Eric Wohl’s Post

At Acumen Learning, we often talk about the balance between people and profit and the virtuous cycle investing in people can create. Eric does a great job describing the benefits of investing in people and dispelling myths surrounding culture.

Does your culture fit your strategy? 🤔 It's often strategy and operating model that gets all the attention when businesses look to transform. However, you cannot pursue a strategy or work within an operating model that people are are not ready or energised for. Culture is the catalyst for both organisational and transformational success. Our Enterprise Transformation team brings together the power of all three to make a difference with our clients. For a deep dive into culture as a key success factor, take a look here to find out more: https://lnkd.in/eJWnwps6 Paul Morton Bruce H. Gabriella Lauffer Steve Randle Adrian O'Shea Caroline Canham Andrea Poore Sam Twining Matt Fleming Joshua Watson Lauren Kate Black

🔍 The Unseen Barrier to Strategic Success: Organizational Culture We've all heard the saying, "Culture eats strategy for breakfast," but how many of us have paused to consider the depth of this statement? The truth is that a misalignment between your organization's culture and its strategic goals can be a silent killer, derailing even the most well-thought-out plans. 📊 The Power of Data-Driven Insights Leaders often believe they have a good grasp of their company's culture, usually based on anecdotal evidence or gut feelings. However, to truly understand the intricacies of your organizational culture, a data-driven approach is indispensable. Comprehensive surveys can unearth the dominant traits of your organization, revealing how they either bolster or hinder your strategic objectives. 🎯 Going Beyond Employee Engagement While gauging employee engagement is valuable, it doesn't paint the full picture. More nuanced diagnostics can identify core cultural traits that can either be leveraged as strengths or flagged for evolution. This is not just about whether your employees are happy; it's about whether your organizational DNA is compatible with your strategic ambitions. 🛠 The Way Forward: Focused Change When culture and strategy are at odds, the knee-jerk reaction might be to overhaul the culture. However, this is often impractical and disruptive. Instead, zero in on specific cultural elements that can be evolved to better align with your strategic goals. Small, focused changes can yield significant results. 🔑 Key Takeaways 1️⃣ Understand the gap between your culture and strategy for better alignment. 2️⃣ Employ a data-driven approach for a comprehensive understanding of your organizational culture. 3️⃣ Opt for focused initiatives over wholesale changes to effectively align culture with strategy. By taking the time to systematically and quantifiably assess your current culture, you're not just setting your organization up for immediate wins; you're laying the groundwork for sustainable, long-term success. #OrganizationalCulture #StrategyAlignment #DataDriven #Leadership #Innovation https://lnkd.in/grVjXR3Q

“Culture eats strategy for breakfast” has been one of the most lasting aphorisms in business. The phrase has been so durable because it accurately, and vividly, describes a common issue: trying to pursue a strategy that the organization isn’t ready for. Yet although the phrase nicely sums up the problem, the solutions are harder to find. Success requires understanding—and measuring—the potential disconnect between the culture of an organization and the strategy under consideration. Cultures can change, but they can’t change radically in the near term. If a leadership team can determine the size of the gap between culture and strategy in advance, they can set the right level of ambition for that strategy—and increase the odds that it will succeed. Start with the data Measuring the alignment between culture and strategy Closing the gap https://lnkd.in/dRPvM9by

Company culture: We all know what it is, right? Well, sure, but as many leaders know, it can also be hard to measure company culture and make concrete improvements to it. Take a look at this helpful guide to help make the business case for putting culture first, tips for measuring it, steps for improving organizational culture and more. #OrganizationalCulture #EmployeeExperience #EmployeeEngagement #Workplace

The driving force behind any business is company culture. According to Forbes, the true essence of culture defies a singular definition. It encompasses more than just policies or traditions. It revolves around shared norms, attitudes, and practices. "Good company culture is about respect, a factor that’s nearly 18 times as important as any other factor in predicting the way employees rate a company’s overall culture." It's great to share statistics and spread awareness about what a strong company culture looks like. But, in my opinion, with something as important as workplace culture, talking the talk isn't enough AT ALL (anyone else still binging I Think You Should Leave?). A strong company culture is built on team trips to DQ, selfies, and parking lot picnics. Above all else, culture is built on trust and friendship - two things that I'm lucky to share with my team. #CompanyCulture #TeamBuilding #Leadership

💬 Is your employee recognition strategy generic, impersonal and infrequent? You could be missing the mark! Our editor Anjum K speaks to Ryan Jensen, Senior Speaker and Workplace Culture Strategist at O.C. Tanner, on the power of recognition in building a magnetic workplace. Read on. #Leadership #StrategicHR #EmployeeRelations

Organizations that prioritize company culture and diversity and inclusion are more successful by just about every metric: productivity, retention, engagement, and far more. A recent study from Arbinger Institute and Ascend2 reinforced these ideas and reported other interesting insights. Here are some of the highlights: - Although organizations were less likely to focus on mindset in their leadership development programs, those that did were significantly more likely to have employees report that they are doing meaningful work. - Companies prioritizing DEI initiatives were more than twice as likely to see significant increases in revenue than others. - Organizations that make performance management initiatives a high priority were significantly more likely than others to report very successful or best-in-class employee productivity. #HR #CompanyCulture #DEI #LibertyBank

🌍 Building a Global Workplace Culture? It's been awhile since I've penned an article about building a global workplace culture. It's an important topic for me because recently, a very good friend of mine was pulled reluctantly under a new leader. Her experience went from great --- her gladly working twelve hour-days, everyday, for four years without hesitation to never wanting to work again within a matter of two weeks. I'm sure you can relate to this. As a leader, you have to create the culture and work on protecting it. Discover the do's and don'ts of effectively communicating your culture across multiple locations. 🌏 Here are some key takeaways: 🔹 Understanding regional nuances while maintaining consistency 🔹 Building an inclusive culture that celebrates diversity 🔹 The role of leadership in shaping the culture 🔹 Real-world success stories to inspire your journey Read the full article here: https://bit.ly/47iKiWF #CompanyCulture #LeadershipInsights #GlobalWorkplace

We often cherish the idea of having a defined culture that sets the tone for our organizations. However, hidden contradictions within this culture can influence the collective mindset in unforeseen ways. When the lived experiences of employees clash with the proclaimed values, the dissonance can lead to reduced trust, commitment, and motivation. Recognizing these contradictions and addressing them head-on is the first step in aligning organizational behavior with declared intent. When every layer of an organization is in harmony with its stated values, it not only strengthens the collective mindset but also fuels genuine growth and innovation. #HumanCentered #MindsetMatters #OrganizationalHarmony