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Several years ago, airline industry survey results showed that people believed that if the flip-down tray tables inside an airplane were dirty, the airline mechanics were not performing regular maintenance on the outside of the plane.
While that may seem silly, I know I’ve made similar assumptions. Perhaps a restaurant was messy, and I assumed the food wouldn’t be properly prepared, or a nonprofit’s office was highly organized, so I believed the organization was well-run. Are such assumptions true? Maybe. Maybe not.
And yet these assumptions provide the very basis for organizational culture, a term we are hearing a lot these days. But what is culture and whose job is it to create and maintain it?
Let’s first break down what organizational culture means. Edgar Schein, a management theorist back in the last century (the 1980s), proposed that there are three levels to an organization’s culture, and they are fairly easy to identify and a bit harder to measure. It was Schein’s buddy, Peter Drucker—another management guru of the 20th century—who was credited with saying, “If you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it.”
Culture has three main components: artifacts, espoused values, and basic assumptions. Artifacts are easy to identify. Look around and observe the physical space, dress code, office layout, technology, branding and logos, including public documents like employee orientation handbooks and lookbooks.
Artifacts may also provide insight into how an organization wants to appear and how it actually appears.
Values, on the other hand, are a bit trickier. Organizations have stated beliefs and norms that are promoted and communicated within the organization and are generally considered to be recognized values. You can find them articulated in mission statements, vision statements, value statements, and other official documents.
Yet the tricky part is, for example, when you say you value your donors or grant partners but spend little time with them. There may be a need for more alignment between the espoused values and the day-to-day reality. Or if an organization says it puts its people first, yet the employees don’t feel heard or valued, there may be a values struggle.
The last piece of the culture puzzle is the assumptions. These are the underlying beliefs and values that shape the essence of an organization's culture. Assumptions are often unconscious and difficult to uncover and change, but not impossible. You can think of a leader who has changed organization over time, and hopefully, it was a positive change.
Essentially, assumptions answer the “why” questions and understanding them is crucial for effective leadership. And that answers the second part of the initial question: Whose job is it to create and maintain culture? Everyone has a role, just like in an orchestra with dozens of musicians and as many instruments. But it is the leader’s job to be the conductor and see the vision beyond each instrument and hear the music come together.
Peter Drucker was asked which was more important for a successful organization, strategy or culture. He answered, “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.”
How’s your culture?
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