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Thursday, May 07, 2009

Characteristics of a Successful Organizational Culture - Part 2


Signs your organization's culture is healthy

Change is not seen as a goal but a journey

An individual’s status in the organization is gained because of their results ...and methods ...and communications, not their role or title

People have fun at work

People become more willing to speak their minds

All levels of the organization come together to solve problems

Risk taking is encouraged

Project management is taken seriously

Senior staff and executives are visible, available, and relevant

There are blurred lines between organizational groups and departments

External employee concerns (home, family, school) are part of the organization’s agenda

Teams evaluate themselves and other teams

Teams determine who is on or off “the team”

Executives and senior managers that show anti-social behavior or who are not team players are told to seek work elsewhere

People manage themselves

People doing the work are looked upon as experts on how the work should be done

Organizational decisions, rewards, and results are shared openly

There are formal and explicit links and work rules between internal groups

Managers are visible, informed, and accountable

Team assessments are used to measure a Team’s success

There is a new paradigm about what the organization owes the employee and what the employee owes the organization

The gap between potential and performance is reduced (must be measured by outsiders)

Teams replace supervisors

Information is shared about the organization’s failures, problems, successes, and opportunities

People smile more and like coming to work

People discuss then decide

Trust, Respect, Integrity, and Truthfulness are not an option

People are eager and willing to learn new things

Tuesday, May 05, 2009

Characteristics of a Successful Organizational Culture

Culture can be described as a set of behaviors that are refined and are used or sought after by people in their group. Cultural behaviors are a set of shared ideas and beliefs that are associated with a way of life.

In highly effective enterprises, cultures tend to have the following characteristics. There are many more, but these are some that come to mind:

Leaders lead and teach others to be leaders

A positive attitude is displayed by key managers and leaders

The organization's plans, policies, procedures, rules, and strategic direction are well documented and discussed at all levels of the organization

The opinions of employees are valued and they believe they are key members of the larger enterprise team

Work teams are encouraged to develop solutions to organizational problems

Continuous improvement is a part of the way business is done

The organization believes in and practices a philosophy of creativity and innovation

Professional politicians are looked at as a liability

Interdependent relationships are numerous and exist at all levels of the organization

Employees are recognized for their achievements

Feedback is continuous and two-way

Senior managers are visible and available

Resourse planning is practiced continuously

There is "Systems Thinking"

There is a shrinking gap between organizatinal potential and performance (and it is measured)

Team members evaluate the performance of their team as a whole and eliminate unproductive members that are unwilling to perform at acceptable levels

Senior management understands that the people doing the work are the ones that know how the work should be done

Managers are facilitators and coaches

Moral is high and people are satisfied with their jobs

People are committed to the organization's goals and to their work groups success

Sunday, May 03, 2009

Kayaking in Florida


Had a great time kayaking this weekend here in Florida.



Click picture to enlarge