Spark #11 – Are you sending unconscious messages that oppose your culture?
We pour lots of energy...
into bringing our company values to life and inspiring our colleagues to make the desired behaviours a daily reality.
But what happens when behaviours turn into unconscious symbols that oppose the very culture we’re trying to create?
The power of messages
Culture is built on messages. They come from lots of sources and most of them are unspoken. But they hold a lot of power. They demonstrate what an organisation values, what’s important, and what people do around there to fit in, be accepted and rewarded.
People pick up these messages, adapt their behaviour to fit them and in turn reinforce the culture by sending messages themselves.
Behaviours, systems and symbols
In her book ‘Walking the Talk: Building a Culture for Success’ (2005) Carolyn Taylor said these messages play out through three channels: behaviours, systems and symbols.
Behaviours are how we act. Systems are our organisational systems, policies and procedures. And symbols are actions, decisions or situations that people interpret and attribute meaning to.
All three are critical to building and nurturing the culture of your organisation, but you could argue symbols hold the most power. They slip by unnoticed, or behaviours are repeated over time and turn into unconscious symbols that send a very loud message about what’s valued in an organisation. So let’s take a closer look at them...
01
What do symbols look like in the workplace?
Regularly running out of time for colleagues to ask questions in meetings could send the symbol that you’re not interested in hearing their views. Designing a new office space and not factoring in how remote workers can be involved could send the symbol that you don’t really support hybrid working. Or not spending time giving colleagues a supportive induction could send the symbol you value getting someone in to pick up the workload, over setting them up for a meaningful career in the business.
They’re usually completely unintentional, but these unspoken messages can often say more to a colleague about the culture in your organisation than your beautifully articulated values and behaviours ever could.
And as humans we love to tell stories. Colleagues tell stories of how things were created, who succeeded in the organisation or why a decision was made. These stories can turn symbols into legend.
So how can we make sure the unconscious symbols we send aren’t opposing our values, but reinforcing them?
02
Leaders as role models
We know leaders are one of the biggest drivers in inspiring colleagues to live desired behaviours. And they’re just as influential when it comes to symbols. What leaders prioritise and pay attention to, and what they put off or avoid, sends those unspoken messages to colleagues about what’s important.
To help your leaders send the right symbols and nurture your desired culture, encourage them to really think about how they put the values into action. It’s not about ticking off a list of desired behaviours, but putting them at the heart of everything they do.
For example, they might always ask their team for their thoughts on a topic, but if they never follow up and give any feedback, colleagues will quickly come to think sharing their views isn’t important.
Support leaders to think about what they want their team to perceive as important around here, and then reflect on whether their actions support or undermine that. Are they prioritising those things? Are they living the behaviours that show those things are important? Are they recognising and rewarding teammates who prioritise them?
03
Telling stories that show the values in action
We can use our IC channels to tell the stories that really bring to life the culture we want to create. So the right symbols turn into legend. Think about the key projects or initiatives that show your values in action and help colleagues understand how they embody them and why it’s so important that they do.
And finally.
Be honest and authentic in all comms
Colleagues can take symbols from our comms too. If something is unclear or unconvincing, they’ll interpret it in a way that supports any pre-conceptions they have about the topic. So take the opportunity to address any potential niggles colleagues might have from the get go.
Bring it out in the open and be honest about how the business is tackling it. How you communicate a sensitive or challenging topic can make all the difference in how colleagues respond to it, and stop any unwanted symbols in their tracks.
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