Workplace Culture: A Leader’s Ultimate Tool or Ultimate Downfall?
I think that the true work of business leaders is best summed up by management guru Edgar Schein who said “The only thing of real importance that leaders do is create and manage culture“. Workplace culture or “the way we do things around here” is made up of group members’ shared understanding of beliefs, values, norms, and practices. Culture ultimately determines a business’s success.
Workplace Culture: A Powerful Tool
Leaders hold a special power over workplace culture. Due to positional power, the relative weight of a leader’s actions (or lack of action) exerts great influence over which cultural norms take root within the workplace. Leaders can set policies and procedures that encourage staff to behave in ways that the leader deems as desirable. Further, leaders have the ability to reinforce staff behavior through rewards (e.g., bonuses, promotions etc.) or punishment (e.g., sanctions, abuse, or termination). When leaders intentionally exert their influence over workplace culture, it becomes a powerful tool. However, shaping or reshaping workplace culture can prove challenging.
Workplace Culture: A Formidable Barrier
As organizational members, leaders sit (just) outside of culture and at the same time well inside of it. Because of this, although Leaders hold power over workplace culture, leaders are also beholden to the established cultural norms. As Schien again points out “If you do not manage culture, it manages you, and you may not even be aware of the extent to which this is happening”. Put most Simply leadership drives culture, culture drives leadership, and both drive performance. If a leader fails to recognize how they are influenced by workplace culture, culture can turn from a powerful tool to an impassable barrier, ultimately preventing the leader from achieving their agenda.
Harnessing the Power of Workplace Culture
For leaders building a winning culture involves aspiration, introspection, and determination. Aspiration to set a new course, introspection to evaluate your true personal impact on workplace culture, and determination to change while enduring the inevitable resistance to change from the status quo.
Culture change starts at the top. If you’re a leader who is ready to harness the power of culture, the following questions will assist:
- As a leader what are my goals for my organization?
- What type of culture (beliefs, values, norms and practices) will help us get there?
- As a leader what behavior am I modelling for my team?
- How does this behavior encourage or discourage the cultural norms that I wish to establish?
- What do I need to do differently?
To reiterate, workplace culture can be a leader’s ultimate tool or ultimate downfall.
“The only thing of real importance that leaders do is create and manage culture. If you do not manage culture, it manages you, and you may not even be aware of the extent to which this is happening” – Edgar Schien
If you are a leader in the workplace, HR Business Direction can assist you with harnessing the power of your workplace culture to achieve your agenda. Contact us here.
Alistair Kerr MPsychOrg; PostGradDip Psych; BPsych
Organisational Development Strategist | Psychologist
alistair.kerr@hrbd.com.au
07 3890 2066
www.hrbd.com.au