The world is in a state of constant flux. Technologies and ways in which business is done acquire a new meaning every passing day. In such a scenario, keeping up with the changing needs of the workforce and leadership development is a source of constant challenge for leaders around the globe.
A Deloitte report shows that organizational culture and engagement of employees were among the topmost challenges for global leadership and strategic management teams. The pace at which the youth and its demands are changing is based to a great degree on the pace of technological advancement. For the world’s leaders to build an organization that suits the current needs of the employee force is a big challenge.
Mostly, what is viewed as organizational culture is only the tip of an iceberg. For example, the visible aspects such as the employee wages and perks, office environment and policies as well as the image of the brand are only the outcome of a more deep-rooted culture. The actual culture is usually invisible and inaccessible to most people within the organization. It could be seated in the personal vision of the company’s top leader or owner.
It is common to be able to see that a particular company has a high turnover rate, their employees are disengaged and the company’s business is suffering. These are all part of the culture of that organization but are more like the symptoms of a problem and not the problem itself.
The actual problem could lie in the lack of innovation as part of the company’s culture. The leadership of the company may lack vision or may be underdeveloped to lead the company properly. The current processes of the company may be cumbersome and hence, could be leading to the disengagement and finally turnover of employees.
The above again could still be just the less visible part of the actual culture iceberg with more beneath even this surface. It is possible that the company’s business strategy and culture are misaligned. This is a disastrous setting for a business. If the strategy and company values and mission and vision are not properly communicated and instilled in the employee culture, it is impossible to achieve the business goals. This is true because if the employees do not have a clear understanding of what is expected of them, how will they deliver?
Another area of deep-rooted cultural problem is the resistance to change among the leaders of the company. When old and trusted policies and methods have delivered well on your business goals, there is a tendency among leaders to stick to those strategies. However, as we discussed at the opening of this article, the world is in a state of constant flux. In the ever-changing world of technology and personal attitudes of the workforce, sticking to old policies and strategies may turn counter-productive.
Hence, all these deep-rooted cultural issues must be clearly assessed by the leaders and top management of a company and taken action on. The Gen Y may soon be giving way to Gen Z and the leaders have to learn to keep pace with the changing needs of the workforce and develop work-cultures that suit those needs. It is a challenge most definitely, but one worth working on.
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