You’ve worked hard to develop your corporate culture and are confident it contributes to your competitive advantage. Is your management team advancing your culture by their day-to-day activities?
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“The only thing of real importance that leaders do is to create and manage culture. If you do not manage culture, it manages you, and you may not even be aware of the extent to which this is happening.” |
Shaping culture is one of the most important things that managers can do, and all managerial functions directly impact the culture. Here are a few examples:
- Staffing — Managers with a clear understanding of their corporate culture not only hire new employees with the appropriate technical skills, they identify candidates who agree with the mission, and can thrive in the culture.
- Orientation — A human resource professional typically conducts orientation however, it is important that a manager connects with the new employee immediately to discuss the importance of the values and culture within the department.
- Rewards/Recognition/Coaching/Discipline — An organization’s mission, values and vision are merely words until reinforced by action. Culture becomes more deeply ingrained when employees see there are positive consequences (rewards/recognition) or negative consequences (discipline). These managerial reinforcement tools demonstrate that the organization is serious about its culture.
- Communication — Managers can impact culture by what they communicate, when they communicate, and how they communicate. Thoughts on how you are reinforcing the culture should be on your mind when sending emails, communicating one-on-one, and holding meetings.
A well-planned management development program will provide your managers with the tools for their important role of shaping culture. To discuss how we can partner together to create an effective program contact us at info@ManagementSkillsInc.com or call 972 881-5282.