In a webinar on “Maintaining a Healthy Relationship System while Delivering Results,” Sindiswa Calana and Cecil Murray shared four trends they have observed in workplaces, and the challenges these present to leaders. Here is the second.
Trend 2 of 4 – CULTURE MATTERS
One of the core principles of relationship systems is that they are always undergoing change. People often share the lament that “things just aren’t the way they used to be”.
YOU DON’T BRING ME FLOWERS … ANYMORE
Every workplace, every work team, has an essence that pervades people’s interaction with each other. It is made visible in many “incidental collisions”, casual exchanges, patterns of communication, rituals of coming together, body language, tone of voice, peals of laughter, outbursts of anger, protocols of relationship repair and recovery, memes of shared meaning, spoken and unspoken norms, and beliefs and values, both espoused and incidental.
This culture functions as a connective tissue, or a nutritive network that holds the system together and sustains its health, so that it may achieve its purpose through its people.
In our observation, the disruption of 2020, and the subsequent dramatic changes in work patterns, have caused a reconfiguration of culture across organisations. This has significantly impacted performance of individuals and teams.
We know that culture emerges either by default or by design.
- By default, patterns and connections form spontaneously, organically, as an amalgam of the personalities and behaviours of the members.
- By design, it takes considered intent and persistent focus on new behaviours to shift a culture.
We have seen both scenarios play out and are delighted when leaders invite us to help them adopt the second approach! Speak to us if you’d like to be intentional of designing your culture.
