It’s just past its use-by date…
It all started with binning an out-of-date cereal box, and ended in a major pantry clean up. Not only was stuff out of date, some was stored poorly, some just not right anymore and some seriously unloved. Whilst on the other hand, some was in abundance, it was front and centre, it was loved and featured prominently in my cooking and meal preparation. I even found a few gems that I had forgotten about and had me energised to try new recipes.
Many have used the last weeks to relentlessly scale back unnecessary, irrelevant elements of their personal and working lives that no longer add value. We are yearning for the stuff that makes us feel good and ridding ourselves of practices that don’t energise us.
In my conversations, people say that work will not be the same again. In navigating this new world of work, the big question is, will our work systems and practices still stand up and be relevant? Will they provide the best people experiences? Will they drive the right behaviour? Will they enable your culture to thrive? Will they enable people to be their best?
Our systems and practices drive behaviour and are a key lever for culture alignment. Most importantly, as we navigate our way through the different phases of COVID-19, the way we set up our systems and practices, and what we choose to emphasise sends messages to people about what we value.
The term ‘system’ does not mean IT systems. It is reference to a replicable set of activities that are set up (a system of work) and implemented across the organisation to achieve an outcome or purpose. For example, think of the following systems and practices: How you are managing work from home and the impact this may have on future flexible work practices? How you are determining decision making authorities and the impact of devolved or centralised decision making in the new world of work? How you are communicating and how you may be planning to bring your team back into public spaces?
Culture leadership is the masterful integration and application of the ‘hard’ and ‘soft’. As HR professionals and often the custodians of key systems and practices, now is the time to provide guidance to your business as to how to get this balance right.
Have you thought about the behaviour you want and how your systems and practices can enable it? Is it time for your ‘pantry tidy up’?
Written by Rosemarie Dentesano.
My latest whitepaper on “A Systems Approach to Culture Alignment’ is available at www.p2psolutions.com.au
Working at the intersection of strategy and culture, Rosemarie collaborates with organisations to create pragmatic culture solutions that work.
She sees her role to provide expert input while mentoring leaders as they drive culture change within their team. Rosemarie is passionate about building an organisation’s capabilities and promoting cultures that thrive.
If you would like to learn more, please contact Rosemarie on
+61 417 354 117 rosemarie@p2psolutions.com.au linkedin.com/in/rosemariedentesano
