The View_September 2018_F_Web

FIVE LEVELS OF MATURITY IN THE
HIERARCHY OF CULTURE
1. Dysfunctional – no defined values,
people are consumed with conflict
and blame.
2. Lagging – no defined values, limited
focus on culture, creating a tired
workplace with issues and little cohesion.
3. OK – no defined values, people feel
comfortable about their work and the
customer experience is a three out of five.
4. Positive – the values have been defined
but are not proactively used. People are
positive and upbeat, and the workplace
is enjoyable.
THE SECRETS TO BUSINESS
CULTURE SUCCESS
5. Alignment – values have been defined
and everyone aligns their behaviours
around them. This is an award-winning
business.
Identifying the invisible parts of culture
and the importance of understanding
the way people see the world was the
focus of Nick Freedman’s conference
presentation. Nick says cultural work is
not just about developing policies and
procedures; it is about connecting with
people.
“When you get on the inside and you work
with people on the level of their values,
their beliefs and the way they think and
feel on a day to day basis, you are working
on a whole different level, you are working
beneath the surface,” he says.
“In doing so, your staff will behave in a way
that aligns with the results you want, and
this will rub off on your customers.
“Ultimately, what happens on the inside of
a business; mindset, behavior, culture and
strategy, is seen on the outsider through
your customer experiences and online
reviews.”
So, how do you reach cultural alignment
within your workplace? Nick says the
journey to alignment has four phases,
starting with awareness. Awareness is
about understanding what is driving you
and what your staff say is important. Find
common ground and use this to define
the six cultural values within your business.
From here, you can come to an agreement
within the organisation as to what values
drive it, shifting these values into a
behaviour by using mottos, for example:
Effectiveness > delivering on the promise
Respect > hearing every voice
The next step is application. Ask yourself,
how can we live and breathe these values
in everything we do? What cultural
projects can we implement within the
business to help our staff live and breathe
these values? An example shared by Nick
was morning meditation for particularly
stressful workplaces.
“When you have your people aligned
with those six words and they buy into
it, your business will have a completely
different way of functioning than just
giving someone a policies and procedures
manual,” he says.
Achieving cultural alignment and working
towards a level five culture involves
ongoing effort as the employee lifecycle
is ongoing. Nick says it is valuable
for businesses to not only consider an
individual’s skills and experience when
recruiting, but to also give consideration
towards their values, so you will be able to
find the alignment upfront.
Big Bend By Night offer the following tours and experiences
from their farming property on the banks of the Murray River at
Swan Reach. The property is over run with kangaroos and guests
are able to see mobs up close on any of the following tours.
Houseboat mooring is available under the Big Bend Cliffs.
Sunnydale Shearing Show
Riverbank Dinners
Nocturnal Tours
Daylight Cart rides
Platter Lunch
Outback Pub Tours
Bush Tucker breakfasts
E bigbendbynight00@gmail.com
P 0439 004 614
For further information visit
www.bigbend.com.au
8 SATIC. SPRING 2018