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But a corporate culture that prevents a company from meeting competitive threats, or from adapting to changing economic or social environments, can lead to the company's stagnation and ultimate demise.

-Business Week

More change initiatives, from strategy to I.T. systems to merger to reengineering, fail as a result of corporate culture issues than any other single factor.

If the cultural barriers were well understood and addressed, a much higher percentage of change efforts would achieve their potential.

Just a few of the cultural barriers that cause change initiatives to fail are

. Hierarchical structure and top-down leadership style

. Internal competition between departments-turf and "we-they"

. Heavy entitlement mind-set and poor empowerment

. Lack of accountability, excessive blaming

. An "observer-critic" culture that kills new ideas

. Communication barriers

. Resistance to changing the status quo

. Reinforcement systems that ignore customer satisfaction

. Non-participative management style-boss-driven command and control

. Lack of trust in the company and between groups

. Top management calls for behavior change but doesn't walk the talk

All change initiatives must pass through the Jaws of Culture - most get chewed-up, spat out, and forgotten long before they ever accomplish their objectives.

The jaws consist of the major cultural barriers that form the ingrained habit patterns of company and individual behavior.

While each company and each team is different, they all have their own barriers that comprise their Jaws of Culture. What are yours ?

THE COST OF CORPORATE CULTURE

Culture barriers are often hidden in the fabric of the organization and are difficult to see without the aid of a comprehensive Corporate Culture audit.

Cultural barriers can quickly show up in dysfunctional behaviors once the change initiative begins

Key among the early behavioral signs of cultural resistance are

. Reluctance to accept ideas from other organizations (the "not invented here" syndrome)

. Turf issues and power struggles

. Groups forming under the protection of a politically strong individual that distance themselves from the change process

. Senior management having other priorities that prevent sufficient personal involvement and visibility

. Lip service and "malicious obedience"

The "observer-critic" syndrome in which all new ideas are challenged

. People and groups blaming one another

. Hierarchical rigid structure

. Bureaucracy and resistance to change

This may be getting a little overwhelming but this should give you an insight into how your lean manufacturing efforts fit in with your Corporate Culture

Most organizations and leaders, no matter how successful, face some dysfunction in their teams.

Getting results and implementing change extracts too high a price. What is the cost of your group or company's cultural barriers?

Here at "Beyond lean" we work in partnership with the world leading cultural change experts - SDL.

To get more information on how you can change YOUR corporate culture please complete the enquiry form below

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