When asked what does organisational culture mean, we often get the response that it is how people relate to each other in a business. The more astute person may even respond by saying it is the set of unspoken agreements between people or the underlying assumptions of the business.

These answers are all correct in part, but they are very people focused to keep culture in the domain of Human Resource departments. If these people oriented definitions of organisational culture are all there is to it, then culture remains allusive and intangible for the owner / leader of the business. If a leader was aware they had cultural issues in the business, they certainly would have difficulty in knowing what to do about it. Justifying spending money on correcting culture is difficult when it is not known how this expenditure will bring economic return to the business.

Clear Perceptions makes the intangible tangible. What if organisational culture is more than just a people issue? We view culture as the interrelationship between different functional areas of the business.

If this is culture, then what is a ‘Healthy’ culture? Healthy culture is the willingness to challenge your own assumptions, but also how effectively you are integrating the key areas of the business. Are you absolutely clear about your vision for the business or do you consider your business objectives to be your vision? If you feel you are clear about your vision, is the vision informing how each area of your business operates? Does your financial performance reflect health?

By linking all areas of the business back to vision and integrating them effectively, this will eliminate operational inefficiencies, guide how money is spent, inform your recruitment choices, have your brand more consistently and effectively communicated to the market, inspire commitment and innovation in your employees, gives employees a context big enough, so they feel safe enough to speak up and take responsibility – all of which will ultimately improves decision making, increases cash inflows and reduces unnecessary cash outflows. These results are tangible. This is a healthy culture.

You can find more information about culture change on our clear culture page.