Culture eats strategy for breakfast

Changing Perspectives

Rutendo Gwatidzo

CULTURE does not make people but people are the ones who make culture.

Culture can simply be defined as the way things are done.

It could be the way you dress, behave, work, talk, live your life and do business.

What you repeatedly do defines your culture and who you are.

As we celebrate independence this week, we need to take a relook at culture.

The saying “Culture eats strategy for breakfast” by Peter Drucker, an Austrian-American influential speaker, simply means that even if we put very good plans and strategies in place, they are likely to fail if the team running them does not have the right culture.

Culture influences how people communicate. It can be impressive, attractive or unattractive.

This simply means culture can draw certain people towards you or away from you.

Organisational status

Culture is inherited intentionally or unintentionally.

You need to take a closer look at how teams imitate their bosses.

Organisational strategies should take account of culture in order to succeed.

Culture speaks so loud than often imagined.

Culture and strategy are like two sides of the same coin.

Many organisations are driven by a culture whose background no one really understands.

Because culture can be passed on without realising it, it hides more than it reveals, and, interestingly, it hides from its participants more than anyone else.

There are organisations that do wrong things unknowingly.

So, it is important for organisations to create a feedback-friendly environment, where anyone, be it a fellow team member or any other stakeholder, can be able to give feedback regularly.

Culture can be learned and, yes, it can be unlearned as well.

However, it takes strategies to do this.

Culture requires training and constant checking. It does not go away overnight.

If it took years to inherit a certain culture, then, it will definitely take time to undo it.

The main mistake many companies make is thinking that putting up mission statements on websites and office walls is good enough to mould culture.

There is need to be very practical when it comes to dealing with culture.

One author once said: “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture; you just have to stop reading them.”

And, in organisations, managers are the books that teams read on a daily basis.

Imagine the ever-angry managers, the ever-late-for-work managers, the ever-lying managers who give promises they cannot keep, the ever-scruffy managers, and many more.

Also imagine the impact they have on their teams.

Train the trainer

Organisations should focus more on training the trainer so that those who get to read notes from the trainer will get pleasant information.

Addressing culture should be done frequently, if not daily.

It should not be a once-off event.

Culture itself is very stubborn because, by the time it manifests itself, it would have deepened its roots.

There is need to constantly move with trends to remain relevant in business.

However, take note to adopt the good professional trends.

For example, let your management team be a combination of both mature and young leaders in order to bring balance.

Too much of everything is not good. How management treats its people and stakeholders impacts everything about the organisation, either for better or for worse.

General facts

Good culture is not about what you grew up doing; it is about what is generally acceptable as professional.

Inasmuch as we all believe in different cultures, cultural differences should not separate us, but should bring collective strength for the benefit of all.

As we celebrate Independence Day, take time to redefine culture in your home, community and in everything you do.

It has to start with you.

Do not drink and drive during holidays.

Do not get drunk and fight with others.

Do not overspend on yourself and forget your family.

Stop overborrowing and straining your earnings.

Stop having multiple partners who will cause you trouble.

Stop going to places that will lead you into temptation.

There are many more things that you may have been bound to over years and they need to change.

Be challenged, encouraged and inspired to change the narrative of your culture and that of those you influence.

Rutendo Gwatidzo is the managing consultant at The HUB HR Consultancy, a culture and change management organisation. She is a multi-award-winning leader as a consultant, speaker and mentor. She is also an author of two books: “Born to Fight” and “Breaking the Silence”. Feedback: 0714575805/ [email protected] / Rutendo Gwatidzo official fb public page