Good day,
After the summer vacations, hopefully with enough time to relax and reflect, we are back in the VUCA business world.
Common challenges that currently occupy many managers. Apparent contradictions that can be viewed from several sides. This is how the topic of corporate culture showed up at the first Culture Cafes, which took place in August.
Let's take a closer look at the points.
#1: Need for consensus and readiness for conflict
This dichotomy shapes our current challenges.
Teams and managers feel the need to take the opinions of all employees into account. And at the same time, there is an uncomfortable feeling that exactly the opposite is also needed: a willingness to engage in conflict in order to address tensions openly and thereby really solve problems. Dialog and listening are skills for bringing the need for consensus and the willingness to engage in conflict to a common denominator.
#2: Diversity - but when is the right time?
Complex systems are approached from different perspectives.
What does a software vendor do when employees talk over each other rather than to each other? Having diverse teams is not enough. Collaboration based on a feedback culture could bring faster solutions. Spaces for participation of all employees increase mutual trust. However, the timing at which opinions are solicited is also critical, because in chaos, speed is of the essence.
#3: Stay loyal - yet be bold
Adaptability is required.
"In our company, it is extremely difficult to cancel projects once they have been started," is the observation in a medium-sized production company. The assumption: It could be due to too much loyalty, which proves to be paralyzing. Projects that are not successful have to be terminated quickly. A remedy can be found by reflecting on what success means - combined with shorter project cycles in which teams decide collectively.
#4: Create decision-making structures that also work on the periphery.
Decisions must be transparent.
When a digital agency introduced a new beta organization, it found that the self-preservation instincts of individual teams became a challenge. They simply lacked confidence in the new structures. Transparent and deliberate decision-making can help here, for example. Supportive coaches can accelerate the learning process and help teams find their potential in the new structure.
Conclusion: Even a toxic culture must be met with empathy. The One-X Culture Cafe is the right place for an exchange at eye level.
Would you like to bring your own company culture example to the next Culture Cafe? Register right here: https://bit.ly/Culture-Cafe
