Getting everyone in the company to work together in the process of integrating a specific value (such as responsibility, adaptability, honesty, etc.) keeps everything focused and cohesive. Hearing thoughts from all levels of the company on how to integrate overarching values will bring important insights and keep everyone engaged. Creative problem-solving generates spaces for people to bring up new ideas which can guide processes to be innovative and keeps the company forward thinking. These are the things groups want to strive for but what do they do to achieve these goals? Below are some contrasts between poor group culture compared to strong group culture.
An example of a poorly cultured group would be where everyone is closed off and focused on themselves rather than the larger community and overarching values. This group might have a vision but they aren’t using their full potential to achieve their goals.
The American Productivity and Quality Center spoke at a conference in early October 2020, where they classified some common roadblocks to building a strong culture as:
- Risk adverse
- Lack of strategy and value proportion
- Legacy or siloed systems
- Bad performance measures
- Short-term focus
- Lack of accountability
The roadblocks listed above can also be roadblocks to change which can affect how the company functions. Just because the culture isn’t where it could be doesn’t mean it has to stay that way. SL-serco works with utilities throughout the United States to support their change implementations as they work towards their goals and visions for the future.
An example of a positive group culture would be where everyone prioritizes their time together through collaboration, engagement, and creative brainstorming. This group does their daily work well with an understanding of how it fits into the larger community, vision, and overarching values. A well cultured group looks to the future and wonders how things could be changed to be accomplished in a better way.
The American Productivity and Quality Center identified key supporting aspects to build a strong group including:
- Centralized or dedicated collaboration
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Clear and transparent processes
- Rewards and recognition
- Training and empowerment
SL-serco would add creativity and innovation as being key components to what makes a company culture successful. All of these elements can empower communities to grow stronger together and identify how to reach goals for the future.
Overall, building a community culture requires hard work but is worth the investment to achieve positive group culture.
Some thoughts to ponder:
- What values could be integrated into your work?
- How can you support implementing change?
- What components do you think make a strong culture?