“A good leadership team and good CEO will put in the processes to make sure the message filters down to the very bottom of the organization unchanged.”
– Duke University Study
Leveraging your corporate story and strategy to produce a differentiated culture and optimal business performance requires consistent communication throughout the employee and customer experience. For this to happen, executives must infuse the company’s story and strategy into the fabric of the company, which requires a holistic approach to delivering a clear, compelling and consistent message to all internal and external stakeholders.
An executive interviewed by Duke University’s research team once said …
“If you ask 10 people at five different units questions about purpose, message, value … do they say and believe the same thing? Is there a strong sense of common beliefs? I think if people say yes, then culture would have an influence and that would be a good way to measure it, but if people said no, then culture is not a prominent or important part of the company.”
Developing a winning culture also requires unwavering commitment from the entire C-suite and leaders throughout the business. Sure, HR is involved, but so is every other functional leader across the organization. Ultimately, culture is the CEO’s responsibility. He or she owns the company’s story. He or she owns the strategy. He or she must lead the charge.
When executives were asked by Duke’s researchers, “Who is responsible for shifting a firm’s corporate culture?,” 70 percent of respondents agreed with the statement, “Leadership needs to spend more time to develop the culture.”
According to PwC’s report, “Culture’s Role in Enabling Organizational Change,” 95 percent of executives say change is needed in their culture. So, if you are one of those leaders in the 95 percent category, it’s time to address the root cause:
Lack of clarity and alignment in your story and your strategy.
It’s time to invest the resources and dollars it takes to infuse your corporate story and strategy into the hearts and minds of every stakeholder inside and outside of your company. The bottom-line results will be well worth it.
