Culture Trumps Strategy

It's often said that culture trumps strategy.  Strategist Nilofer Merchant says, "After working on strategy for 20 years, I can say this: culture will trump strategy, every time.  The best strategic idea means nothing in isolation.  If the strategy conflicts with how a group of people already believe, behave or make decisions, it will fail." This short (two minute) video explores this a bit more. 

What makes a great organizational culture?  According to the John Coleman with the Harvard Business Review, there are six things to consider:

• Vision:  A strong, clear sense of what kind of impact the organization wants to create orients all stakeholders about what’s really important.  Coleman cites examples like Oxfam’s “a just world without poverty” and The Alzheimer’s Association’s “a world without Alzheimer’s.”
• Values:  If the vision is the “what,” values are the “how.”  Values are the standards for behavior that guide the organization as it works toward its vision and purpose.
• Practices:  What good are values without the actual practices to enact them?  If my office says we value student input, but then never ask your opinion on anything, we would be failing our values.  Practices that match organization values are “walking the walk” and making the values real.
• People: Organizations with strong positive cultures are extremely selective in who they hire in order to find those candidates who are excited about enacting the values and vision of the organization.
• Narrative:  Every organization has a story and the skill and frequency with which it shares that story, both internally and externally, are important to creating culture.  An example of telling the organization’s story that Coleman cites is Coca-Cola’s World of Coke museum in Atlanta.
• Place:  The physical environment influences human behavior.  Many companies where collaboration is key situate their staff in open environments where they see each other a lot.  What does your work space say to others?

What’s the culture of your workplace?  If you are in a management position, how do you create a culture that is supportive of great work?  As a team member, how do you contribute to such a culture?