Everyone thinks that they know what the culture of their organisation is - surely it is articulated in the vision and beliefs of the company? But how often is there a mis-match between the explicit culture and the implicit culture i.e. what everyone actually does and what people get rewarded for?
It is rare nowadays that I go into a client company that does not have its visions and values displayed prominently, at least in reception. But it is also a common complaint that the values and associated behaviours as stated are not the ones that the company actually lives. 'Innovation' is the classic example of this - new products and services are inherently risky, it doesn't matter if you have researched the back of them or not, but this risk is at odds with a company's need to deliver steady and consisitent performance for its shareholders.
The problem does not lie with the company's desire to manage risk but with the mis-match between what it says and what it does. The values become superficial, just something that 'people' expect and having no real meaning.
If your organisation's values were the ones that it actually lives and had credibility for its people, what would they be?
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