Copycat Culture

Does it make sense to copy the culture from an organisation your admire?

As companies take stock of their performance I know a lot of leaders are looking at ‘best practice’ and industry research.  Many of us have been reading business books to pick up the latest tips and tricks.

I was comparing notes with a colleague the other day and we were discussing how realistic it is to copy what works well in another company.

The small number of large scale system providers speaks to the fact that technology has become a bit of a me-too place - certainly at the top end of the corporate market - think SalesForce, SAP, Service Now to name but a few. 

A lot of organisations (and teams within them) think that their processes are unique to them - but in reality most businesses operate a pretty standard set of processes albeit with different levels of efficiency and effectiveness.

So, if we take a broad brush view that many companies have  access to similar systems and operate similar processes, there has to be something that makes the difference between the ones that seem to thrive and the ones that perhaps struggle.

For me the difference is the company culture. Culture is ‘the way we do things around here’, a common set of beliefs and values and often a shared language.   Every individual has a role to play in determining how a company shapes its culture.  So for me it’s not something that can be created and copied.  There are many common threads to getting the best from people (another topic coming soon) but a good place to start is at the top.  To start to shape a high performing culture, leaders need to create a safe environment for people to be themselves, to innovate, take risks and feel trusted.  It’s for leaders to set the unique cultural tone for their people - not by telling them what to do but acting as role models and living by the adage - actions speak louder than words.

If you want to get to work to shape the culture in your organisation please do get in touch:  [email protected]