Organizational culture is primarily an evolutionary process that emerges over time, shaped significantly by the organization's leadership and influenced by past successes.
How Culture Emerges Over Time
An organizational culture isn't typically built overnight; it tends to emerge over time. This organic development is a key characteristic, suggesting that culture is a cumulative outcome of daily interactions, decisions, and shared experiences within the organization. It's a dynamic process that evolves as the company grows and changes.
Key Factors Shaping Culture
Based on perceived impact and influence, two major forces are instrumental in shaping this evolving culture:
Leadership's Influence
The organization's leadership plays a crucial role in sculpting the cultural landscape. Leaders' behaviors, values, communication styles, and priorities set the tone and often become the standard for the rest of the organization. Their actions, more than just their words, demonstrate what is valued and expected.
Learning from Success
Culture is also profoundly shaped by actions and values perceived to have contributed to earlier successes. When specific ways of working, approaches, or values lead to positive outcomes, they are reinforced and woven into the organizational fabric. Employees learn what works and what is celebrated, leading to the embedding of these successful behaviors and values into the shared understanding of 'how things are done here'.
Managing Culture Development
While culture emerges organically, it is not entirely beyond influence. A company culture can be managed intentionally. This requires the cultural awareness of organizational leaders and management. By understanding the existing culture and being mindful of how their actions and decisions impact it, leaders can steer the cultural evolution towards desired attributes.
- Awareness: Recognizing the current cultural traits.
- Intentional Action: Making decisions and exhibiting behaviors that reinforce desired values.
- Communication: Clearly articulating shared goals and values.
In essence, while culture is a slow-burning process shaped by history and leadership, conscious effort from leadership can guide its development.
