By Simon Mitchell
During my 30 something years as a football (or soccer as its called in the US) supporter (I won’t reveal which club) I’ve been struck by what a huge difference a manager makes. Same club, same players, same supporters but different manager equals different results. Some managers come in and succeed – more often than not, they fail. Look at England’s manager Fabio Capello in the World Cup. One of the most decorated managers in the world leading England's “Golden Generation”; the team looked destined for success.
The result however was such failure as to be bordering on farce. Take that analogy to the business world. Over the years I’ve worked with many leaders and when starting a new role, they almost always have really good ideas about driving a company forward fueled by enthusiasm and boundless optimism. But like in football, the promise seldom lives up to the expectation.
Why is this? A manager is selected precisely because they are more than capable of driving forward strategy, so why doesn’t it happen often enough?
Nine times out of 10, it’s because they are trying to drive a sound strategy, but in the wrong environment. No matter how confident leaders are of their plans, strategies just won’t take root in a conflicting culture. Example: an organization whose culture is highly process-driven is unlikely to succeed with a strategy based around innovation. Likewise, in a culture where innovation is king, a cost control strategy, which restricts budget and implements more stringent processes, may find itself flailing in the wind.
So, is it possible to drive changes which alter the culture of an organization? The answer is yes, but not easily - and not overnight.
To ensure strategy and culture are working in harmony, organizations must take the time to first understand the culture of an organization and then set an achievable plan which moves the company towards the desired position. Culture starts at the top with what leaders say and do, and how they behave. Process and systems then institutionalize leaders’ behaviors into a culture. True culture change is achieved when systems are challenged and leaders are selected, promoted, rewarded - and sanctioned - in line with the desired behavior.
Senior leaders must be prepared to work with resistant employees, lead by example and should be prepared to make tough decisions if some people are identified as a barrier between success or failure.
It is not easy changing the culture of an organization and there will be many challenges along the way. However, if your business strategy is to succeed, be mindful that if strategy and culture are conflicting, culture will win every time. Unfortunately watching England at the World Cup demonstrated this only too painfully.
Simon Mitchell is the European Marketing Manager for Development Dimensions International (DDI).
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