Boren, former vice president and general manager of Biomet Zimmer, explains, “Team members know when an organization is truly being genuine about the importance of culture. You cannot outsource assistance in this area. You must truly seek to engage your employees in shaping what will ultimately be your company's legacy, its enduring culture,” (Boren, 2016). How do you impose culture? You don't impose it. Although you may tailor input discussions to various groups (leaders, influencers, or employees) differently, involve everyone. You're all part of this. Figure out what's working and what's not working, and move forward accordingly.
Misconception #2: Cultures Are Static
Culture is dynamic because human beings are dynamic. We as individuals are constantly evolving, and we are evolving in relation to one another also. Even just 10 years ago students turned in homework on paper instead of online and YouTube was just making its debut. Culture, as the aggregate of human behavior, is never static.
If left to themselves, cultures can quickly go down the tube. Tony Hsieh gives an excellent example with his pre-Zappos experience at LinkExchange (Hsieh, 2010, 47–48). They ran out of like-minded friends to hire, so they started hiring other people en masse, looking for competence, forgoing culture. Soon enough, going to work in the morning felt like “death by a thousand papercuts” because what had once been obvious and easy was lost. When it comes to creating and nurturing a culture, you are never done.
According to Clay Robinson, owner of award-winning Sun King Brewing Company, “I always knew that culture was important, and we needed to lead by example in order to plant the seed of a winning culture and allow it to grow. Over the years, we have worked to continually steer our culture in the right direction as it evolves. Our staff comes to work happy, knowing that they are respected, and our company has grown and blossomed because of it,” (Robinson, 2016).
Nicole Bickett, chief administrative officer at Mainstreet, describes the need to remain vigilant when curating culture:
Focus, commit, and invest in your people and their engagement. The only way you will create a strong culture is by desiring and creating it. If you do not, a culture will be created by default and it may not be the one you want. Engage anyone and everyone in its creation and cultivation, and make sure leadership is driving it every single day. Don't create it and then relegate it to others. Focus on it, talk about it, and continue to innovate on it. If you do this, you will be able to advance your culture and create the business success that comes with it. (Nicole Bickett, 2016)
Similar to civic culture, inhabitants of one company may decide that some behaviors they see in another culture appeal to them, so they incorporate those new behaviors and voilà, dynamic culture. The beauty is, if you're cognizant of it, you can decide what to accept and what to reject from other styles and alternatives. Everything is borrowed, synthesized from other ideas, and pieced together in creative ways. Retain the significant aspects of your own culture that you value, and actively tend to what you want to develop.
A culture is bound to emerge, so you might as well make sure it's a great one. Clay Robinson of Sun King Brewing agrees. “You have to continually and actively engage people,” says Robinson. “Culture needs to be curated in order to continue to grow and evolve.”
Tom Froehle, Chair and Managing Partner for Faegre Baker Daniels law firm, understands how critical it is to intentionally nurture a positive culture. He played an important role in the combining of two nationally recognized legal giants, Baker & Daniels and Faegre & Benson
As it relates to the combination of Baker & Daniels and Faegre & Benson, culture was critically important. In identifying potential prospects for a combination, we researched firm culture by reviewing websites, searching publications, and talking with people who had firsthand experiences. Through that process, we discovered that like Baker & Daniels, Faegre & Benson shared our cultural values. They had a rich history of community involvement and commitment to pro bono service, high expectations for quality, and strong reputations, not only as great lawyers, but as good people, as well. (Froehle, 2016)
At the outset, both firms recognized that any strategic opportunities could not be realized without a strong cultural fit. We started with the leadership teams and spent significant time getting to know each other and developing trust and confidence between the teams.
We also recognized that lawyers are naturally skeptical, and thus included them in the process at an early stage. We were intentional about sharing the possibility of a combination early on with all of our people and providing a significant due diligence period in which lawyers from the two firms could meet each other and decide for themselves whether there was a good cultural fit.
After approval of the merger, but before it took effect, we began investing heavily in making sure that lawyers could continue to find ways to interact and get to know each other. That included substantial travel but also a very substantial investment in video-conferencing capabilities so internal meetings could be held virtually face-to-face, rather than by telephone. We recognized that the best way to integrate was to encourage people to collaborate on client work. We measured the amount of “cross-firm” work and celebrated successes that included cross-office teams, and we continue to do so today.
Every step of the way, we focused on one of our guiding principles, “One Firm,” which reflects both our desire to assemble the best teams regardless of location and our focus on firm success over individual or group success. We still have plenty of work to do, but we are off to a good start.
Misconception #3: One Size Fits All
We share 99.9 percent of our genetic makeup with all other humans, but that 0.1 percent manifests itself in many different expressions, values, and lifestyles (“National Human Genome Research Institute,” ). Do culture in the way that makes sense for you, so people are engaged with and living out the core values. At Kayak, that looks like every employee picking up the phone to handle service calls, decision-making meetings requiring only three people, and hiring managers boasting that working for them is “the most fun job a person will ever have” (Daisyme, 2015). At Edward Jones, that looks like deep community roots, generous associate ownership opportunities, and firm-sponsored European trips for employees and their families (Mucciolo, 2009). Very different approaches, but both companies are financially successful and recognized as great places to work.
Remember, this is your culture we are talking about. It comes from a combination of your leadership team, the people of your organization, and the unique aspects that make your company what it is today and what it will be in the future. The outcomes of engagement, profit, and retention are defined, but the methods can be different. The very nature of many successful company cultures is that they're quirky. Steve Jobs, in his famous Stanford address, advised to “Stay hungry, stay foolish” (You've Got to Find What You Love, 2005). Even the best advice may be irrelevant to you and your people. You cannot do anyone else's version of this work. You have to find your own way for what is uniquely effective in your organization. Emulate others where it makes sense, but do not lose sight of the fact that “one size fits one” when it comes to culture.
Chapter 4
Cross-Industry Engagement: (Or, Why You Don't Have to Sell Software to Be Cool)
Though we now understand the tech industry's infamous perks, like free massages, hoodies, and fancy parties, are not silver bullets, it's still easy to think tech companies get all the culture fun and all the fame. But you don't have to sell software to attract, engage, and retain top talent. Your company may sell farm equipment, educate children, or make duck whistles. The culture gods do not care what you do; they will bless your culture intentionality and thoughtfulness all the same. Allow us to shine the spotlight on some other types of companies that are making huge cultural strides and seeing real results.
