Elements of Sustaining a Strategic Culture

Elements of Sustaining a Strategic Culture

Viktor Kanzler

Thursday, September 5, 13

Any organizational culture emerges out of the company’s norms, values ​​and behaviors that are reinforced by the company’s role models, symbols and instructions. The organizational culture is usually marked and established by the management and founders, and then transferred to the employees of the company. The result is a common cultural identity within the company in terms of certain idioms, dress codes, myths or stories. Although the company primarily establishes the corporate culture, the external environment also influences it. The culture is in a constant process of change, driven by internal and external factors, which contribute to the change of the company. As a result, organizational cultures are often difficult to grasp because they are indeed a real fact, however, exist only in the minds of employees. Thus, as the culture is mainly formed by the employee’s belief in common values, behavior and attitude, which can also unconsciously control the employee’s actions and decisions, it plays a decisive role in the success of a company.

In the following essay I will analyze and discuss what it takes to create and sustain a successful and enduring strategic culture that contributes to employee participation and ensures that the company remains competitive, sustainable and successful.

In the upper management levels of the company, there often seems to be a very mechanistic worldview present. The potential chances and threats that the corporate culture bears are oftentimes being underestimated. As the author of the book ‘becoming a strategic leader explains, illustrative signs of a culture that constrains strategic leadership would be that: “ the right hand doesn’t know what the left hand in the organization is doing”. On the positive side there can be a highly motivated team making the impossible possible, on the negative side however unmotivated employees can plunge the company into ruin. Thus everyone should understand the values as well as the corporate vision and mission clearly. Employees should be able to state who they are what they do in terms of the company’s mission. Their behavior and attitude should likewise be aligned with those values and goals. The vision itself should represent what the company stands for and what its goal is for the future. It is essential to find a common purpose, involving people in the process.

However, in order for employees to be able to understand and be committed to the mission and vision, leaders firstly have to clarify their own values and align their actions with the expressed vision. As a leader it becomes exceedingly important to set the example and to act as a role model as they are the ones being watched by everyone in the company. As the book “The Leadership challenge” states: “You can’t believe in the messenger if you don’t know what the messenger believes”. The top management itself must be fully committed, enthusiastic and consistent to its vision and values before they can start influencing their workers and discuss shared values. Furthermore the leaders of the organization must truly believe in the vision and an extraordinary future that is not unrealistic but actually achievable. Creating so-called SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time bound) goals will contribute to a promising future. Yet, at the same time managers always have to keep the employees values, aspirations, visions and beliefs in mind too.