A sound business plan is like a road map to the land of high performance. Informed executives know a secret: The road, as the map might suggest, isn’t flat; the topography of the journey from here to there has to be carefully managed. In the business world we call that topography culture. Unless business leaders take decisive action to align their company’s culture with its strategy, that culture can actually undermine the journey. Will your culture be a roadblock or an escort? Will it hinder or accelerate your journey to high performance?
It is natural for leaders to focus on the financial and operational aspects of managing their business. Unfortunately, in many organizations leaders passively allow company culture to evolve on its own — they don’t make sure the culture lines up to support achievement of the strategy. Executives of high-performing companies don’t rely on fate or human resources to achieve alignment. They create a competitive advantage by ensuring that people and functions work together toward a common purpose. In short, they guide culture.
“As organizations grow and change it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of the shared values and behaviors that underpin the execution of strategy,” says Joseph Dettmann, senior consultant in Towers Watson’s Organizational Surveys & Insights Practice. “Executives often assume that the culture will work naturally in their favor, but without the right guidance, values can be misplaced and the wrong behaviors reinforced, preventing a company from delivering on its strategy priorities.”
Smart Business spoke with Dettmann about the steps executives should take to achieve cultural alignment.
