Leading Culture Handbook
Expanding leaders' behaviors and practices
Changing behaviors and altering long-standing routines is difficult for anyone, but for leaders trying to deliver today's results plus improve collaboration, innovation, productivity, agility or other culture strengths, this is particularly challenging. The Leading Culture Handbook has been developed as a tool for leaders to expand their repertoire of behaviors, practices and action strategies for strengthening culture.
Leader behaviors
The Leading Culture Handbook describes in detail behaviors that leaders can use to strengthen 10 areas of culture fundamental to a healthy, vibrant culture including Agility, Collaboration, Direction, Discipline, Engagement, Learning, Openness, Performance, Risk and Trust. It provides examples of behaviors for managers to master and role model in each dimension.
Focus on four kinds of practices
While behaviors are important, they need to be used in the context of day-to-day practices in order to call out new beliefs, challenge assumptions and create more effective routines and practices. Our belief is that by focusing on changes to four kinds of practices - Social, Managing, Operating and Learning, leaders can open up positive and productive dialogue about beliefs, behaviors and artifacts (such as policies, language, symbols and so on).
In addition, leaders need ideas about where to start, so we have included action strategies that illustrate starting points for strengthening each dimension of culture. We have described tactics for shifting culture that get to the heart of the question of how to invite others on a journey of culture change with you.
Research-based
The Leading Culture Handbook is anchored in over a dozen years research into leader behaviors and practices, and on our experiences in working with leaders intent on building productive and adaptive environments where people deliver their best.
It is founded on constructs we have developed based on the work of social scientists in the area of national and organizational culture, including Geert Hofstede and Fons Tromenpaars, as well as The GLOBE Study of 62 Societies by House, Hanges and others. The GLOBE Study involved approximately 17, 000 managers from 951 organizations operating in 62 societies with a research team of 170 scholars and research scientists from the same 62 countries.
Language of business
Building on this well-respected and validated body of knowledge, we have developed a set of analytical models that are the foundation for tools such as the Culture Snapshot™, the Leading Culture Snapshot™ 360° leader feedback survey and the Leading Culture Handbook™ so these materials work seamlessly at the individual, team and organizational levels. Our materials are written in plain words, rather than academic and consultant language, to bring leaders tactical tools they can use every day.
High Engagement Culture Handbook
Working with organizations on taking their culture to new levels of engagement has resulted in an updated version of the High Engagement Culture Handbook. Find out more about the High Engagement Culture Handbook...
"We must become the change we want to see." Gandhi
