Developing yourself as a leader within the organization that you work with can be very rewarding. How you develop relates directly to how you fit into the culture of the organization around you. Being aware of the cultural environment you are in will make you a responsive and effective leader. It will also give you tools to respond challenges such as mergers and drastic changes in the structure of the organization.
Culture is the sum of the mythology, rituals heroes, language, uniforms and symbols that that sets your group apart from others. So nations have their cultures and regions within countries too. If you look at any group that stays together for geographical or social reasons you can make measurable cultural distinctions about them.
When you think about an organization that you are a part of, there are things about it that are distinctive. It may be the people or something else, like the history that everyone in the group has shared. There could be some sort of event that happened years ago and yet anyone who was around at that time still talks about it. Perhaps there is a uniform that you wear. It might be that there are task related terms that are part of your vocabulary that is only used by your group and sounds like technical jargon to outsiders. These are all part of what culture is; organizations have their own cultures.
Culture can be a very powerful tool to leadership if you learn how to identify it. Three of the traits of culture to be aware of and to use as tools for leadership are the stories, rituals and symbols of the organization. Identify the stories of how the organization started. Take note of stories of key events and about people who served as examples of how to act. These stories will contain hints about the organization’s value and focus. Rituals are activities that you do to commemorate a historic event or when you have reached an important milestone or goal. Religious ceremonies are obviously rituals but so are things like graduations and less formal things like company picnics. If you have activities that are traditions, they are rituals. Symbols are any objects or graphics that have a meaning to them. Anything like trophies or plaques or a statue of the founder, these are all symbols as well as brands and uniforms.
Also, be aware that people come in from different outside cultures. People from diverse ethnic and social backgrounds often spend time in the workplace. Differences in peoples’ backgrounds can easily be the cause of friction or outright hostility. A healthy company culture will help people get along with each other because it gives a common frame of reference.
Sometimes there can be conflicts of culture between different parts of an organization. When a company buys another and the two cultures come into contact or one organization has to align with the management culture of the other, there is a lot of potential for culture clash at all levels. Cultural assumptions start to come apart and each side misunderstands the other. Changes like this can be very upsetting.
Changes are stressful for people in organizations. Particularly when they involve losing certainties of a familiar culture and the insecurity of dealing with new and unknown cultural threats from outside. But this can be a fantastic opportunity to to really expand your influence as a leader and make a name for yourself.
The difference between success and failure in changing times and clashing cultures is all down to how you step up as a leader. First, as a leader, don’t be overpowered by the culture; resist groupthink, which is when individuals can’t stand up to the culture, like the mentality of a mob. Try to keep your perspective and critical thinking. Learn about the other side’s culture and values. Contribute in a positive way by sharing the stories rituals and symbols that made your part of the new joint organization what it was. Try to create new stories, rituals and symbols to create buy-in for commitment to new goals and challenges. Do this in your conversations with coworkers by describing events and detailing the actions that support the goals positively and those that do not negatively. Use meetings and ceremonies to introduce new symbols and encourage new traditions that bridge to old culture and the new.
Changes and conflicts seem to come at us at an ever faster rate. Strong and wise leadership is essential to helping organizations adapt to these challenges. When you understand the elements of culture and the role of the culture in an organization then you can use it as a leader to be a positive influence. When this helps your organization grow and succeed, you will also grow and succeed as a leader.
