CHANGE TALK

Company leaders often wish for an organizational culture change, to make their companies more agile, innovative and growth-oriented. What many forget though, is that culture is deeply rooted in the organization’s DNA and unique history. That can make company culture as difficult to change as an individual’s personality.

Organizational leaders wish they could obtain transformational change without having to change the culture. That’s because changing the culture is so much more difficult and time consuming. They would love to get the benefits of change by keeping the status quo, but, that’s not how it works.

Culture. Many pages have been written, many words penned, about this very elusive piece of the business enterprise. Culture is to a business what the persona and soul are to an individual. It defines who it is, how it thinks, what it does, and what are and are not the right ways for it to move into the future.

Everybody wants it, nobody seems to have it: A culture of innovation. But what exactly do we mean when we call for a culture of innovation? After all, how can we create a desired culture, if we don’t know exactly what it looks like?

Dynamic and super successful organizations such as Apple, Google and Virgin Airlines are showing us that making a unique organizational culture the focal point of all business endeavors pays off and offers many bonuses along the way.

Robert Galvin, former CEO of Motorola, once said he used to listen into daily life and conversations at Motorola as if they were a symphony. Entering the building, he would aim to understand how the musical masterpiece unfolded around him, noting the dissonances and the harmonies.