If you want something different, you have to do something different. Most company cultures are decidedly mediocre. – Donte Vaughn and Randall Powers
What’s your gut response to that quote? Without thinking too much, does it ring true in your experience? I have worked with non-profits, educational institutions, service industries, and retail organizations. Across all of these industries, I have seen examples of cultural problems and challenges described by the authors of this text. Consider the five myths that Vaugh and Powers “debunk” in their work:
- Company culture should develop organically
- Employee feedback is the best measure of company culture
- The higher the pay the better the culture
- Company culture does not equal company performance
- There is a right or wrong company culture
In this book, Vaughn and Powers provide more than just a list of complaints or accusations and their work is more than academic research. They call for organizational leaders to not simply wish for an improved culture but to actively plan for and implement relevant strategies. While most organizations believe in corporate values, many have not taken the steps required to understand what those values should look like within the organization and what it would take to integrate them into behaviors and practices. This book lays out the authors’ proven system for culture performance management and the necessary steps for the operationalization and optimization of cultural values within an organization.
Many of us are seeing employee turnover at unprecedented rates and employee engagement rates that were rising from 2010 to 2020 began declining in 2021 and have continued to decline in 2022. In a report released in April, only 32% of employees are engaged and 17% are actively disengaged. When combined with the increasing calls for social responsibility, it is clear that organizations cannot afford to leave culture on auto-pilot.
Is your culture a facade that will crumble when the media begins throwing rocks or is your culture a bulkhead prepared to sustain any assault? – Donte Vaughn and Randall Powers