OPINION
Radical culture: ENGAGING YOUR PEOPLE IN CHANGING THE WORLD
Today’s best leaders recognise and appreciate employee contributions during stressful times, thereby strengthening their contribution to the organisational fabric, says John A Davis
R adical culture? The idea implies a the truly radical idea is that we already have the answer to what creates positive, engaging and rewarding workplaces where employees are invaluable contributors to both the business and society. We just don’t execute it very well. Heads of people, learning and development, and HR, who are charged with building successful organisations, understand the importance of developing a culture in which people thrive. Even CEOs, wired to deliver financial results that make shareholders happy, will occasionally mumble that their most important asset is people, after they get past saying things such as “accretive”, “synergise”, “leverage”, and “mission critical”. breathtaking discovery that will make our companies more successful. But So, what defines a radical culture? It is one that helps businesses succeed not only as traditionally measured, but by demonstrably improving society, as increasingly expected by the world’s anxious public. Every company has mechanical, tick-box quantitative measures and procedures that help track business basics and don’t require bespoke actions. Organic behaviours, on the other hand, are those adapted to the situation, qualitative, and often untested. The transition between mechanical and organic
is where the idea of radical culture gains its foothold. Here lies part of the execution challenge: business leaders crave predictability from familiar routines, leaving a rich learning opportunity behind when organic behaviours are discouraged or downplayed. The reason is understandable: mechanical routines create systemic consistency. Organic behaviours don’t, at least not nearly as easily. Consequently, we are sceptical of those who colour outside the mechanical lines. Yet being able to transition between the mechanical and organic can help an organisation weather the unpredictable nature of today’s world and its myriad crises. We are awash in a sea of metrics-driven expectations. As the saying goes: “What gets measured, gets done.” But measurement can become mindless and a poor replacement for the hard work required to truly understand people. This recalls another saying: “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts.” The ambition to measure everything inhibits businesses from achieving their full potential. Radical performance that far exceeds expectations from stakeholders and society is less likely to burst forth from conservative, quantification-dominant cultures. Don’t misunderstand. I am not advocating
John A Davis is Chair of Brand New View, a former Dean of SP Jain School of Global Management, and the author of Radical Business: How to Transform Your Organisation in the Age of Global Crisis (Emerald, 2022). He holds an MBA from Columbia Business School
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