+ What makes company culture so important?
In this tough economic environment, there is much talk of efficiency drives, cost-cutting and outsourcing. But there seems to be precious-little focus on the ‘softer’, less tangible but no-less significant area of company culture. Why is company culture important? Whereas it is relatively easy to match a product or technological advantage, it is much more difficult to match a distinctive, highly-valued culture. I believe this is where firms will really give themselves a competitive advantage.
In my experience, the majority of business leaders still treat culture as a ‘fluffy’ issue, one that is difficult to get a grip on and unlikely to produce tangible results. But company culture should be on every executive’s agenda as the single most powerful tool to bring about business changes and improve business performance.
And it all comes down to leadership. Business leaders need to role-model the changes in mindsets, attitudes and behaviour they are looking for in the wider organisation. Without this clear, committed leadership, any effort to shift cultural norms will almost certainly fail. If you get the cultural framework right – which needs to be embedded into and aligned with an organisation’s specific business goals – the nay-sayers will have nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. And once you have a critical mass of people in your organisation who are thinking, feeling and behaving in this manner, you have an unstoppable force.
I deliver Arup’s strategic consulting...
It’s amazing what you need to do to keep...
School buildings play an important role in...
One of the most popular questions that healthcare facilities professionals are often asked is “what will the hospital of the future look like?” Historically it has been about finding a fit between population and bed distribution and the...
It's time more chief executive officers owned up to the need for, and embraced, point-to-point navigation to steer their businesses. This means going forward in logical, small steps – and turning back to look for another direction if it...
Although leadership is taught at more...
In 1984 I picked up a book that changed my life....
The recent devastating bushfires in Tasmania show...
I believe we need to get away from an economic order based on ever-increasing consumption where individual wealth creation is seen as the most desirable or only goal. It is simply not sustainable, as Hannes Kunz pointed out in his Thoughts piece...
In the UK, fuel poverty in the social housing...
I recently invited global culture expert and...
For large organisations, project prioritisation can be plagued by pet projects, emotional bargaining and unsubstantiated yet enticing claims of potential benefits. My advice would be to turn your thinking upside down and assess every project or...
Improving the health of disadvantaged communities...
The UK has a goal of attracting 80 international...
In Australia, as elsewhere, public-private...
With debate raging in the UK about legislation to...
In the building design, review and construction process, little if any attention is given to the subject of risk. For example, risks of fire, falling, or earthquakes are rarely discussed or acknowledged, except in terms of code compliance.
Do...
How can building design reduce the spread of tuberculosis?Haiti has the highest TB rate in the Americas. In 2007 it had an estimated 306 TB cases per 100,000 people compared with 4.4 per 100,000 in the US. Up to 70% of people in certain housing...
The number of people in the world aged 80 or over is expected to almost quadruple by 2050, rising to 395m or 4.3% of the global population. With older people more likely to experience chronic conditions such as poor mobility, sensory losses and...
Are hospitals with 100% single patient bedrooms...
Is pressure washing roads and applying dust...
Leave a comment /
Reply to comment /
Comments /
Bill