In the fable “The Emperor Has New Clothes,” the emperor’s arrogance prevented him from seeing the truth about his situation. This arrogance can be seen in many company leadership teams as they refuse to see the truth about their organization’s culture. They either completely ignore the issue (too soft and fuzzy) or relentlessly project the image of being a great place to work. In reality their culture not only hinders productive and creative work, but also results in a highly disengaged workforce.
According to Deloitte’s 2015 major study on Human Capital trends, there are two trending factors that should cause leadership teams to take a second look at more than just the profit and product and put the people factor in full play.
# 1
We live in the age of the Glass Door. Our decisions, missteps, and other once-privately held discussions can, in a moment’s notice, be online and be visible for the whole world to see.
Your organization is out there as well. Your culture, the real way your company supports or hinders your mission, can be discovered with just a few clicks. This spotlight can either be your best friend or your worst enemy. If you’ve got a strong, innovative culture, you will attract and retain the people who are best-suited for you. But, if you are looking for high performers and your culture is dysfunctional, it will be difficult to recruit and retain the best and the brightest.
#2
The trending job market belongs to the employee. Your employees are now a new kind of customer. With talent wars and social sites, the market is highly competitive. People are looking for organizations who will engage them and enable them to use their skills to further a company’s vision. How serious does your leadership team take the company’s values and purpose?
Questions your leadership team needs to know the answer to:
1. How serious does your leadership team take the company values and purpose?
2. Can you define your company’s culture?
3. Is your organization aware of the the engagement factor of your employees?
4. Do you have measurements in place to let you know when engagement is high or when there are problems; do you have ways that assess your culture?
5. Are you listening to your new customer? the Milllenials’ values and expectations will determine the organizational culture in the next decade.
Your culture, which once belonged solely to the HR division, has become your company’s brand and a major indicator of business performance and profitability.
You can capitalize on these new trends and develop a great place to work. Or you can be known as the Emperor with no clothes.
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