Managing to Make a Difference

Chapter 49Enliven Cultural Values and Expectations

We have been using “culture” to refer to the shared values and beliefs of an organization and the full range of behaviors that are expected, valued, rewarded, punished, tolerated, or ignored. In addition to the overall organization culture, your department or team has its own culture. As a manager, you have the greatest influence on culture through your purposeful efforts to clearly describe your department's fundamental values and beliefs and the expected behaviors that go along with them.

Your team's values and beliefs must align with those of the larger organization, but the expected behaviors might be different. For example, if a cultural value is, “Pay close attention to detail,” the behaviors expected of a grocery store cashier will be very different from the behaviors expected of a butcher who works in the same store. There will be different stories that best exemplify the values as they are lived out by people in different roles. Through the specific stories you tell, through your own behaviors, and through the rewards you provide, you must help your employees understand how the organization's values are expressed specifically in your department.

Lesson

Although your team's values and beliefs must align with the overall organization, the specific expected behaviors can vary from team to team.

Make sure you regularly and repeatedly communicate the expected behaviors for people on your team. You cannot just talk ...