Culture and Leadership

What's the Relationship?

Culture has significant influence in an organization, community or society; it impacts our behaviour, morale and productivity1. It’s the glue that holds a group together through shared assumptions, beliefs, and processes2 . It speaks to how things are done here’.

Culture is seen as the norm, that complex whole that includes knowledge, belief, art, morals, law, customs, and any other capabilities and habits acquired 3. It’s what we are taught, what we observe around us and what we come to expect and accept.

People immersed in a societal or corporate culture, consciously and unconsciously assume it. Someone coming into the organization or community may be confused, even puzzled by what is seen. Like an iceberg, much of culture lies below the surface. What we don’t know or understand about a culture can have serious repercussions on expectations, efforts and results. For example, a sea captain who responds to an iceberg by dealing with what is apparent and visible puts everyone on the ship at risk because of what lies below the surface.

Culture has significant impact on the results of an organization or group. Lou Gerstner, former CEO of IBM writes CULTURE ISN'T SIMPLY ONE ASPECT OF THE GAME - IT IS THE GAME . . . once you enter a successful culture, you feel it immediately 4.

Where much focus is given to identifying and developing the skills, characteristics and expectations of leadership, no woman is an island and leaders must fit or find their way to align with an organization's culture, particularly if they aspire to realize real and meaningful results. When leadership and culture are aligned there is synergy experienced as being in the right place at the right time, confident that expected results can be realized. When leadership and culture are misaligned, discontentment and lack of engagement interfere with possibility and results.

FLMPV, an international institute for leadership and culture to bolster prosperity, examined the linkages between leadership, culture, and organizational performance in creating best organizations 5. "Our" results quantify the impact leadership and organizational culture has on prosperity/success. Leaders cultivate culture, and the culture has a direct relationship on leadership style, skills, competency and results 6. The Best of the Best research involved 60 Canadian leaders and their organizations. What they all had in common was enlightened leadership and a constructive culture.

Behaviours of a constructive culture include:

- Expected to pursue challenging goals,

- Maintain personal integrity,
- Support and develop others,
- Communicate and cooperate with others.

These organizations take action and implement systems that align with their ideals. That differs from the typical organization which is more inclined to be reactive, defensive or aggressive in their pursuit of prosperity or success.

You’ll recognize a constructive culture by its vibe and characteristics: -

- Pursues challenging goals
- Personal integrity
- Commitment to others
- Promise-keeping to employees, customers and stakeholders
- Ability to communicate and cooperate with others
- Not driven or limited by fear, and
- Inspiring leaders

Inspired leaders transform environments. Transformational leadership is the style most accepting by Canadians 7. The nation’s best and brightest on leadership practice and development 8 contributed to Henein & Morissette’s ‘Made in Canada Leadership’ research.

One of the outcomes of their research was the compilation of a CANADIAN LEADERSHIP BRAND that includes the following attributes: patience, compassion, humanitarian, moderate, diplomatic, reasonable, ethical, honest, fair, trustworthy, decent, upright, knowledgeable, competent, effective, diligent, accountable, preserving, creative, hopeful, inventive, innovative, resilient, confident, welcoming, respectful, equitable, flexible, tolerant and collaborative.

Relationship between Culture and Leadership

Inspired culture drives prosperity,
inspired leaders drive inspired cultures 9.

Inspired leadership and a culture that exhibits constructive characteristics have the potential, opportunity and probability to lead the future rather than harm or fear it.

Do you have inspired leaders driving constructive cultures in your environment? If you do congratulations and thank you for your leadership at a time and place when many are concerned by the absence of leadership.

If not – why not? John Izzo 10 suggests it’s time to step up: accept personal responsibility, focus on what can be changed, realize leaders have tremendous power to influence and know that responsibility ripples outwards.

We’ve heard this call or invitation for leadership from many . . .  IF NOT YOU – WHO, IF NOT NOW – WHEN 11?

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To learn more about leadership and culture delve into the list of references attached to this article. Made in Canada Leadership, written by Henein and Morissette has an chapter on leadership development and service providers. Thanks for leading – it matters. 
 

[1]  Harris, P.R., Moran, R.T., & Moran, S.V. (2004). Managing cultural differences. Burlington, MA: 6^th

[2]  http://www.hscanada.com/main.htm

[3]  Stuart, R.B. (2004). Twelve practical suggestions for achieving multicultural competence. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. Vol. 35 (1), Feb 2004, 3-9. 

[4] Gerstner, L. (2002). Who Says Elephants Can’t Dance?, New York, NY: HarperCollins Inc.

[5] “The Best of the Best” Report (2003), First Light PMV Inc., Toronto, ON., Contact: Peter Bromley, peterb@flpmv.com
[6] http://www.changease.com/research/best_of_canada_culture.pdf (First Light PMV Inc)
[7] Howell, J.P., Avolio B.J. (1993). Transformational leadership, transactional leadership, locus of control and support for innovation. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 891-902. Howell, J.P., Frost, P.J. (1989). Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Process, 43: 243-269
[8] Henein, A., Morissette F. (2007). Mississauga, ON: John Wiley & Sons. (input from 295 Canadian leaders in profit, not-for-profit and public environments)
[9] Summary findings of “The Best of the Best” Report.
[10] John Izzo, PhD. Improving the Quality of Life and Work.
[11] Phillip Vera Cruz (1904 – 1994)

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Terresa Augustine has been writing about leadership and culture since 2009, she’s been developing and applying leadership since her teens. Terresa is a graduate of Trinity Western University, Masters Program in Leadership, Royal Roads University, Graduate studies in Career Development. She currently serves as the Executive Director of the People’s Law School in Vancouver - www.publiclegaled.bc.ca, is a Board Member of the Union Gospel Mission – www.ugm.ca, and Managing Director of her own corporation TaLedi Enterprise Development Inc., http://www.taledi.ca/.