Culture is that thing that makes the organisation what it is; it’s the DNA, the aura, the intangible “something” that makes a business unique. Sounds rather woolly, doesn’t it? Perhaps the Oxford English Dictionary can help: Culture; “the attitudes, the ideas, customs, and behaviour of a particular social group” – a collective of people think, act and interact. So, how do we change the way people think, shape their attitudes?
Article by Glen Cardinal, Managing director – Platinum Facilities and Maintenance Services.
Changing organisational culture, when it comprises of an inextricably linked set of attitudes, behaviours and values, is one of the most difficult leadership challenges. There are no quick fixes, but where there’s a will, there’s a way. Well, thinking in this way is, in my opinion, the wrong way to go about it. By asking these questions, you’re subscribing to an ‘us and them’ mentality. A company is only as good as the people it employs; and a business can only operate effectively if everyone feels part of the bigger picture. I joined our company in 2008 as Operations Director. Back then, the market perceived us as a traditional FM hard services provider; perhaps too conservative, risk-adverse and inflexible. A lot of that perception came from the culture of the time. When I became Managing Director in 2013, there was a company-wide call for change. This shift in management structure offered the opportunity to take stock and have a think about how we wanted to operate in order to freshen up our image. Myself, along with other managers, set out to achieve this and, thankfully, there was a collective willingness to shake things up a bit. And we did so by reaching out to our employees, establishing a dialogue and involving the wider Platinum community with the decision-making process. As such, we’ve become more flexible and people-focused with a softer and more modern feel. That transformation has happened through change in leadership and management styles, as well as getting everyone onboard from the very beginning.
The common mistake in these pursuits is assuming that you’ve got all the answers in the first place, and attempting to coerce people into your way of thinking. You can’t expect to define and drive a culture without engaging with your employees to find out what they think. When people are the lifeblood of your business, you have to ensure they’re engaged from the outset if they’re to contribute to its success. You need ask employees what they want and really listen to the answers. Get them involved; see if they’ve got any ideas. If a workforce feels like they’re making a difference, they’ll be a lot more invested and onboard with what an organisation is trying to achieve. What’s more, you need to work together with the wider team if you want to create an atmosphere that makes everyone feel comfortable – this can undoubtedly be reinforced by having a physical space which enables people to work productively. Since culture is driven by people, rather than a person, it’s important to ensure you’ve got the right team in place. Recruitment plays a massive part here. It’s not just about experience and skill sets. Attitude is as important as aptitude so you need the right people with the right cultural fit. Job descriptions and adverts should reflect the essence of an organisation; the type of people you work with and amongst. At the same time, it’s always great to employ people who can act as catalysts for change; the people who perhaps see things a little differently, who recognise the gaps in your culture and can push for change. We spend a lot of time with the people we work with so it’s important everyone gets along as best as possible. This, of course, doesn’t mean you all have to be best friends; but it helps if there’s a mutual sense of respect, belonging and acceptance.
There’s more scope for change when people join a company because new blood can help shift a cultural mindset. This is particularly relevant in our industry; facilities management (FM) service providers often see people often TUPE over. This can, in turn, transform attitudes and actions because suddenly things are being done a little differently. The same goes for winning a new client; the new account might differ quite drastically from the rest of your client-base so team members need to adapt or risk being left behind. These infrastructural changes can impact thought, behaviour and interaction with others. If there are no immediate plans to recruit, then you need to ask the employees you already have what they’d like to see happen within the company, how they’d like to work and what values they’d like to drive. If there’s a bigger purpose to our work, we’re automatically more engaged. Obviously, management teams make the final decision but the process should involve everyone, as far as possible, so you’re all singing from the same hymn sheet.
Before you can effectively communicate your values to current and future employees, you need to know what these values actually are. That might sound obvious but there can be a tendency to pluck out a handful of arbitrary values just because the marketing material requires you to do so. These values should both reflect and drive your company image. Consider asking your clients how they perceive you; this can help with relationship-building, as well as establish the truth. The truth is so important – be true to who you are as a business. Come up with a clear vision of where you want the organisation to go and encourage your leadership team to promulgate that vision. Drawing on the full capabilities of the management and supervisory staff is vital. Work with them to develop and implement processes and systems that can help them and their teams honour the set values. Character profiling can help organisations understand the types of personalities that make up a workforce. This can also suggest the most appropriate ways of unleashing someone’s potential, because it recognises that different people work in different ways. Likewise, individual responses to management styles can dramatically vary. Some workers will appreciate the autonomy associated with a laissez faire approach, whereas others prefer their supervisors to be a bit more hands-on. The adoption of different management techniques will, of course, depend on the situation in question. A firm approach might work in one situation or for a particular individual, while different circumstances and personalities may be better handled with a softer approach. Personality is key so it’s important to get a sense of people in order to find out what level of support or supervision they require.
Managers, HR and otherwise, play a big part when it comes to reminding people of the culture an organisation is striving to drive. For the most part, people are looking for a sense of purpose; and a great boss or a collaborative team environment can help with this. Avoid power play. Coercion, authoritative enforcement and micro-management don’t work as well as people empowerment, especially when it comes to driving cultural change. It’s a bit like story-telling; obviously you want to get to the ending, but it’s the chapters leading up to it that keep people listening and engaged. It’s important to take a more human approach to employee engagement; this involves talking to your staff and giving them a voice, not to mention running training and development programmes that can aid personal and professional progression. Considering the UK is ranked 18th out of 20 countries as per a global engagement survey (ORC Info survey), it’s more important than ever before to provide an environment in which people can flourish. Incentivise staff to become the change that you want to see. Although such transcendence involves everyone, the strategy has to come from the top, and everyone has to be on board and stick to the approach. Consistency is key. Give people practical ways to be part of the change. If you’re aspiring to be more innovative, then run innovation workshops. If you want to unleash creativity, plan more brainstorming sessions. Start with a vision and put in place the management and leadership tools that will encourage behavioral changes. Changing a culture is a really difficult venture because it’s part of the individual and collective wiring. Things won’t change overnight. It takes a long time to embed new attitudes and behaviour into a company. To drive culture, you need to define what you stand for, get clear about your vision and who you are as a business, recruit people that will help you achieve this, create initiatives and programmes around this cultural vision, and reward and recognise the staff that are helping you achieve this your goals.
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