Every organization has its own culture, some historical, some evolved, and some influenced by past and current leadership. Each of these organizational cultures are based on instilled values that drives how the organization functions and operates. There is not a right or wrong culture in my opinion, its more the “right fit” culture that shapes the organization. Thus, individuals may align or shift their beliefs and values to be able to function effectively in the organization they work for.
Hence, my values shape who I am, therefore it also translates how I want the culture to be as well. I wouldn’t define it as “non-negotiables” rather what kind of cultural norms do we want to be in to compliment the vision of the team/organization, knowing that there are some ingrained cultures that may not be easy to alter or change. However, if a culture change is required to advance the team/organization, a “buy-in” is needed by everyone involved, particularly the upper hierarchy (Board, Owners, or Executives) otherwise without their support, changes will be pushed back and eventually you will be left frustrated or be made the “scapegoat” for the failures for the team/organization.
Example, in the last few months, there have been a lot of comparisons been discussed and debated between the culture that Chelsea and Brighton operate under. Chelsea has a culture that focuses on immediately results to gain success as they have the financial power to do so. Therefore, their fans values and beliefs are dictated by this approach. They are inpatient behaviours are stemmed from the culture the club is ingrained in. While Brighton does not have the financial clout to be able to compete with the “big six clubs”, hence their culture is more community based and “living within their means” and the focus on stability of the club. Neither culture approach is right or wrong but more so what values underpin the expectations and the definition of success. Hence, its very important to understand the culture each organization operates under to ensure the “right fit” is applied to hiring of individuals that have similar values and beliefs to the organization, for them to succeed.
If you have support for the above hierarchy for change to improve or shift the culture of the organization, then you can have significant influence instilling your values and beliefs into the organization with potential opportunity in pursuit of excellence and success. The shift/change in culture will still need to be implemented; it could be done instantly or gradually. Either approach could face push back from certain individuals that are not aligned with your values and beliefs. Fortunately having the support of the hierarchy for change; those individuals that do not have the same values would either leave or be released and be replaced by individuals that “fits” the new culture. However, these individuals could shift their values and beliefs to be aligned with the “new culture” if the culture acknowledges a positive, safe, and learning environment for the individuals to be able to grow and still maintain their own identity, then the influence of the “new culture” could be beneficial for everyone involved. Such example could clearly be seen, when Arsene Wenger was appointed the Arsenal manager. He was allowed the ability to make changes in culture and how the club operates which translated to success on and off the field. He made changes to player and staff personnel and brought in new innovative ideas which was “foreign” in England at that time.
So going back to the so call “non-negotiables” required to build a culture, it relates to one’s values and beliefs and how it can influence a positive, safe, and learning environment that ties into the vision of the organization. Which could mean a possible change in vision, potentially, that would be required depending on what is defined as success. Whether it’s a high-performance culture or fun-embedded experience culture, that we are after that is dictated by historical, evolved, or influenced by past and current leadership, my approach to creating a culture is influenced by values and beliefs not by “non-negotiables” in my opinion.
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