Chapter 11
Creating a Digital Culture
ORGANIZATIONAL CULTURE IS A SYMPTOM: THE UNDERLINING CAUSALITY IS COLLECTIVE TEAM FOCUS
Culture is an elusive thing. We know it's important and we know we need the right kind, but defining it and shaping it are two of the most difficult tasks companies face. We've already talked about culture quite a bit in this book, touching on it in each chapter. But because the right culture is so incredibly important, it is really the foundation of any initiative.
It's important to remember that organizational culture is a symptom; the underlining causality is collective team focus. In other words, your organizational culture is the net total of the pervasive thoughts of your internal stakeholders. As defined in Chapter 1, Mastering Digital Innovation, culture is the collective focus of every member of your organizational team. If your team members’ focus is based in risk and fear management you will have an internal, slow, and ineffective culture. Conversely, if your team's focus is on delivering exceptional customer value, then you will have an innovative culture that is truly open.
We've talked a lot about why the right culture is so important and the types of culture that are important in order to become digitally successful. In this chapter we talk about how to build a successful cultural base to support innovation. It also examines how to best incorporate what we're now coming to call “digital innovation” as a tool to sustain not only the innovation ...
