‘‘ Companies spend millions of money in formulating strategies , and every other quarter spent even much more on strategy review retreats , but rarely do most top executives give as much attention on getting their corporate culture right as they do with
Rometty aptly : “ Culture is your company ’ s number one asset ”. Talking about how important culture is to the good fortunes of an organization Louis Gestner said in his book : “ The thing I have learned at IBM is that culture is everything .”
This is a global business leader speaking from a perspective of real and practical experience , this is a man who was a top business consultant for most of his adult life , and when he was given the top job at IBM , industry insiders looked at him as an outsider who had no idea about the strategic direction of the industry , but it is the same man who later on saved IBM from the brink of disappearance , and after that heroic turnaround he wrote that legendary book where he declared that a business is its culture , and culture makes a business .
Let me put this in clear perspective here , you can have all the right strategy in the world ; if you don ’ t have the right culture , you ’ re dead . It doesn ’ t matter how smart your strategy is , if you don ’ t get culture right , nothing else matters at all . One may ask what is a Corporate Culture ? How is it formed ? Who are its custodians ? Who are the principal influencers of culture in an organization ?
Primarily corporate culture can be defined as an evolving set of collective beliefs , values , and attitudes . Culture is a key component in business and has an impact on the strategic direction of business . Culture influences managers , decisions and all business functions from accounting to production .
If you want to define culture in practical terms I will simply say that , Culture is the shadow of the leader . When people join a new organization , they are very observant , very keen to see how things are done and how people relate and this shapes their beliefs and perspectives about their new employer , and once their beliefs are well shaped it guides their behavior , they don ’ t do what you tell them to do , they simply do what they see you and others doing .
It has been said that culture is what happens when the managers leave the room , culture is the real thing people do in the absence of authority and consequences .
Culture is the corridor talk , it doesn ’ t matter how many slides you show people in your power point presentation in the boardroom , culture is what happens when people retreat in their safe cubicles and work stations , what they share in low tones , what they discuss in the cafeteria when they are with people who have no power to punish or report them .
Culture is what people feel toward one another , culture is how people relate to one another within the organization either using courtesy or disrespect . Culture is how customers are treated and assignments handled . Every company has a culture , some have more fluent ones and others very silent and mysterious ones , culture is like a ghost , you can ’ t see it but you can experience it all the time every day .
Culture is like a cloud , very elusive and hard to contain . You can ’ t touch it but its right there in your face . Every business has a godfather , and this driver of performance is not the company vision nor even the most revered Mr . Strategy , but the real godfather of your business is your corporate culture , everything else bows to it !
As I conclude this article , let me ask . What is your hidden Corporate Culture ? A hidden corporate culture is a blend of the values , beliefs , taboos , symbols , rituals and myths all companies develop over time . Whether written as a mission statement , spoken or merely understood . Corporate culture describes and governs the ways a company ’ s owners and employees think , feel and act .
Do you want to know the real hidden culture of your organization ? Closely look at the quality of thinking of your employees , listen carefully to their inner conversations , observe keenly how they relate to one another , how they treat customers , and also sample their feelings and emotions towards the organization , and the sum total of all that will give you a recipe called Corporate Culture .
Remember that culture is not just one aspect of the business , culture is the business .
Pepe Minambo is a Gallant and renowned International Motivational Speaker , Author of several Life Changing Books , and the Founding Director of The Motivator Africa . This article is based on excerpts from his newest book Beyond Limits . You can commune with him on this or related issues via mail at : Minambopepe @ gmail . com .