across eight dimensions and 35 patterns of behaviors and practices. Analysis focuses on the alignment of your culture to your purpose, strategy, and goals. It reveals insights into values and belief systems which are critical for shaping and changing culture. 

Culture Dynamics Pulse This survey takes a close look at social dynamics within teams, departments, or organizations. It is especially helpful for organizations seeking to strengthen collaboration within and across organization boundaries and improve within team dynamics. 

In today’s highly competitive market for top talent, company fit can be a deal breaker. In fact, the same 2005 study quoted above found that organization fit was more important than any other factor, including skills, potential, and experience, in predicting an employee’s level of engagement and commitment to their employer. In addition, there is evidence that organization fit can be the deciding factor in determining where employees choose to work and have a significant impact on their success in their new roles. Arguably, organization fit is even more critical at the executive level where the cost of failure can have huge negative implications.

So, what is cultural fit? Organization fit is defined as the alignment of an employee’s beliefs, values, and behaviors with those of the hiring organization and team. This does not mean that everyone agrees nor is every employee the same. People with different personalities, work styles, backgrounds, and ways of thinking often work very well together. In fact, diversity of thought, personality, and experience can increase innovation and performance. People also have different needs and value different things. Some of us look for advancement opportunities while others want to be challenged and do leading-edge technical work. Similarly, some want stability while other thrive in dynamic environments.

Our expertise in culture and leadership assessment means we are uniquely positioned to evaluate organization fit as part of your selection process. Through interviews, and/or surveys, we develop a deep understanding of your culture and team dynamics. We then review candidate information including the results of psychometric assessments, background searches, online profiles, and other available data. With this in hand, we conduct a behavioral interview with your candidates to identify their fit for the organization, its culture, and team dynamics. This reveals insights that can help with hiring decisions and is particularly powerful in identifying the implications for onboarding and transition planning. It is important to note that an organization fit assessment is designed to supplement the selection process and is not to be used as the sole means of evaluating candidates.   

Leadership competency models translate your values and cultural attributes into the behaviors required for leaders at all levels to succeed at your company. When used effectively, they provide the foundation for many of your people practices, such as talent management and talent acquisition. 

Our approach to competency modeling is pragmatic finding the balance between customization and practicality. Equipped with a solid understanding of your current culture and future aspirations, we partner with you to create a high-level model. Once approved, we leverage our database of past models and on-line research to build a ‘strawman’ of your multi-level model. The detailed version identifies the behaviors expected by leadership levels within each competency. You help us refine this, so the language is appropriate, and the model focuses on the behaviors most important for success. With the ‘strawman’ complete, it is time to test the model using employee focus groups and executive interviews. This iterative process continues until we have a final product that is ready to be the foundation of your people practices.

Competency Based Tools  Finally, we can help you develop tools and figure out how to best introduce the model, so managers and employees see its value and want to use it. For example, instead of introducing the competency model as part of goal setting and performance appraisal, why not focus on employee development and provide them with a Development Guide?  A Development Guide identifies on-the-job activities, training programs, and developmental assignments for each competency. Providing managers and employees with a tool like this is a great way to let them know the company cares and is taking concrete steps to help them reach their full potential and succeed.

The good news is we have decades of experience creating these types of tools. This allows us to draw on previous tools and on-line research, which fast tracks the design process and makes it affordable. Typically, we work together to identify content blocks and related messaging which is used to create a draft. At the same time, we start working on the development suggestions for each of the competencies that includes relevant training and other learning resources available at your company. The review and approval process proceeds in an iterative manner until the Development Guide is complete. With the content approved, you embed the content in a branded brochure, website tools, and other vehicles that make it easy for managers and employees to access and use. 

Culture change can happen quickly. The challenge is to create a culture by design versus default - a culture that is aligned with strategy to achieve your goals. It isn't hard when you combine sustained leader engagement with a disciplined, intentional and business-driven approach to culture.

Our passion is helping leaders create great organizations with great cultures and we want to share what we know with you. Our culture change practice is led by Dr. Nancie Evans, a leading expert with over 30 years experience. She knows what works and what doesn't and is excited to share her knowledge with others. This is of tremendous value to leaders, HR/OD professionals and consultants who need solutions that deliver proven results.

Over 30 Years of Culture Change Experience  Dr. Evans and her team partner with you to deliver an approach that is tailored to your specific needs. Sometimes, this is meeting with executives or designing/delivering culture change modules in leadership development programs. If you're a senior HR/OD leader, a popular option is to use us as behind-the-scenes advisors providing input and feedback to help you and your team on your culture journey. Alternatively, a strategic partnership where, for all intents and purposes, we are a part or full-time member of your team might best suit your needs.