Rock recently sat down with Think Organisation one of our professional partners in the space of Cultural alignment. Here's what they had to say...
Who are Think Organisation
Think Organisation is a culture consultancy built on a distinctive blend of business psychology, executive coaching & statistics. Yep, you read that right, statistics.
Co-founded by mathematician & business strategist Steph Durbin & organisational psychologist Sarah Clarke, Think meticulously study the nuances of organisational dynamics in order to facilitate transformation at every level – organisational, team & individual.
At Rock, we think of Think as being in the business of “motivation metrics” but it’s so much more, so our founder Rachel Vigers decided to chat to Steph & Sarah about culture & foundations strategy & how (or even if) the two fit together...
Culture is...
"Culture" is one of those words that gets bandied about a lot &, because Rock likes to keep things clear, Rachel asked the pros to tell us what organisational culture means to them...
Steph: "Culture is the way people behave, what is acceptable, what is accepted as the norm & what is challenged."
Sarah: "Culture is the set of unwritten rules that are unique to every business, guiding the way things are done. Many elements of culture are unconscious, based on perceptions, yet they guide how decisions are made, how people behave & what is feels like to work somewhere."
Ok, so – in short – culture is “how we be around here”. Got it.
How organisational culture fits with foundations strategy
When Rock talks about core foundations, we mean Direction, Connection, Impact & Value. These four elements cover both business & brand strategy to sum up what really matters for making a business strong & sustainable. So, where does Culture fit in?
Foundations strategy is one of the earliest things that Think ask about when they’re working with an organisation because culture “will either help or hinder an organisation in pursuit of success”.
Steph describes culture as “binding the business foundations together because it’s the people within a business who are tasked with delivering on the business strategy - taking it, running with it & bringing it to life across the different functions”.
Basically, without culture, your foundations are simply a strategy with no means of implementation - which is exactly why Rock includes Culture as one of the 3 core pillars for aligning a business around its foundations (along with Commercials & Creative).
Company values are a classic case in point. There’s the common moan about the Marketing team sticking values on the office wall or the company website… values that don’t mean anything to anyone inside the business and so are soundly ignored. And the converse, where HR has created values that Marketing don't want to put on the website because they don't align with the "market-facing brand". This type of in-fighting serves no one because,
as Steph says, “the customer only really gets to know & experience the company values by interacting with the people inside the organisation living and breathing them”.
Remember that, folks! It’s the people inside the business who are responsible for creating the desired customer experience. So Marketing & HR really need to get along!
This is where Rock’s silo-free foundations approach really comes in to its own – by looking at the concept of Connection across the whole business (internal + external) & taking a consultative approach that covers multiple perspectives.
So, foundations strategy needs culture to succeed. That much is clear.
But, does culture need foundations strategy?
According to Think, yes, it does - nailing your foundations strategy is critically important for developing your culture. And we promise we didn’t bribe Sarah to say…
“Over the years I’ve been privileged to work with many businesses & analyse many different cultures. The one thing which a detrimental culture often stems from is a lack of strategic foundations.”
Go, Sarah!
Rock uses the metaphor of a song sheet & choir to illustrate the dynamic between foundations & culture...
The foundations strategy is the song sheet that the choir (aka the business) sings to. It defines what song gets sung – the type of song, the tempo, the feel, the lyrics etc. Without it, the choir cannot perform as intended. (Side note: What song do you want your business singing? Not sure? Ask Rock..)
Culture is how the choir singers work together in their respective roles & perform together to make sure the song is sung beautifully.
You need BOTH the song sheet & the choir to create a positive experience for the audience.
Get it? Of course you do.
When to consider your culture
Culture typically starts with company founders & grows as the business grows.
If there’s only a few people in the team, it’s probably something that just evolves naturally – but you’d be surprised how quickly silos can form, or mis-aligned new hires have a detrimental effect on culture.
Taking some time to think about “how we be around here” is really important – not least because it fosters productivity & engagement but also because it helps attract & recruit the right type of talent to deliver on your strategy. (There we go again, connecting dots...)
And taking some time to re-evaluate “how we still be” after a period of change is also vital.
This is where Sarah makes another really valid point -
“businesses evolve, grow & develop &, like culture, the foundations strategy often evolves for companies as they grow & scale – so the two need to be cultivated in tandem.”
Ok, people - that's another reminder: consider your Culture & Foundations Strategy TOGETHER & don't let them drift in different directions (you can imagine what the choir would sound like then.... ouch!)
Think advise businesses not to wait until there’s a major change or crisis looming before paying attention to culture and strategy but to do it
“when the going is good as incremental changes tend to be easier, less risky, & less costly for businesses than huge transformational changes”.
Good tip!
What happens to Culture when your foundations are weak
Now, Think don’t mince their words here.
Sarah: “A company which hasn’t set a strong foundations strategy tends to have a culture which is inconsistent, lacks transparency & fuels behaviours in employees which hinder success. Trust can be eroded due to a lack of strong foundations which can cause negative behaviours (such as a lack of listening, managers ignoring things, employees sweeping things under the carpet, or blaming each other etc). This can create a toxic environment that people leave. Or worse, they stay but underperform, detrimentally impacting the business.”
Steph added insult to injury with: “weak foundations create a disconnect between people in the organisation & the organisation itself. This leads to a lack of belief and poor brand trust from clients too because they can see & feel that the business isn’t doing what it says on the tin.”
So, to sum up then…
From a culture perspective, weak foundations can result in silos, lack of collaboration & innovation, high staff attrition & recruitment costs, poor performance & impaired customer experience.
Ouch (this seems like a good time to remind you of our mantra - #BeMoreRock)
Can you change culture?
Let’s be clear – Rock’s whole “Be More Rock” proposition is not about resisting change but being strong in the face of it. We’re advocates for adapting, reacting & evolving - where it’s beneficial to your business – & that includes culture too.
Think’s Sarah says she “hates it "when people say you can’t change culture because that is ‘just the way it is’. Because you can & we do - everyday. My other one is when people say ‘people hate change’. People don’t hate change. In fact, people love change. Think about how many times you may go on holiday somewhere different, or buy new clothes, or redecorate a room, maybe change your hair… People like a change which they choose“
In fact, Sarah goes on to say change is her favourite thing about her work with Think.
“I love seeing & feeling the culture change. It always happens a couple of months in, when you start to hear people believing in the improvements, then employees come to us & say things like ‘wow, I never thought it would change but it really is/has’. Then, in time, when people reminisce about how it used to be. I know it sounds corny but it really makes me feel good knowing people now enjoy going to work, & companies are more successful, because of what we delivered.”
Top tips for aligning your culture with your foundations strategy
Getting a bit giddy now with all this grown-up collaboration, Rock & Think put our heads together for our four top tips…
Involve the team from the off-set: Steph’s view is that “if you want people to own it & believe it, then have them help you design it”. Rock always involves team consultation as part of the core foundations strategy but, for us, it’s not just about buy-in but about getting a valued different perspective too that makes the resulting strategy that much more robust.
Communicate clearly & specifically: For example, Values & Culture are often talked about interchangeably when, in truth, they’re related but NOT the same. Understanding how to translate values (which can be somewhat vague or conceptual) into the tangible processes, policies, actions & behaviours (from recruitment right through to exit) that go on to create Culture is a specific task in itself that requires working out & communicating clearly across the whole business.
Lead by example: As Sarah so wisely says “a leader is only as good as the worst behaviour they are prepared to tolerate” & the behaviour of a company’s leaders set the tone for everyone else who works there. If the business owner or appointed executive aren’t living & breathing the foundations, then the culture is going nowhere. Steph adds that “paying lipservice to a company’s foundations means people will know they can say one thing, yet do another – and that’s potentially harmful”.
Manage it: Organisational culture may evolve naturally, but that doesn’t mean there is no intent or direction in it. Rock’s founder Rachel Vigers often says that “there’s no point having company values or principles that represent what you stand for if you’re not prepared to actually stand up for & defend them”. If the desired “how we be around here” isn’t actually how it is, then steps need to be taken to correct it. Left unfettered, a small crack in your culture can rapidly become an unbridgeable chasm.
Who does “aligned cultures” well
Think quoted Google & Timpsons as good examples of companies with an aligned culture...
Whether you like their ways of working or not, the experience matches with the promise; they actually work the way they say they do; everyone knows what is expected of them & is equipped & empowered to be able to deliver on it.
Rock’s founder Rachel got to meet James Timpson recently & was invited to HQ to meet their Director of Happiness – it was fascinating hearing exactly how much effort went into their Happy Index & how their unique approach sounds “fluffy” but is actually ruthlessly business-focused!
One last thing…
Before we wrap up, we asked Steph & Sarah what's the single best piece of advice they would give to a business owner looking to strengthen their company culture… they were united in their response...
LISTEN TO YOUR PEOPLE!
Say no more.
Thanks, Think!
Contact details
THINK ORGANISATION
Steph Durbin Steph@thinkorganisation.com
Sarah Clarke Sarah@thinkorganisation.com
Rachel Vigers, Rachel@rock.partners
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