corporate_culture_vs_sense_of

09/17/2024:

Corporate Culture vs. Sense of Community: A False Narrative

The Project Management "Iron Triangle" is a convenient and easy-to-remember metaphor that applies to many human endeavors. Take three mutually dependent variables (e.g., time, resources, and quality), change one, and the other two will adjust according to their relationships. Increase these variables exponentially, and the scope or complexity will expand accordingly.

In organizational development, "corporate culture" and "sense of community" are often cited as critical elements for fostering a thriving workplace. However, discussing these concepts in isolation-without recognizing their intersection-misses the full scope of their impact on employee satisfaction and organizational success. This article argues that corporate culture and a sense of community are distinct yet interconnected, and efforts to enhance both simultaneously are often unfocused and counterproductive.

At the outset, it is important to note the cultural context of the United States, where this analysis is framed. The U.S. is a multicultural, multiracial society going through a significant economic, political, and social transition. In two-and-a-half centuries, it has transformed from an agrarian to an urban society, from regional isolation to an integrated economic and technological power. Despite inconsistencies and contradictions, it remains a place of significant global influence. The country's history of exclusion and marginalization still affects its values, including those related to corporate culture and community.

A strong corporate culture provides direction and alignment with organizational goals, while a sense of community fosters personal connections and engagement. Together, they create a cohesive, resilient, and productive workplace. The question becomes: can organizations of different sizes, circumstances, and cultures effectively integrate these elements?

Corporate culture refers to the shared values, beliefs, and norms that shape how employees interact within an organization. It encompasses the company's mission, vision, and behavioral expectations, aligning employees with strategic objectives. For instance, a culture that prioritizes innovation encourages risk-taking and creative problem-solving, while a customer service-focused culture emphasizes responsiveness and empathy. Edgar Schein (2004) notes that leadership is “uniquely associated with the creation and management of culture.”

A well-defined culture unites employees, enhances motivation, and increases productivity. It can also reinforce the organization's brand, differentiating it from competitors. However, a rigid corporate culture can stifle diversity of thought and innovation. Leadership often crafts culture, but it may not always reflect the needs of the entire workforce or ensure the organization’s long-term survival.

On the other hand, a sense of community involves a feeling of belonging and connection among employees. It develops organically through daily interactions and shared experiences, characterized by mutual support and trust. Employees who feel connected are more engaged, motivated, and committed to their roles. A supportive community reduces stress and fosters mental well-being, making employees more likely to stay with an organization.

However, building a sense of community can be challenging, especially in growing organizations. It is difficult to maintain across diverse teams and changing leadership, and balancing community with corporate demands often leads to tension. Ensuring that all employees feel included requires ongoing effort, which can conflict with time, budget, and productivity pressures.

Corporate culture and community do not exist separately but as a continuous interaction of people in a group setting. Creating a balanced framework for desired behaviors and values while fostering community is difficult, especially in constantly changing environments. For example, a culture that promotes collaboration is more effective when supported by a community where members genuinely support one another. However, achieving this balance may require more time and resources than the organization is willing or able to invest.

There are several suggestions for integrating corporate culture and a sense of community, though many overlook the complexities of group dynamics. Encouraging transparent communication between leadership and employees helps align cultural values with community practices and ensures employees feel heard. However, this assumes a level of trust between employees and leadership that may not always exist, as people are fallible and self-serving.

Fostering diversity and inclusivity is another commonly proposed solution, but this comes with resource and time costs that often compete with quality and profit goals. Team-building events are also recommended to promote interaction and relationships, but such activities either interfere with work hours or intrude on personal time, which may create resentment rather than cohesion.

The challenges of aligning corporate culture and community, particularly when factoring in group dynamics, make leadership alignment difficult and potentially unachievable. Surveys and anonymous feedback rarely lead to substantial action, and the rise of technology and a more mobile workforce complicates efforts to build a lasting sense of community. The era of employees spending their entire careers with one employer is largely over.

Although corporate culture and a sense of community are often discussed separately, their integration is crucial for creating a thriving organizational environment. Corporate culture provides formal structure and direction, while a sense of community fosters the personal connections that enhance employee engagement and well-being.

The challenge is identifying where these two forces intersect most effectively and finding ways to foster that intersection in increasingly complex and diverse organizations.

* Note: A pdf copy of this article can be found at: https://www.mcl-associates.com/downloads/Corporate_Culture_vs_Sense_of_Community.pdf

© Mark Lefcowitz 2001 - 2024
All Rights Reserved

While listening to an audiobook on the Medici by Paul Strathern, I was presented with a historical citation that I knew to be incredibly inaccurate. In a chapter entitled, "Godfathers of the Scientific Renaissance". discussing the apocryphal tale of Galileo's experiment conducted from the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the author cites Neil Armstrong in the Apollo 11 flight to the Moon with its memorable modern recreation, using a hammer and a feather.

Attributing this famous experiment to Armstrong on Apollo 11 is incorrect. It occurred on August 2, 1971, at the end of the last EVA of Apollo 15, presented by Astronaut Dave Scott. To press the point further, Scott used a feather from a very specific species: a falcon's feather. This small piece of trivia is memorable since Scott accompanied by crew member Al Worden arrived on the Lunar surface using the Lunar Module christened, "Falcon".

In an instant, the author's faux pas - for me -- undercut the book's entire validity. In an instant, it soured my listening enjoyment.

Mr. Strathern is approximately a decade my senior. As a well-published writer and historian, it is presumed that he subscribes to the professional standards of careful research and accuracy. Given this well-documented piece of historical modern trivia, I cannot fathom how he got it so wrong. Moreover, I cannot figure out how such an egregious error managed to go unscathed through what I assumed was a standard professional proofreading and editing process.

If the author and the publisher’s many editorial staff had got this single incontrovertible event from recent history wrong, what other counterfactual information did the book contain?

What is interesting to me, is my own reaction or -- judging from this narrative - some might say, my over-reaction to a fairly common occurrence. Why was I so angry? Why could I not just shake it off with a philosophical, ironic shake of the head?

And that is the point: accidental misinformation, spin and out-and-out propaganda -- and the never-ending stream of lies, damned lies, and unconfirmed statistics whose actual methodology is either shrouded or not even attempted -- are our daily fare. At some point, it is just too much to suffer in silence.

I have had enough of it.

God knows I do not claim to be a paragon of virtue. I told lies as a child, to gloss over personal embarrassments, though I quickly learned that I am not particularly good at deception. I do not like it when others try to deceive me. I take personal and professional pride in being honest about myself and my actions.

Do I make mistakes and misjudgments personally and professionally? Of course, I do. We all do. Have I done things for which I am ashamed? Absolutely. Where I have made missteps in my life, I have taken responsibility for my actions, and have apologized for my actions, or tried to explain them if I have the opportunity to do so.

For all of these thoughtless self-centered acts, I can only move forward. There is nothing I can do about now except to try to do grow and be a better human being in all aspects of my life. That's all any of us can do. I try to treat others as I wish to be treated: with honesty and openness about my personal and private needs, and when I am able to accommodate the wants and needs of those who have entered the orbit of my life.

We all have a point of view. Given the realities of human psychology and peer pressures to conform, it is not surprising that I or anyone else would surrender something heartfelt without some sort of struggle. However, we have a responsibility to others -- and to ourselves -- to not fabricate a narrative designed to misinform, or manipulate others.

Lying is a crime of greed, only occasionally punished when uncovered in a court of law
I am sick to death with liars, “alternative facts” in all their varied plumages and their all too convenient camouflage of excuses and rationales. While I am nowhere close to removing this class of humans from impacting my life, I think it is well past the time to start speaking out loud about our out-of-control culture of pathological untruthfulness openly.

Lying about things that matter -- in all its many forms, both overt and covert -- is unacceptable. When does lying matter? When you are choosing to put your self-interest above someone else’s through deceit.

Some might call me a "sucker" or "hopelessly naive". I believe that I am neither. Our species - as with all living things -- is caught in a cycle of both competition and cooperation
We both compete and cooperate to survive.

There is a sardonic observation, “It’s all about mind over matter. If I no longer mind, it no longer matters”. This precisely captures the issue that we all must face: the people who disdainfully lie to us - and there are many - no longer mind. We - the collective society of humanity no longer matter, if for them we ever did.

We are long past the time when we all must demand a new birth of social norms. We all have the responsibility to maintain them and enforce them in our own day-to-day lives. Without maintaining the basic social norms of honesty and treating others as you wish to be treated in return, how can any form of human trust take place?