Interesting observations – thanks Tim Denning !

I have been enabling Digital Transformations in organisations across sectors and countries. Across my engagements, guess what stands out as a commonality for a downward spiral?

“Toxic Culture”

And this does not go bottom-up as many would like to think. It does not come from mass recruitments or by not having a code in place. It comes from the top.

• It comes from the brazenness of the top brass who are more interested in promoting themselves rather than promoting the company
• It comes from having a very weak recruitment and induction policy – with every hire, the culture is diluted. What is being done to preserve it?
• It comes from groupism and letting meritocracy go waste. I have been witness to some amazing projects going down the drain just because it wasn’t one from the ‘gang’ who proposed it
• It comes from petty politics and spending the energy on fighting each other rather than investing the same for collaboration and growth
• It comes from the good ones leaving the organisations – people do try changing the system for the better in their own small way, but sometimes it isn’t enough. Rather than let the system change them, they quietly leave
• It comes from not having a culture that focus on the quality of work performed and instead focusing on timesheets and time spent in office!
• It comes from people hung up on designations rather than the actual contribution that they are supposed to make!
• It come from merely holding shares of the organization but not having any share in the travails and the decisions made
• It comes from complacency, ‘oh yes, we made a great product’, we can rest on our laurels a bit
• It comes from prioritising the number of years of experience over quality of experience
• It comes from not listening. From the most junior member in the team to the CEO, everyone can contribute effectively to pointing out what could be made better. Anyone really listening?

Culture is the real difference maker – you can get away with a mediocre product or service, but not with a mediocre culture.

Organisations that have grown fast, without paying heed to how their culture and the original vision has actually grown along – beware!