Far too many businesses fail to understand the interconnectivity between Strategy, Culture and Leadership. They spend countless hours developing the Companies Strategic Plan and maybe sometime on mounting their executive team’s leadership capabilities but all without first taking into account what type of culture they want or more likely have already imbedded within the organization. And then they are shocked when the strategy is not properly implemented by the leadership team!
Every successful organization has a core strategy that aligns with their core culture. The Leadership team is developed around these two elements. Strategy and culture are equally important.
Based on extensive studies and work done by The Corporate Development Group; these three elements; Strategy, Culture and Leadership can be broken out into 4 categories that when properly aligned will produce superior results:
Four Core Leadership Styles
Participative – Team Builder, Coach, Ensures diversity utilization. | Directive – Authoritative, conservative, firm & assertive, rules based |
Charismatic – Cultivator, Catalyst, people steward, idealist, commitment builder | Standard-Setter – conceptual visionary, challenger of others, spurs competition, tough taskmaster, stretch of people, drives constant innovation |
Four Core Strategies
Synergy – Close partnership, high customization, total solution, high personalization, co-development | Certainty – Dependability, efficiency, commodity, accuracy, predictability, convenience |
Enrichment – fuller realization of growth of customer, raising of human spirit, further realization of ideals, values, higher order purposes | Superiority – One of a kind, create market niche, extremely unique, unmatched product/ service, excellence, constant innovation |
Four Core Cultures
Collaboration – Synergy, egalitarianism, diversity involvement, united we stand – divided we fail, people interaction | Control – Certainty, systematics, objectivity, order, stability, standardization, utility, realism, discipline, predictability, |
Cultivation – Growth & Development, humanism, faith, commitment & dedication, creativity, purposes, values are paramount | Competence – Professionalism, meritocracy, pursue, excellence, continuous improvement, competition for its own sake, craftsmanship, don’t rest on your laurels, efficiency, autonomy & individual freedom |
More often than not you will see a company with a core culture of CONTROL try and bring in an executive that has a leadership style of PARTICIPATIVE to implement a SUPERIORITY strategy! The leadership style is in direct conflict with the culture. It is like trying to push a rock up hill and the hill keeps getting steeper and steeper and the summit is nowhere in sight! But you just keep pushing on, getting more and more frustrated.
While the strategy and the culture can be aligned it requires the right executive team to ensure it gets implemented. This can only be done with awareness and proper training.
You can reach me at 585.787.3360 or email me at pbauer@athensconsultinggroup.com if you would like a Leadership, Strategy & Culture alignment assessment done for your organization.