How can we create sustainable organizational culture given the new conditions that we are adapting to? Dive into the topic together with us!
Hybrid working and organizational culture
Organizational culture can be defined as the total sum of behaviors, words, actions, and rituals which together define what is valued in an organization. Organizational culture and employee behaviors are interlinked where culture is created and manifested in interactions between employees. Based on this definition, it seems like no suprise that an organization which adopts a hybrid working model, where the conditions for work and interaction changes, will find that their organizational culture and the methods for working with culture are affected.
This discussion often give rise to two frequently asked questions:
- Will our culture be “negatively” affected by a hybrid working model?
- Will our culture be “positively” affected by a hybrid working model?
The answer to both questions is: not necessarily. How organizational culture is affected by hybrid arrangements is more complex than that.
Let your organizational culture transform
We frequently meet business leaders with different standpoints regarding the possibility to achieve and maintain organizational culture with a hybrid working model. We have realized that the companies that are successful, no matter which working model they choose, are the ones that realize that organizational culture will no longer be shaped in the exact same way as it did before. The conditions around us have changed, and so have our opportunities to create a sustainable organizational culture.
The fact that our workplace has moved into our homes, that we handle at least as many digital meetings as physical ones, and that we employ people without having met physically are just a handful of conditions that have changed recently. As humans, it is often tempting for us to hold on to the past. Yet, the business leaders who have the courage to let their organizational culture develop and take new forms together with the new conditions seems to be the ones most likely to reap the benefits that a hybrid working model can entail.
Be prepared to adapt
There is no secret and exact recipe for how to create sustainable organizational culture given the new conditions. Why? Because the conditions are still being created! We will need even more time of experimentation, research and above all - failing - before we can truly realize how to go about when creating a sustainable organizational culture given the new conditions in our specific organizaitons.
For this reason, we encourage you to be courageous, to try out something new and care about the culture during this crucial time! Co-create with your employees and show that you understand that culture transformation is an iterative process, and not a one-time activity. Always be prepared to adapt.
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