It is not impossible to discover, after a restructuring exercise that the usual way of doing things, otherwise called `organisational culture’, has been left unaffected.When an organisation reengineers, it reviews and replaces, or to save cost, improves on its production or service processes as a way to ensuring that things run smoothly, unaffected or unhindered by unnecessary protocol.
Often times, a smooth process ensures speed and better quality of the products and services. But once in a while, it could be discovered that certain cultures need changing. Management may also decide to introduce and inculcate new cultures into the organisation. What cultures do you now practice which you believe contribute to achieving negative results and need changing?
A&C bakers, is now over 80 years old. But at inception, the promoters conceived it, as an organisation with continuous process for production of bread and related pastries. It was strategically located in the South of England and presently, has about 16 factories throughout Britain.
Within the past five years, A&C bakeries have undergone a profound makeover that strengthens its claim to leadership position in the food and beverage industry. Thorough overhaul of its processes and changes made to the ways things are done around the company has seen improvements and positive reports being filed back to the promoters of this massive 4-plant factory.
The review saw the Traywash section losing its two old Autarchy feeders and also ensured that the main Washing facility was redesigned and made less cumbersome, the offloading bays have now been equipped with Ramps which assist drivers offloading returning Trays for washing before supply to the packaging facilities inside the factory. The result is that less calls for engineers are now made from Traywash and by extension, it represents cost savings from engineering hours.
Some of the organisational cultures that have been changed include to employment of University graduates and highly skilled professionals to restructure the bakery, thereby injecting new outside `brains'. The canteen has been refurbished, food subsidized to ensure that staff and temporary workers are happy. Sales of Bread for staff is also subsidized at just 20p per loaf.
But, to whom much is given, much is expected. So in exchange for the generosity, the staff are to change from their uniform to mufti each time they come out for break, before they come to the canteen area, although they get 5mins extra. They must also wear Hi-Vest before they go outside the main factory either for smoking or to go to either Traywash or Despatch sections of the company.
Compliance is monitored. And the staff are happy to comply. Can you think of measures you know if you introduced into your business, your staff will be happy, while at the same returning your business to profitability? That is the essence of organisational repositioning.
The way things are done around an organisation can make or mar it. A good organisation culture can make a business be perceived as outstanding. Good organisation is reflected in the type of culture existing in the company. A bad culture brings disrespect and can make a business loose customers. A good organisational culture wins more customers and respect and reposes more trust in the company. RG Owens (1987) defines organisational culture as “the body of solutions to external and internal problems that has worked consistently for a group and that is therefore taught to new members as the correct way to perceive, think about, and feel in relation to those problems”
Because culture is a multi-level feature of an organisation, a manager who identifies bad Organisational culture in the company can make changes by following some simple procedures:
1. Discuss your findings with your superiors and obtain their support with respect to the changes you plan to introduce and how far it should go.
2. Study your staff with a view to understanding their behaviour so as to be able to predict their future behaviour.
3. Review the prevailing culture, but this time doing it with a view to identifying obvious signs of possible culture clashes and or culture variation. Clashes of culture within an organisation can cripple it and create internal chaos within the company.
Bearing in mind that culture is a form of control within the organisation, how tough or soft do you want to be? Bear in mind that creating, reshaping or introducing a new strong organisational culture is not an easy task and is one of the most important tasks of leadership.
4. Communicate the new culture and watch out for your feedback as evidence of learned culture. Some methods of communicating culture include using the process of socialization, stories and language. Whether they are facts or mere fiction, stories and language help you communicate your new culture in such a way that it will be understood and practiced.
5. Allow enough time for the organisational members to learn the new culture. Be ready to be firm but do not apply tough measures from day one against offenders or non-complaint staff.
6. With the passage of time, you will successfully gauge the degree of diffusion. If you have introduced your new culture in the so-called `green fields’, it should not be very long before it is communicated and accepted. Green fields are always the fertile grounds for introduction, communication and acceptance of new culture.
A company that does not pay attention to and study its prevailing culture will not be able to identify what culture contributes to its operations. But as I pointed out above, culture is a multi-level phenomenon in any company and as a result, its importance cannot be disregarded.
Study your prevailing organisational culture from today, and see how changes can reposition your business.
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* Benson Agoha (MIPA) is the founder of Woolwich Online.
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