GROYSBERG, LEE, PRICE, AND CHENG
How to Shape Your Culture
First you must identify culture targets. The best ones have some attributes
in common: They align with the company’s strategic direction; they’re im-
portant to execute; and they refl ect the demands of the external business
environment. A good target should be both specifi c and achievable. For ex-
ample, “We value our customers” can create ambiguity and lead to inconsis-
tent choices regarding hiring, developing leaders, and running the company.
A better version might be “We build genuine and positive relationships with
customers; we serve our customers with humility; and we act as ambassa-
dors for our rich brand heritage.”
To Set a Culture Target:
Understand the current culture
Examine your culture—the company’s founding and heritage, its espoused
values, subcultures, leadership style, and team dynamics. (Use the preceding
fi gure to start the conversation.)
Identify your culture’s strengths and examine its impact on your organization
today. Interview key stakeholders and infl uential members of the organization
as needed.
Consider strategy and the environment
Assess current and future external conditions and strategic choices and
determine which cultural styles will need to be strengthened or diminished
in response.
Formulate a culture target according to which styles will support future
changes.
Frame the aspiration in business realities
Translate the target into organizational change priorities. It should be framed
not as a culture change initiative but in terms of real-world problems to be
solved and solutions that create value.
Focus on leadership alignment, organizational conversations, and organiza-
tional design as the levers to guide the culture’s evolution.