R3 Continuum Playbook: Organizational Culture

Intro: [00:00:00] Broadcasting from the Business RadioX Studios, here is your R3 Continuum Playbook. Brought to you by Workplace MVP sponsor, R3 Continuum, a global leader in workplace behavioral health, crisis, and security solutions.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:00:16] Hi. I’m Sarah Hathaway, Associate Director of Strategic Solutions at R3 Continuum. Today, I want to talk about a topic that has received increasing focus in recent years, and that’s organizational culture. Take a moment to think about what words come to mind when you think about your company’s culture. You might be thinking about its purpose, its values, or maybe some of the daily norms. You might even be thinking about the diversity of the people, the experience and perspectives that each person brings to your organization.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:00:51] Discussions of organizational culture tend to focus on how individual’s team to accomplish a common goal. But if there is too strong a focus on this end goal, this output, we can lose sight of our greatest advantage, the employees themselves. There’s a symbiotic relationship that exists between wellbeing and culture. An inclusive and equitable company culture with diverse skills and perspectives promotes employee wellbeing. While employee wellbeing in turn enhances the culture of an organization.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:01:25] The last year or so has brought a great deal of stress upon many individuals and companies. Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations have had to adapt their practices and norms significantly for the health and safety of staff and clients. Communication methods have changed. Personal work routines have shifted. And for some, the feeling of connectedness has suffered. During the last year, diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives have received increased priority for a good reason. Organizations are being influenced by the broader society, and the ongoing polarization and inequity in the community at large pose a risk of the similar issues in the workplace.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:02:08] While these circumstances present challenges to organizations everywhere, this time of transition creates a unique opportunity for growth. So, how do we support a healthy culture during a time of discord and uncertainty? It’s first important to understand that while employees at all levels contribute to the values, identity, and norms of a company, it’s the leaders that are the drivers of culture. And while changes to company policies are sometimes necessary to create an equitable workforce, it’s important that the change begins with the culture itself.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:02:44] As a leader, you can take a proactive approach to enhancing cultural wellbeing through three important approaches. The first step to a healthy culture is to promote learning opportunities for yourself and your organization. You can proactively increase cultural literacy and awareness through specialized trainings. The foundational knowledge offers opportunities to establish common inclusive language through which to discuss cultural issues and removes the ever common burden placed on marginalized individuals to educate others about their identity or life experience.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:03:21] Education forms the lens through which we view our interactions. With this new information, you can take the role of conscientious observer at work, looking at things like daily interactions and company communications to identify opportunities to be more inclusive. Openly look for and acknowledge areas of strength within the culture. Those things that contribute to the wellbeing of your company and staff. Also, seek out those areas in need of growth, instances in which a shift in behavior could better engage employees.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:03:55] When looking for these growth opportunities, the point isn’t to condemn yourself or your colleagues for missteps, but to identify opportunities for change. If you’re finding it difficult to identify these opportunities, which is common when focusing on your day-to-day responsibilities, it can be helpful to put yourself in the shoes of those around you and consider how their experience of the same interaction might be different than yours. Whether they have a different background, personal identity, education, or role, each of these things can color the way in which each person views the situation.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:04:32] Consider those not involved. Are there individuals who should be included? Are there any aspects of the interaction that might be unwelcoming to others? As you assume the role of conscientious observer, you might notice that some people participating in meetings rarely get a chance to give their perspective. Or the individuals in the break room typically past one another without even a hello.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:04:56] Second, enhance engagement by fostering inclusion and connectedness amongst your employees. In the workplace, this begins by ensuring that individuals understand the organization’s purpose, how their role connects to it, and how it connects to their individual values and goals. Incredibly well-written mission, vision, and value statements aren’t meaningful unless they mean something to each person who represents the company. But this is just one piece of the puzzle.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:05:27] While leaders often look at the big picture identity of a company, most frontline employees perceive their employers inclusivity and culture based upon everyday interactions, the chatter over coffee or the quick strategy call. You serve as a model for inclusion in every interaction you have with others. Often, a small step can go a long way to making others feel included, like being sure to say hello to each person as they join a meeting or making space for all voices. You can say things like, “I’d really like to hear Rose’s thoughts on this.” Or, “Can we look back? I’m not sure Sean was able to finish what he was saying.” While these statements might seem quite subtle, they empower staff to be more engaged, to take ownership in activities, and when done often, they can establish a new norm for others to follow.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:06:24] The third approach is to create space for safe open discussion. Often, we’re afraid to talk about things like culture, inclusion, and equity in the workplace because it forces conversations about things like exclusion and inequity. But what tends to happen when we provide this space is that it allows us to address critical issues and acknowledge concerns that may otherwise be overlooked for the purpose of getting the job done. It’s true that the need for job security can cause employees to withhold feedback that may be viewed as critical of their employer. When these concerns go unaddressed, it can lead to decreased employee morale, job satisfaction, and productivity, all of which contribute to turnover and inhibit company success.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:07:14] While this third step can sometimes appear daunting, it can provide a wonderful chance to build empathy, trust, and commitment. This type of progress rarely comes without discomfort or uncertainty, so it’s important to establish ground rules which allow individuals to share without fear of repercussions. Fear of saying the wrong thing sometimes keeps us from saying anything at all. As a leader, you can model open and honest sharing and remove the expectation to do things perfectly by acknowledging your own limitations and intention for development. Because conversations of this nature may involve sensitive topics, consider seeking objective resources for support in this endeavor, such as a trained facilitator or a mental health clinician to allow individuals a chance to debrief.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:08:05] As with any change, cultural shifts can take time and should not be approached with the intent to rush to a fix. By creating space for dialogue and processing, you allow your employees to evolve as individuals and as a whole. Your company’s culture has the potential to be your competitive advantage. Enhance your culture with the assistance of education, support, and consultative resources.

Sarah Hathaway: [00:08:32] You can find additional information about cultural wellbeing on our website, r3c.com. To learn more about our organizational culture training and consultation services, email us at info@r3c.com. We’d love to support your organization.