Why WHO matters (more than we know)

Why WHO matters (more than we know) when understanding organizational culture

When understanding organizational culture, as leaders we are seeking not only to gain our own understanding of culture but to gain the understanding from others. In order to fully understand an organization’s culture we must learn how another person experiences that very same culture.

Our understanding of their experience and their understanding of our experience leads us to understand the collective and its impact. This is one reason what WHO matters more than we realize.

Knowing our own understanding of culture is important and essential. Our learning must not stop there. We are not the only ones in the room and are certainly not the only ones impacted by the culture of our organization.

Gaining a wholistic understanding of how another person or persons experience an organization’s culture takes a deep commitment to seeing and knowing clearly what the other person thinks is going on and how that is being experienced by them. This is what we refer to when we describe the Practice of Culture (See edition #2 of Culture Change Leadership). How your organization’s culture is being experienced and lived out by others on a regular basis.

So, WHO do we involve when we seek to understand our organization’s culture? The answer to this question will vary and can make a huge difference in our learning and what we consider doing with that learning.

Posed a slightly different way:

•    WHOSE voice if we heard it more clearly would help us understand our organization’s culture more comprehensively and its impact on those it touches?
•    WHOSE voice have we not heard or been reluctant to listen to?
•    WHOSE voice don’t we understand very well, and if we did would make all the difference in the world?

In addition to this deep commitment to listen to all voices, a humble leader is aided by a:

•    desire to listen deeply to what others say about their experience
•    curiosity for learning about why their experience is happening
•    willingness to analyze their organization’s Structure of Culture and its impact
•    ability to reflect on and hold up their learning and analysis with others
•    courage to act on what is being learned

A while back a Client asked if we could help them better understand their organization’s culture.

The leader was having trouble retaining employees beyond a certain timeframe and wanted to learn more about why they couldn’t retain their trained employees. After a series of conversations, they concluded that designing a series of focus groups would be a helpful next step so that they could learn more.

As we began crafting questions to pose, it became clear that what they wanted to learn began to evolve. The more conversations we had with the Client, the more opportunity and time they needed to get crystal clear on what they really wanted to learn and from WHOM!

As it turned out, there was a very specific public within the larger employee base that the Client wanted to listen to and learn from. This epiphany was helpful to the overall process and on several fronts including:

•    developing tailored and open-ended questions
•    what time of day we held the focus groups
•    where these conversations were held
•    the level of confidentiality provided to the employees

By taking the time needed to design this process well, we helped the Client target their investment and hear from an important audience. As we like to say, ‘it begins with design.’ No matter what the ‘it’ is.

As you consider your culture change initiative, what are the voices and audiences you hope to hear from? How will their context and perspective frame your and their understanding of the organization’s culture? What are you willing to do with what you learn? These are important questions to consider.

We hope that you find value in this newsletter and continue to follow Culture Change Leadership. To receive your edition every two weeks, sign up here. 

Sincerely,

Peter A. Schein and Lon L. Swartzentruber

Design Group International

P.S. Join us in our new on-line learning opportunity Culture Change Leadership. This six-week course, sponsored by the Society for Process Consulting, provides a humble inquiry and Process Consulting approach to understanding organizational culture. Participants will come away with a deep and nuanced understanding of how to lead culture change initiatives in their organizations or how to walk with leaders as a Process Consultant in developing a Client's culture change initiative.

PSS: If you would like to talk about your path ahead, please give me a call me at 616.516.9870, or schedule a 30-minute discovery call, or simply email me at lons@designgroupintl.com.

Along with a notebook and his favorite fountain pen, what’s in Lon’s backpack?

I Stand With The Soul of America, by Sir Addison Witt

Right Kind of Wrong, Amy Edmondson

Interior Castle, Saint Teresa of Avila