a culture's healthy heartbeat
We live and work in a time where information moves at a breakneck pace, priorities change and work/life balance can seem like a pipedream. Yet, all over the world people and organizations brim with energy and passion. Organizations respond to market pressures and customer demands with alarming speed and a cheerful attitude. Employees feel connected to their work and purpose without giving up time with their family and friends. What makes these organizations different from those workplaces that seem to suck employees dry? The difference comes down to one thing: organizational health.
A healthy organization, like a healthy person, has the energy and capacity for higher levels of performance. Just like good eating choices and regular exercise can significantly reduce your chances of getting sick, working toward a Breakthrough Culture everyday gives you a substantial reward in lower turnover, higher productivity and consistent results.
To develop a truly healthy organization, look first at the pulse of your company – the way in which the core of the company (the purpose, mission, values and philosophy) show up in your culture. A culture’s healthy heartbeat is measured by three key areas:
- The level of trust
- The strength of communication and collaboration
- The execution of roles and responsibilities
Strong cultures have to be built on a foundation of trust, and trust has to be the heart of an organization. Trust is an action that must be built, created and sustained through commitments, values, consistent behavior, competence and belief in others. Once trust has been established, communication and collaboration are enhanced.
Communication is the lifeblood of any organization. It provides individuals with what to do, how to do it and why it needs to be done. True collaboration can happen because individuals who trust and communicate with each other work together to accomplish projects. Communication and collaboration lead to employees fulfilling their roles and responsibilities because they gain a better understanding of how their work fits into the big picture of the organization.
Think of roles and responsibilities as the arteries and veins of your company; the pathways through which work is accomplished. Each team member will understand how their daily tasks support the organization’s strategic direction by understanding the purpose of the organization, as well as the what’s, how’s and why’s. Individuals and teams become self- motivated which increases productivity, performance and commitment to the organization.
These three foundational levels form the heartbeat of the organization. Trust, the heart of the organization, gets the blood it needs through the communication and collaboration of team members, and when the lifeblood of communication flows through the arteries and veins, work can be efficient and effective since employees fully realize their roles and responsibilities. When daily effort gets made here, the heartbeat stays steady and consistent, and the true benefits of having a healthy organization can be realized – passionate employees, high enthusiasm and sustainable results.
