Strong cultures can be a blessing or a curse. Workplace culture can either be constructive: both healthy for people and high performance-oriented; or they can be destructive to business performance and toxic for people. This article outlines some of the upsides and downsides of a strong culture.
I keep hearing people say they’re proud of their “strong culture”. However, strong cultures can either support or destroy business performance. A strong culture just means behaviours are consistent.
It does not mean that the culture is effective.
It does not mean it is helpful for your strategy.
It does not mean that this is something to aim for in itself.
Strong cultures can be constructive or destructive. Let me describe 2 different examples, then you can decide for yourself.
First let’s look at McKinsey. I can easily describe their culture as I used to work for the firm in the Atlanta office. Although many years ago, I still have strong links and the culture has not changed. It is easy to describe because the culture is so consistent. Every office in the world recruits similar people. They are all highly motivated and achievement-oriented. People who don’t fit this profile simply aren’t hired, or don’t last long. The firm is successful, and the culture helps deliver their success. A constructive culture aligned with their client-focused strategy. Top marks.
Now let’s look at a large bureacratic organization I know, where the behaviours of their staff are also highly consistent. Their strong culture is extremely risk averse with low levels of innovation. People get ahead by pointing out the flaws in everyone else’s work, and making themselves look good at the expense of others. (“Oppositional” style if you are familiar with Human Synergistics definitions). This drives a ruthless, competitive environment. Sadly this is a root cause of their business under-performance and bad press.
Which business would you rather work in? Both have strong cultures.
So this leads me to 3 tips below.
3 tips on strong culture
- Don’t aim for a strong culture unless your culture is highly constructive (there are some other criteria which I’ll write about in the future)
- Be aware strong culture can hinder execution (the Turbocharge Hub has a unique framework on how to navigate different types culture when you’re implementing strategy/change – talk to me if you’d like to know more)
- Note that it takes longer to change behaviours in a strong culture, as behaviors are more embedded
Research on strategy execution, culture and transformation
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Quote of the week
“Culture is as important as strategy for business success.” Bain study published in HBR back in 2008 – 91% of 1200 global executives agreed with this.
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Discussion on habits of transformation leaders
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Written by Lisa Carlin for FutureBuilders: https://www.futurebuildersgroup.com/strong-culture-can-destroy-a-business/
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About Lisa Carlin
Lisa Carlin is a Strategy Execution Specialist. She works with business leaders to plan and execute their strategies in tough environments. Her clients love having her expertise and guidance to navigate their workplace culture and use AI to achieve success.
Lisa created The Turbochargers Hub, so leaders can master the art of strategic influence and generate momentum for organizational change.
Lisa is author of the globally acclaimed newsletter, Turbocharge Weekly, read by 8,000 business leaders.
Lisa’s career includes roles at McKinsey and Accenture, then running her own business since 1999. Over this time she has delivered over 50 implementations with a 96% success rate.