Aligning Multiple Sites Towards One Culture

For organisations with multiple offices or Branches, aligning them to the one goal and one culture uniting them all can be a battle.

Recently I had feedback from a client in the mining sector with branches up the East Coast of Queensland.

I clearly recall the mess our branches were prior to the course, and how the relationships between the staff improved and remained strong long after the course completion.
The skills learnt drove our business in North Queensland.
I regret the lost opportunities within the product business, largely due to egos and lack of cooperation between business managers. DISC would have contributed to a more successful outcome, sadly some people “know best”.

Creating an emotionally safe learning environment

First of all, it it is important to create a learning environment away from work; a context where people can clear their head, have permission to speak openly – all backed up with quality feedback as to how the world sees them is key.

Accountability is the key to Alignment
We are all good at setting goals, KPI’s and targets. The cards all fall over when there is a lack of accountability, a lack of buy-in to the overall “acceptable” and “unacceptable behaviours”.

As leaders across varied sites, it is critical that there is a clear sense of common purpose.

Taking time to Reflect On “One Culture”

With the world changing so rapidly, lead teams need to take time out to remind themselves of 4 key points around the One Culture they want to foster:

• Why are we in leadership?
• What is our purpose as a business (beyond making our shareholders happy) and
• Are we living and breathing the values we espouse to our business?
• Do we trust each other enough to fearlessly keep each other accountable to agreed behaviours?

The smart successful companies do refresh and nurture the alignment of their people. Many have been clients of Bridgeworks for nearly 20 years now.

So you are wise to measure what is happening and identify any clear or hidden issue around

• A lack of common purpose and authentic collaboration
• Too much “grey” around what are “acceptable” and “non-acceptable” behaviours
• Diversity leading to conflict between sites
• A need to engender a culture of “proactive leadership” rather than “reactive management”

Give me a call at Bridgeworks

to discuss. An open conversation can make a big difference in moving forward and working towards ONE CULTURE!