Creating an Ideal Organizational

Culture
Setting the Foundation for Successful Employee and
Stakeholder Interactions
Presented to the MLGMA Summer Workshop
Lee Ann Rouse
Omni Tech International, Ltd.
lrouse@omnitechintl.com
989.631.3377 x228
 Agenda
Item What is Organizational Culture and Why is it
1
Important?
Item Creating a Culture Code – What is our culture
2 now and what do we want it to be? What values
should drive our behaviors?
Item Culture Converts – Best Practices from the best of
3 the best

Item The Culture Roadmap – What is our value

4 proposition? What are our gaps? How do we get
there?
 Session Outcomes
• A clear understanding of what culture is and is not
• An understanding of what the culture is throughout city
departments
• A vision for the ideal culture
• How to draft core values and the associated behaviors
desired to drive culture change
• A culture roadmap defining gaps and potential action plans
moving forward
 What is Organizational
Culture?

“Culture is not about perks and parties. It's about

what you believe and how you behave."
A set of shared beliefs, values and practices…
 What is Organizational
Culture?
• The values and behaviors that individuals in
the organization exhibit and the meanings that
people attach to their actions
• Includes values, visions, norms, systems,
beliefs & habits, attitudes, written and
unwritten rules, interactions with outside
world, and future expectations
• Shown in the way the organization conducts
its business, treats employees, volunteers,
clients, and the community
• Affects productivity, performance and
interactions
 Why Work on Culture?
Culture is to Recruiting as
Product is to Marketing…

Customers are more easily

attracted with a GREAT
PRODUCT/SERVICE

But…
Amazing people are more
easily attracted with a
GREAT CULTURE
 “Culture eats
strategy for
lunch
everyday…”

Culture
provides
resilience in
tough times
and is more
efficient than
strategy
 Culture
trumps
competition…
Culture can
spur a
contrarian
business
strategy
 A broken
culture can
doom even a
great
organization
or product

R.I.P
A complacent
culture blinds
you to
organizational
threats
 Cultural
miscues are
more damaging
than strategic
miscues
 Culture
provides a level
of risk
prevention
 THEN NOW

An Observation…
FOCUS Pension Purpose
People have
dramatically changed
how they live and NEED Good Boss Great
work… Colleagues

HOURS 9-5 Whenever

WORKPLACE Office Wherever

TENURE Whole Career Whatever

Although
people have
dramatically
changed…many
organizations
operate as if
they are frozen
in time…
 The Old Paradigm
They operate as if
…money matters the most
…employees will always take
advantage of the company
…vacation policies are the answer
to work/life balance
…people need to be controlled
with rules, policies and
handbooks
…people should just be happy to
have a job
Nordstrom Policy Manual…in its
entirety…
“Your company’s culture and your company’s
brand are really just two sides of the same
coin. Your culture is your brand.”-Tony Hsieh,
Zappos
Culture happens whether you
plan it or not…
Why not create a culture you love…

“Let’s make the company we always

dreamed of. Let’s create a company
that will be a great place to be from.” -
Reed Hastings and Patty McCord, Netflix
 Culture Exercise
Describe the current culture within your organization
or department – what goes on in and around the
organization? What types of behaviors (good and
bad) do you see? What norms are exhibited?
 Culture Exercise

What elements of the current culture

do you want to KEEP?
What elements of the current culture
would you like to ELIMINATE?
What elements would you like to ADD?
Culture
 What are Core Values?
• The core values of an organization are those values we hold
which form the foundation on which we perform work and
conduct ourselves.
• In an ever-changing world, core values are constant.
• Core values are not descriptions of the work we do or the
strategies we employ to accomplish our mission. The values
underlie our work, how we interact with each other, and
which strategies we employ to fulfill our mission.
• Core values are the basic elements of how we go about our
work. They are the practices we use (or should be using)
every day in everything we do.
 Core Values - Examples
Professionalism Flexibility/Adaptability
Creativity/Innovation Respect
Customer Focus Honesty
Teamwork Courage
Open Minded Trust
Integrity Positive Attitude
Strong Work Ethic Passion
Enthusiasm Problem Solving
Dedication Respect
Creative Problem Solving Accountability
 Culture Converts

• Southwest
Airlines
• Netflix
• Zappos
• Hubspot
• Facebook
• Patagonia
• Aileron
• Google
NETFLIX
ZAPPOS
HUBSPOT
 FACEBOOK

1. Focus on impact: “If we want to have the biggest impact, the

best way to do this is to make sure we always focus on solving
the most important problems.”
2. Move fast: “We have a saying: ‘Move fast and break things.’
The idea is that if you never break anything, you’re probably not
moving fast enough.”
3. Be bold: “We encourage everyone to make bold decisions,
even if that means being wrong some of the time.”
4. Be open: “We believe that a more open world is a better
world because people with more information can make better
decisions and have a greater impact.”
5. Build social value: “We expect everyone at Facebook to focus
every day on how to build real value for the world in everything
they do.” -
PATAGONIA
Is it enough to just have Core
Values?

“Culture provides greater discipline than disciplinary

action does…”
 Example: Library Core Values
Professionalism
At all times we treat each other and each of our patrons with respect, dignity, and truthfulness. We strive for
excellence in all aspects of our work, positively creating solutions in a highly valued way.

Fulfillment
We want employees who are passionate about what they do. We want everyone to be fulfilled in their
professional endeavors, see value in their work and feel recognized and rewarded for their efforts.

Embrace Innovation and Change

We recognize that in order to continue to be relevant and valued we need to constantly evolve, take risks, and
be open to new ways of doing things. We recognize and encourage everyone’s input and listen to all ideas.

Teamwork and Leadership

We value leaders who lead by example and are both team followers as well as team leaders and remove
obstacles that enable their direct reports to succeed. Our team members take initiative when they notice
issues so that the team and the organization can succeed. Team members take ownership of issues and
collaborate with other team members whenever challenges arise. Our team members have a positive
influence on one another and everyone they encounter. We all strive to eliminate any kind of cynicism and
negative interactions, and create harmony with each other and with everyone else we come in contact with.

Open and Direct Communication

We value direct and open communication with each other and with our patrons. We speak positively with and
about each other and handle conflict directly in a positive manner. We communicate regularly with each other
and make it a priority to seek clarification when we don’t understand. We take personal accountability for
staying informed via the communication tools provided.

Customer Focus
We create an environment that is friendly, warm, and exciting. We encourage diversity in ideas, opinions, and
points of view. We treat every patron equally with respect and dignity regardless of who they are. We create a
positive experience for everyone that walks in the door. We value customer service and make customer needs
a priority.
 Example: Police Department
Mission & Values

Our team of department members developed a mission, vision,

and core values to demonstrate our purpose and commitment
to our profession and our community.
• Our Mission: To Serve and Protect
• Our Vision: A committed and respected TEAM of
professionals recognized as the most highly trained,
proactive, community-oriented law enforcement agency in
Michigan
• Our Core Values: Integrity, Professionalism, Service to
Community
 Values Identified in Other
Sessions

• Commitment to Integrity
• Community/Community Service/Service to
Community/Creating Community
• Service Excellence/Commitment to Excellence
• Continued Excellence
• Professionalism, Service to Community
• Exceeding Expectations
 Core Values Exercise

Make a list of core values that are

important to the vision for your
organizational culture
Prioritize the top 5 core values
 The Culture Journey
• Aggregate vision of the ideal culture
• Finalize a list of core values that enable the culture
• Communicate and integrate elements of the new culture into
the organization
• Communication
• Culture Team
• Training
• HR policies/practices
• HIRE on culture fit
• Culture Assessment
• Accountability
 Action Plans –
What are your next steps?
1. Select Core Values
2. Communicate core values to employees through City-Wide mandatory
customer service training. City Manager opens training to underscore the
commitment to the core values and customer service, including internal
customer service.
3. Core values and customer service are continually reinforced by department
heads and supervisors.
-Staff meetings
-Training
-Positive reinforcement of desired behaviors
4. Market Core Values: Core values are displayed on vehicles, equipment,
facilities, etc.
5. Update job descriptions for all positions to include core values and customer
service expectations. Core values will be included in selection process for new
employees.
6. Develop & implement core values/customer service employee recognition
program.
7. Develop metrics to measure effectiveness of customer service initiative
-Include questions related to core values on citizen surveys
-Conduct employee survey
-Implement process for feedback at point of contact with the
customer
 Did we meet our Session
Outcomes?
• A clear understanding of what culture is and is not
• An understanding of what the culture is throughout city
departments
• A vision for the ideal culture
• A draft of core values and the associated behaviors desired
to drive culture change
• Clearly defined value propositions for each department
• A culture roadmap defining gaps and potential action plans
moving forward
Questions? Comments?