Inconsistent values and behaviors
by Mario H. Noronha
Topic of this content: Inconsistent values and behaviors' impact in organizational cultural alignment
Who might be interested in reading: professionals and organizations
In the second text of this month, we will address the existence of inconsistent values and behaviors, factors that can contribute to cultural misalignment in organizations.
Inconsistent values and behaviors are understood as the existence of a gap between the values promoted by the organization and the behaviors practiced daily.
To better illustrate this idea, we can think, for example, of a company that may claim to value innovation, but its processes and hierarchies stifle creative ideas and risk-taking.
One of the consequences of this type of inconsistency is the ineffectiveness of teamwork, as a misaligned culture can result in conflicts, communication failures and a lack of cooperation between members of each team and between different teams.
That is, when employees do not share common values or understand each other's roles within a collective culture, teamwork and collaboration suffer, harming the entire organization.
"A highly-developed values system is like a compass. It serves as a guide to point you in the right direction when you are lost." - Idowu Koyenikan
A possible solution is to communicate the vision and values that the organization advocates or defends.
When there is clarity in communicating the vision, values and expected behaviors of all employees, this has a positive impact on cultural alignment within the organization.
It is also essential that this communication is continuous and incorporated into all aspects of the organization, including the way meetings are conducted, employee training and even internal communications, to name just a few examples.
As is almost always the case when one chooses to introduce changes, one must deal with the omnipresent resistance to change, particularly when there is a deeply rooted organizational culture, which can trigger a resistance to changing values, behaviors and practices, to which employees have been used to for a long time.
Overcoming this resistance requires effective leadership strategies and exercises in change management, which is an entire area of knowledge in itself.
However, the benefits far outweigh any effort put into making these changes, because organizations with strong cultural alignment have lower turnover rates.
Employees are more likely to stay in them, as they are more likely to identify with the values defended - and effectively practiced - which generates strong feelings of belonging and purpose.
Author's note: this text expresses a personal perspective framed within some parameters, it is not a scientific article, of a medical, prescriptive or binding nature. It is also important to note that it was not intended to be an exhaustive analysis, in the future there will be new texts that will address other ways of looking at these same topics.
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