If you improved workplace culture by, say 5%, would everyone in your team feel it? Would a 5% improvement in organisational culture have such an impact that most people in your organisation would notice a difference? We’d guess the answer to these questions is ‘no’. That’s because culture is such a complex thing – so
It’s strange in many respects that in this era, when there is and has been so much change happening, people are so resistant to organisational change. So how do you get people passionate about change? The straight answer to this is – you don’t! Not all of them any way. Let’s face it – we

What Leadership Isn’t

In my mid 20s, I was seconded from my role as a teacher into the head office of the Education Department. During the five years I spent in head office, I was invited to be part of a team that provided leadership training to school leaders. I remember that one of the first sessions I

Silence Is Not Golden

What is the relationship between a medical procedure, a quote from a printing company, and a typical work meeting? Steve Simpson argues that ‘silence’ is the bond between these experiences – and it’s not golden… I’d like to share three scenarios – as the reader, see if you can decipher what these apparently diverse scenarios
In many of the organisations with which we work, employees have given up hope. They’ve given up on the possibility of leaders treating them more positively, of their team being supportive, of the organisation recognising them as real people, and of the culture getting any better. It’s sad, but true – many, many people are
People familiar with our web site will know that the UGRs (unwritten ground rules) concept is a potent tool that helps people understand and improve corporate culture. We have evidence to show that UGRs drive people’s behaviour, yet they are rarely talked about openly. So how are UGRs created? Our work with Gold Coast based Clive Lloyd has
Despite what you read, the concept of organisational culture is NOT difficult to understand. Organisational culture is simply people’s perceptions of ‘this is the way we do things around here’. It’s the ‘unwritten ground rules’ or UGRs that consititute a company or team culture. So how are UGRs created and sustained? There are three key ways UGRs are shaped:
When we work with organisations with a view to enabling a more positive, productive culture, there are two ‘streams’ of activities that we recommend. One stream of activity relates to the implementation of improvement initiatives based on an assessment of the current culture. We believe leaders need to consider what kind of culture is needed

Why Training Doesn’t Work

Training is so often promoted as the solution to problems being experienced in an organisation – take a look at just about any business plan and training is almost certain to be part of the business growth strategy. Steve Simpson believes that in some instances, training can be a total waste of time. Even worse,
When it comes to workplace culture, we think there’s a water-tight case. Here’s the logic as we see it: Workplace culture is probably the most important driver of organisational performance Companies need to agree on the kind of culture they need in place to ensure their future success To the extent this cultural profile is