Why Every Executive Should Be Focusing on Culture Change Now | MIT Sloan Management Review

As noted in my article, 2021 HR Priorities: A Summarized View of Nine Sources, culture transformation is a top priority for many organizations. And as the pandemic continues to redefine all aspects of work and worker preferences, this MIT Sloan article notes how leaders must now take a proactive approach to build the right culture in parallel with large-scale organizational transformation. It starts with the premise that culture is a shared set of values (what we care about), beliefs (what we believe to be true), and norms of behavior (how we do things). The authors identified seven elements of adaptive culture that enable successful transformation; a few of them include: Bias to Action (valuing speed, not risk minimization, over perfection), Collaborative Reflex (proactively engaging in cross-organizational collaboration and teamwork rather than working in silos), and Learning Mindset (engaging in experimentation and rapid learning). The article includes an assessment to help firms measure themselves on these elements and determine the extent to which they are ready to adopt digital technologies, embrace new business models, or implement new ways of working. Other ideas are discussed.