Is your culture driving your success—or tanking it?

Companies that treat culture as an accelerator of their strategy reach their goals faster than those that treat it as an afterthought. Your organization's culture is created intentionally or by happenstance. It will either support your success or slow you down. A careful analysis will reveal where it helps and where it hurts—and where change will make a difference. Here are the steps you can then take to get intentional in evolving your organization’s culture to deliver lasting impact and accelerate your strategic direction. The jarring effects of the global pandemic and the ensuing economic and sociopolitical turmoil revealed disconnects and dysfunction just below the surface of many organizations. Leaders are realizing that their culture may no longer support their business goals. When a company goes through some form of a seismic shift—whether it be a dramatic new business plan, a change in leadership, or a disruption in the marketplace—its management team typically examines the strategy and processes in place to make sure they align with changes in direction. Too often, though, companies address culture as an afterthought when the desired outcomes stall, fizzle, or fail. That’s a costly mistake—while strategy and processes are critically important, they will be undermined, hindered, or simply blocked by a culture that is no longer fit for purpose.