The GPS Approach - Part 3: Systems Phase
This is the final step of GPS Approach to enhance and fix organizational cultures.
System Phase
・Create a Values System
Creating a values list is not enough. Putting those values into action is key to organizational culture success. How you put values into use depends on creating a system that allows employees to implement them. Implementation actions include starting and ending meetings with reviewing values. Designing and delivering training programs that explain values and highlight ways of implementation. Moreover, choosing one value per month and following up on its implementation across departments and employees, setting up storyboards where employees exchange stories and photos representing those values.
・Create Systems for Communication and Feedback
Offer structured, regular opportunities for employees to talk together and understand each other more. Implement standard timings during meetings for employees to share their thoughts openly. Use the traffic lights model to handle those meetings:
- Red Light: What do we need to stop?
- Green Light: What do we need to continue?
- Yellow Light: What do we need to start?
Encourage Openness. Allow employees to share their thoughts of each other openly. Do not allow gossip. Encourage them to talk directly to one another. Get their ideas about the culture and how do they see things progressing.
・Create or Use the Right Technology
Digitize anything that would require you to use less effort. Use computerized surveys to know the general opinion of your employees. For example, the Life Orientations Organizational Culture Survey is only 15 minutes that all employees would take. It gives decision-makers a quick overview of the gap between the current and Idea organizational culture as seen by the employees.
Use internal communication technology infrastructure as an add-on to the usual communication tools to allow for further interaction.
・Perform Regular Cultural Audits
Conduct periodic (preferably annual) culture audits. Don't wait until something significant happens (e.g., top employees quit) to evaluate if your efforts are working.
・Create Systems That Build Trust
Allow regular built-in meetings between employees and management. The purpose of those meetings is to allow communication between employees and managers in a structured manner. During those meetings, both parties could exchange feedback, allowing employees to voice their opinions to management. HR could monitor those sessions at the very beginning of implementation.
・Celebrate
Allow celebration. HR could create culture improvement milestones. An example of a Milestone could be after implementing each value and its complementing success stories. Another milestone could be after implementing value-based training programs. Each organization needs to look into its cultural milestones and create the necessary celebration points. The purpose of celebrating is motivating employees, especially that cultural improvement programs are long-term ones. You would not want your employees to lose interest.
1Ben Peterson, inc, How to Fix A Broken Culture, Feb 29, 2016. Accessed 20 August 2021, https://www.inc.com/ben-peterson/how-to-fix-a-broken-culture.html
Rebecka Green, Business News Daily, Oct 14, 2020, Accessed 28 August 2021, https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/5935-improve-company-culture.html
Christine Comaford, Forbes, May 12, 2018. Accessed 28 August 2021, https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinecomaford/2018/05/12/three-steps-to-fix-a-broken-culture/?sh=3e226e0642f0
Harvey Deutschendorf, Business 2 Community, May 5, 2017, Accessed 28 August 2021, https://www.business2community.com/human-resources/7-steps-fixing-broken-company-culture-01837456
Shawn Overcast, Gotham Culture, Oct 25, 2017, Accessed 28 August 2021, https://gothamculture.com/2017/10/25/3-ways-help-fix-broken-company-culture/
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