With the oil prices below $40, the climate meeting agreement in Paris waiting to be implemented, the social diversity and new cultures merging from migrants and the overall need for commercial effectiveness in 2016, a need for a shift in corporate culture is emerging. As the conditions now are changing, there is a need for a cultural strategy.
The outdated quote about strategy and culture is irrelevant; the question is not if culture eats strategy for breakfast, or the other way around. The issue is ”how can you align your culture to your strategy?” and ensure quality in both? In the faster changing world, you have probably made some changes to the strategy for 2016? So, what does that mean for taking action in your culture?
Some of the most engaging values we have seen in play in 2015 are the following five. We have reason to believe they are key in 2016 and forward. How do they relate to your leadership role?
1. Authenticity
Authenticity means being true to who you are. In 2016, people are more aware of who they are themselves, hence also become more aware of who they want to work for, and what they want to be part of. They lean towards leaders who dare to be them; often speaking against the majority and who will stand up for something they really believe in. We have found that in leadership teams, these are the drivers that create the most direction and willingness to stretch. Risking being the true you always is the risk of being criticized or devaluated by others, however it builds trust like nothing else.
2. Empathy
Empathy means being able to see the world like others see it. In reality it means listening and understanding, being intuitive and attentive, and really get where the other person is coming from.
In the sharing economy there is an increased need to handle relationships, and empathy is the core of social awareness. With reference to Daniel Goleman, the core of the Emotional Intelligence is understanding what is going on within you, and within the others. If you understand how others perceive the world, you have a great advantage in relationship management.
3. Empowerment
Empowerment is defined as giving other people the power to act, perform and reform. In leadership, empowerment is built on a leader´s ability to give direction, define the responsibility and support in a relevant way. In 2016, the individual approaches and the customized solutions will be more important than any instruction based leadership. Organizations will need to lean on having created ownership in the mission and values for the organization, and then let people do their job independently. Leadership in 2016, in general, is too complex for detailed instructions and control.
4. Courage
Courage is defined as the ability to overcome your barriers for carrying out an important initiative. It is critical for innovation, exploration and creativity in an organization. In a leadership team, it will be crucial to take the risks to find a new way, test a new solution, drive in a new direction or engage new people. All of which will most likely challenge your personal courage. To be able to build an innovative culture, according the Innovators DNA (Jeff Dyer, Clayton Christensen and Hal Gregersen) there is a need to take risk, broaden your network, learn from strangers and team up with diversity, all of which can be scary for people.
5. Synergy
Synergy is ”the internet of skills” in any organization. There is an increasing need to deliver faster, cheaper and with more market relevance. This requires new ways to collaborate to gain efficiency and effectiveness. Synergy is like collaborations big brother; it requires a willingness to take bold or unpopular decisions because it is the right thing for the whole. It means that some people will not get it their way, the new decision may not be better for everybody and the incremental goal cannot triumph the holistic goal. 2016 may not entirely be ”let’s have fun at work”; it may well be allotted of hard work. That doesn’t mean we will not enjoy it. Creating synergy by finding new ways to combine skills, talent end values will give us autonomy, mastery and purpose, which according to Dan Pink is what really drive motivation!
