Does your business have a story? Do your workmates/associates/staff have good stories about your business? What about your customers? Is the culture of your organisation reflected in its stories. I think it’s human nature to tell stories. We grow up as kids with stories. Stories are used particularly in indigenous cultures to pass on information and important cultural and social messages.
I came across a really engaging article from Peter Bregman in the Harvard Business Review. Peter recounts a discussion with a client about changing a particular organisation’s culture:
“A culture is a complex system with a multitude of interrelated processes and mechanisms that keep it humming along. In most organizations these elements develop unconsciously and organically to create a system that, while not always ideal, works. To change the culture is awkward, self-conscious, and complex. It’s better to avoid it if possible.”
The discussion that follows was about all the traditional things that a consultant might do to change that culture e.g. change the performance review system, the rewards packages, the training programs. But Peter had a really interesting response: (more…)