How would you describe your personality?
Are you funny? Serious? Playful?
I’m sure distilling you down to a few descriptive words wouldn’t come close to helping others understand the whole you.
You’re complex and nuanced.
Your innate personality might be broadly consistent – but the environment you’re in or situations that occur can make you show things that are out of character.
You might be really bubbly and fun. But if we’d just met after you’d spilled a coffee down you, you might not show those traits.
Culture is similar.
It’s complex and nuanced.
It’s difficult to put into words.
It’s like the personality of the group.
It can be changed. Slowly.
But there’s also benefits in minimising how many times we spill a metaphorical coffee across the group.
Do we have processes, policies, tolerated behaviours or mechanisms (poorly constructed rewards, for example), that make the group act out of character?
That make the group work in ways that are more costly, inefficient or plain awkward?
That make the group members consider moving away from that environment, because they’re tired of having coffee spilled on them?
Get in touch if you need someone to help put a lid on that brew and create places where great work is done.
