Transforming Organizational Culture

Why should you transform your organizational culture?

Organizational cultures tend to remain fixed even though time passes and the world changes. To stay competitive, business leaders need to ensure that the internal organizational culture of their company stays up-to-date and does not lose touch with the world.

To illustrate the need to transform, consider that only five years ago, social networking was not a significant force in the workplace. Now, many progressive companies use Twitter as a business tool.

Do your employees in general understand how the new social networking technologies function, or do they tend to be older, less tech-savvy workers and not too interested in what's new? Since the Internet is making most marketplaces global, there is a definite need to keep the workforce updated to stay competitive and "connected" to the customer.

Inadequate leadership is often to blame for an outdated organizational culture. In some cases, the business leaders themselves may be the core of the problem. Senior management members in many companies tend to be older, an artifact of the time required to effectively manage the business functions at a senior level. Even so, implementing the right business structures should ensure that the organizational culture does not get stuck in the last century.

When implementing drastic changes, it is usually not enough to provide only training; entirely new mindsets are required. A new way of thinking must be instilled in the workforce. In such cases, outside help can assist with implementing these cultural changes. Outside coaches, or other individuals with the proper mindset, understanding, and experience can be brought in to help.

Below are some sample employee questions.

- Would you consider yourself happy or unhappy with your job?

- What do you like most about your job?

- What do you like least about your job?

- Does your manager have reasonable expectations for your job performance?

- Have you had any major letdowns while working here?

- What suggestions do you have for your immediate manager?

- Do you feel adequately compensated for the work you do?

- What suggestions do you have for senior management?

- Do you find anything offensive in the workplace, and if so what is it and how should it be changed?

- Do you think the overall organizational culture is positive (or negative)?

- What makes the culture here positive (or negative)?

- What changes could be made to improve the work environment?

- Do you feel that you are adequately trained to function in your current capacity?

- If you feel you are not trained adequately, what training would improve your level of skill in the area(s) of deficiency?

- Do you feel your job assignments are challenging or too easy? Why?

- What tools or technologies do you feel are lacking in the workplace?