Why Focusing On “Culture Change” May Be Holding You Back

Marshall Goldsmith has a thought-provoking post Are You Unhappy At Work? Change Your Default! about the importance of changing the focus from “what the company can do to help the associate perform better” to one of “what the associate can personally do as self-help,” and how the environment affects how successful he or she can be.

There’s been a lot of talk for decades about “changing the culture” of an organization.  But that kind of effort, no matter how well-meaning, takes a long time, is disruptive to day-to-day work and often ends up breaking some processes and practices that are actually working well.  And wishing for it and waiting for it takes the focus off things you can do right now. Worst of all, it can breed a feeling of personal helplessness when we need everyone to step up and make important decisions all day long.

Improving performance IS about the individual employee, and knowing how things get done in an organization is as important to success as taking personal responsibility for actually doing them.

And HR can play a key role in helping each associate get a deep understanding of the special dynamics of your workplace, the unique talents he or she brings to it and how he or she can thrive in it.

Encourage each member of your team to take a moment to think about the next action — the next phone call, the next meeting with a client, the next discussion with an associate. Ask: “What can you do right now, by yourself, on your own, without waiting for the culture to change or to get buy-in from anyone, to make something better?” When you find something that works, talk about it.  Start your own catalogue of “Best Practices.”