Building Workplace Culture

Culture is not what you do, but how you do it; it's a unique set of values and practicies that one may call "Common behaviour".  Culture is a powerful force - nothing has more impact on organizational performance.  Culture taps our need to fit in.  If everyone in the organization works hard, then newcomers soon discover that working hard is the path to acceptance.  If newcomers work hard and are chastised by colleagues for doing so, s/he will either capitulate or leave the organization to find a better cultural fit.  Good leaders purposely attempt to shape  a positive culture.

New leaders, and leaders new to an organization, should map an organization's culture and then correct any limiting facets of that culture.  Once s/he knows the culture, s/he must develop a vision for a better culture and share both it and the accompanying strategies with employees - encourage the right habits and correct the wrong ones.  

Unfortuanately, not everyone will jump aboard, but one must press on.  Initially, one will notice three camps: supporters, fence sitters, and naysayers.  In time, the middle group will disappear and the leader will be left with supporters and naysayers.  Once the scale tips toward the new culture, this new culture will have the "pull" that the old one use to have, and the "common behaviour" will be the path to acceptance. 

Building a healthy workplace culture is difficult work, but it is the most important work one will do as a leader.

Behavioural Interviews

In order to prevent potentially great employees from being over-looked, employers should conduct behavioural interviews.  Behavioural interviews reveal a candidates experience; they are based on the premise that past performance is the best predictor of future performance.  Behavioural questions say, "Prove it by giving me an example."  Instead of "Do you know how to ...?" or "What would you do if...?" it is "Describe for us a specific time when you ..." 

Identify the job's objective, responsibilities, key characteristics, and competencies, then create your questions ensuring they are job-related.  Finally, create both target answers and scoring scales for each question so you avoid basing your decision on first impressions.