You gotta believe!

I think the power of belief is under-appreciated in business. When I say that belief determines behavior, or at least strongly influences it, many people agree with me in areas outside business, especially in areas like moral and religious reasoning. But not at work. Why? Do people suddenly change when they walk through the doors of companies across the country each day? In some ways they might, as in how they present themselves to colleagues as opposed to their friends outside work. That's external, and I'm talking about the internal, the feelings people have about the company they work for, the work they do and what it means to them. A person who believes in his/her company and its leadership will be far more effective and productive than one who does not. This has huge implications in a number of ways, one of which is change management.

Every company I've ever consulted with, worked for or talked with wants to implement change somewhere. Sometimes they confuse change and improvement, but that's another topic. Everyone agrees that most change initiatives fail in full implementation, and there is no shortage of books and articles on why. There are lots of good reasons but I want to address only one, that of belief. Stuart Chase wrote: "For those who believe, no proof is necessary. For those who don't believe, no proof is possible." Belief is something you feel deeply, so much so that appeals to logic and reason alone will not sway you. Yes, beliefs are tied closely with feelings, and that should not surprise anyone nor cause them concern. Beliefs are felt and acted upon, not just in living rooms but in cubicles and board rooms.

I was watching a video clip of John Kotter today, who as you should know, is a leading authority on organizational change. He said something very interesting that ties into this discussion. Kotter said his reasearch found that helping people change had less to do with showing them analysis to change their thinking to change their behavior than showing something of truth that hits their feelings that changes their behavior. It surprised him and he said that this sure wasn't what they taught him in his MBA program! What this means to me is that belief and feelings are intertwined, and if you can change those, behavior will follow.

In my own work I've found this to be true. I've even seen it proven in IT, whose inhabitants are usually considered reflexively analytical and logical, and disdainful of feelings and beliefs. Not so when it comes to organizational change. Don't be afraid of dealing with belief and feelings. When you do, people respond and behavior change has a better chance of succeeding. Do this regularly and you'll develop a culture where people will do whatever it takes to make the business succeed, simply because they believe so strongly.

What culture is and why it matters.

I want to build a little on what I implied as the primacy of culture in diagnosing and repairing business problems. So let's first define what's meant by culture, although I should point out one thing: the study of culture is generally within the purview of anthropology, specifically and not surprisingly, cultural anthropology. Anthropologists have been arguing about the definition of culture for decades, and there are literally hundreds, possibly thousands of definitions, each reflecting the writer's research bias (and such were part of my academic studies for years). I'm not interested in academic purity anymore; I use a definition that is explanatory and useful for improving the business condition of my clients. Culture, then, consists of the norms, values, beliefs and behaviors both acquired and cultivated by persons as members of a group. It is a "shared code of meaning" (Clifford Geertz), and it is "whatever one needs to know or believe in order to operate in a manner acceptable to its members" (Ward Goodenough).

If we reflect on these definitions I think we can see that they are applicable to all manner of human groups, from a simple band society to complex civilizations and of course, to modern businesses of all sizes. In fact, if you re-read the Goodenough quote, haven't you heard that expressed in business as "the way we do things around here?" That phrase has become a kind of shorthand definition of corporate culture, and it's pretty accurate. But the point is that the way things are done around anywhere, i.e., the culture, will become the major influence on behavior. If I'm a new employee and I want to fit in, be accepted and climb the ladder, I will probably watch, listen and learn how things are done, who has the influence, what is acceptable behavior and language, where the power structures are and so forth. I'll follow those patterns, and assuming I have at least minimal competance I'll begin to succeed. In the meantime, I will likely internalize the spoken and especially unspoken company values. I will become one of the tribe in a process called acculturation, and I won't even know it has happened.

Talk to someone from a company listed as one of the best to work for; they're virtual brand ambassadors because of their belief in the company for whom they work, and that belief compels them to high standards of personal performance. It's that company's culture driving such belief and behavior. There is a pattern in those companies and it's worth emulating. If you're in management, take a look around. What do you see? What do you hear? Do employees believe in the company's vision? Are they performing at the levels you need? Is there a pattern of customer complaints? Are people engaged in their work? Do they show pride in what they do and do they show pride in your company, what it does and most importantly, what it stands for? These are all cultural indicators (there are more). Don't dare ignore them.

Hello and welcome to my blog. This is an outgrowth of my company, Corporate Pulse Consulting. Don't look for my web site right now as it's down for a major overhaul. Here I will be writing about issues surrounding improving corporate culture, change management and communication. I'll also write about other general business issues and I'll probably have some things to say about related concerns (I suspect that definition will be very flexible!). Let me explain the particular slant on my work:

As a solo management consultant, my background in cultural anthropology has led me to conclude that most organizational challenges can be traced to problems somewhere within the corporate culture. Here’s what I’ve found: Culture influences belief, which determines behavior, which determines results. Regardless of size, culture impacts performance in every organization. Unless you have alignment at all levels, from entry-level to board room, that performance will suffer. It cannot be all it can and should be. Are there other factors to consider? Sure, and an analysis of the culture will flush them out every time. After that, we can determine what to do next.

That's my starting point. I've helped clients with customer service problems, interpersonal communications, conflict resolution, merger and acquisition challenges and many of the "usual" business concerns. What I've found is that very often they are symptoms of a greater problem, and I can find that problem in the existing culture.

I look forward to sharing ideas and welcome comments and suggestions.