Why culture matters
An organisation's culture is the sum of the behaviours of each and every employee, director, owner and shareholder; the 'how we do things round here'. And those behaviours are driven by our values and beliefs. If we value our customers and behave with the utmost intention towards our customers because we truly believe that delighting our customers is the key to business success, and the senior leadership holds this in their values and daily conversations and the processes and systems support this intention, then the culture will evolve as a customer-driven culture.
The challenge with creating the culture needed to achieve the organisation's vision is that it is complex. Cultures are made up of human beings who change over time and are influenced by both internal and external forces. And so cultures evolve. This has never been more evident with the impact of Covid19 and the significant changes to how we work. And because culture is the backbone of any organisation, if your culture is suffering, it's highly likely your organisation is underperforming.
We've been working with organisations globally, supporting the development of thriving cultures. Using a number of proven approaches, frameworks and tools we work to define the root causes, design transformation programmes which address the processes, contributing factors and develop the leadership skills to lead in order to create the culture needed to grow and achieve the organisation's vision and purpose. Our approach is systemic and encompasses the whole organisation, accelerating the transformation and delivering measurable results and improved performance.
Understanding the challenges
“Truly human leadership protects an organization from the internal rivalries that can shatter a culture. When we have to protect ourselves from each other, the whole organization suffers. But when trust and cooperation thrive internally, we pull together and the organization grows stronger as a result”
Values shape the culture
Any change process takes time, energy, leadership skills and commitment. It is the same with culture. We work WITH organisations to build the culture they need to support the organisation's vision and purpose. Values underpin much of the work we do around culture transformation because once we understand our own values and beliefs system we understand why we behave the way that we do. We use a range of surveys, assessments and tools to identify the current values and behaviours, the desired future values and behaviours and we then work collaboratively to design the development or engagement solution needed to fill the gap between current and future.
Designing a culture transformation programme
A culture transformation programme begins with data capture which is analysed to inform the subsequent design of what needs to be done. Values assessments are selected according to the agreed audience, roles and responsibilities. The resulting reports provide rich insights around gaps and opportunities for development to achieve the desired culture.
Values assessments are available for individuals, teams and whole organisations. For an introduction to one of the values assessment we employ, please complete the Personal Values Assessment and speak to a certified Barrett Values practitioner experienced in interpreting values assessments and identifying insights for improving performance and transforming cultures.
COMPLETE PERSONAL VALUES ASSESSMENT
Planning your Culture Transformation
Wherever you are on your culture transformation journey, we can help. We've worked with organisations globally, designing and implementing culture transformation projects, each one unique to the specific situation and requirements. You can begin with the following questions:
- Do you have a clear vision for the organisation and what type of culture do you need to be able to achieve this vision?
- What values and behaviours do you aspire to, in order to experience the kind of culture where your organisation and all its employees thrive?
- What challenges or barriers exist culturally which might prohibit your organisation from achieving the vision?
- If you create the culture you aspire to, what will be the outcomes and results for the organisation?
Request a time to speak to a member of the team about your culture transformation initiative:
Find out more
Our team are accredited and experienced in employing a number of culture transformation tools and approaches including the Barrett Values™ Model; our extensive team of practitioners are located internationally ensuring we can support and work with organisations globally. Read more about the work we've done with organisations, transforming cultures and driving real business growth as a result. Get in touch and find out more by speaking to a member of our team today.