Culture Matters

If your organisation’s culture is vague, take time to make it clear.

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When I speak and teach workshops on leadership and organisational culture, I ask participants to recite their organisation’s values. Usually, only a very small number of people can. This is one sign that for most leaders and managers their organisation’s culture is vague, which makes it difficult to follow, especially during times when there is a greater temptation to compromise values.

One way to clarify an organisation’s culture is to clearly articulate desired attitudes, language, and behaviour.

- Attitudes are feelings or ways of thinking that affect behaviour

- Language is the system of words or signs people use to express thoughts and feelings to each other

- Behaviour is the way people act Pfizer, the multinational pharmaceutical giant, has become increasingly intentional about making its culture clear. It has what I call a ‘connection culture’ because it connects people at Pfizer to the organisation’s mission and to one another, rather than isolating them through cultures of control or cultures that are indifferent to people. Here are a few examples of how Pfizer has been intentional about articulating attitudes, language, and behaviour that connect people.