EMA SUSTAINING CULTURE Anna McNaughton Ph

Agenda Why sustain culture? The challenge of sustaining culture Culture driving decisions – decisions driving culture The culture evolution Top 5 tips to sustaining culture

Defining Culture “ The set of shared, taken-for-granted implicit assumptions that a group holds and that determines how it perceives, thinks about, and reacts to various environments” “Culture represents an interdependent set of values and ways of behaving that are common in a community and that tend to perpetuate themselves sometimes over long periods of time” “The way we do things around here”

Why Sustain Culture? Customer orientation Recruitment Employee satisfaction Organisational commitment & retention Financial & growth performance

The Challenge of Sustaining Culture Big bang, and quick fizzle Do we understand the culture in the first place? Multiple cultures & sub cultures New leaders, different direction

Culture driving decisions – decisions driving culture Simplistically:

Work environment The Organisation Strategy Structure, systems, technology Work tasks, goals, procedures Work group behaviourManager behaviour Culture; i.e. common beliefs, attitudes and values External Environment Legislation Politics Technology Education Society Marketplace Competitors Consumers Economy Characteristic patterns of behaviour (Adapted from Williams et al 1989) Culture driving decisions – decisions driving culture

Organisation Design Model © AlignOrg Solutions

The Culture Evolution Culture is not changed overnight, and can not be talked into existence!! Some examples of the journey: – Vestas America: Safety culture implemented and maintained. 60% reduction of injuries in 2010, additional 30% in Q – Plante & Moran: Top CPA firm in USA’s Fortune’s Best Companies to Work, 11 years in a row. Shifting workforce demographics and client expectations – NZ Family Owned Business: Rural sector focus Massive growth in last 12 / 18 months (from 30 to 80 employees), high performance

5 Tips for Sustaining Culture 1.Framework & communication 2.Leadership 3.Hiring practices 4.Induction / onboarding 5.Employee involvement