Investing in culture… strategically
The relationship between strategy and culture
Organizational culture
A term that is often used in articles, presentations, mission statements, value propositions and occasionally when things go south, Culture is often the word to be blamed. So what exactly do we mean by “organizational culture”?
In its simplest form it is the set of ‘shared’ values and behaviors that ‘govern’ how an organization conduct its business; how employees interact within the organization and how they reflect their organization to third parties. Culture is the code that governs your corporate relationships.
Accordingly, organizations need to develop a culture that is aligned with their values and supports achieving their strategic objectives; while keeping their employees engaged and focused towards the success of the organization.
How important is it to have functional organizational culture?
Most of us would have heard the expression “It’s like herding cats”; hence, having a functional culture is an organization’s preventive measure against that happening and a tool to channel the skills and efforts of the organization’s resources to achieving its strategy.
Does strategy overwhelm culture or vice versa, or what?
There are two ways to analyze the relationship between strategy and culture, which in effect is an interdependent one.
When developing an organization’s strategy, one of the pillars that need to be addressed is creating a functional culture that would facilitate the execution and achievement of the strategic objectives of the organization. Hence, operational plans need to be created and techniques defined to nourish the efforts of creating such a culture.
By the same token, as the culture is determined and created, this system of values need to operate effectively to achieve the shared organizational strategy, by ensuring that the efforts are collaborated to achieve the vision and mission of the organization.
Let’s talk and explore how to better optimize the relationship between the organizational culture and the strategy.
Contact us on www.risktal.com.
