Your organization’s culture comes from its history and the values, beliefs, and attitudes that it holds. What behaviors are acceptable? What traditions are followed? What is your mission? These factors, and your team members’ styles, are your culture’s ingredients. Mix them together, add a dash of group dynamics, and voila! Your corporate culture is complete.
The style of your organization’s leaders also has a dramatic effect on your corporate culture, in five key ways:
- The pace at which decisions are made. Leaders who make quick decisions produce a fast-paced environment, which can be stressful. More methodical leaders provide a more relaxed atmosphere. However, this can diminish your competitive edge.
- The process for making decisions and getting things done. Some leaders take a look-at-the-big-picture approach while others obsess over details. When employees are left to work independently, self-starters shine but team camaraderie is minimized. In more collaborative settings, employees have less opportunity to showcase their own accomplishments.
- The standards of perfection. Do leaders expect work to be uniformly perfect, or is trial-and-error accepted in an effort to achieve innovation? Striving only for perfection can cause missed opportunities while leniency can diminish quality.
- The perspective on risk. Do leaders make bold decisions or proceed with tiny steps? A constant push for innovation can result in missteps while cautiousness can cause missed opportunities.
- The predictability of the work experience. Predictable leaders give employees a comfortable atmosphere, though things tend to remain status quo. Leaders who react to clients or the market encourage innovation. This can become a negative if the atmosphere becomes chaotic.
As leadership style directly affects corporate culture, it’s essential that leaders understand the implications of their style. An easy-to-use online tool, Everything DiSC Work of Leaders®, provides a customized strategy for leadership success. The assessment gives your leaders the personalized information and guidance they need to maximize their effectiveness.
Email us at learn@corexcel.com to learn more.
