4 Steps to Begin Building a World-Class IT Culture

Everybody talks about the importance of culture; far fewer know what it really means or how to create a fertile environment for growth and success. Veteran CIO and leadership coach Larry Bonfante sheds some light on where to begin.

Everyone these days talks about the importance of organizational culture to performance — from Fortune 500 companies to NFL football teams. This term “culture” is bandied so frequently, one might think that everything in the world is in some way an aspect of organizational culture. But, to quote the character Inigo Mantoya in the Princess Bride admonishing Sicilian criminal Vizzini for his overuse of the word “inconceivable”: “You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.”

Defining what culture is — and isn’t — is an important starting point both in understanding why it has become so important in determining the future success of an organization and what IT leaders can do to foster the kind of culture necessary for their functions to deliver.  The Merriam-Webster dictionary explains that “culture is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, laws, customs, capabilities, attitudes, and habits of the individuals in these groups.” But what does culture look like in action — specifically in an organizational setting? That’s where culture gets a bit trickier to nail down.

To borrow a phrase from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart explaining the concept of obscenity in 1964: "I know it when I see it." That’s kind of how I think about organizational culture:  I know it when I see it — or, perhaps more importantly, when I feel it. 

I got that sense of a strong culture within a global animal health care organization that had invited me to lead a half-day workshop at their internal event. The people that worked there had a clear affinity for each other. They demonstrated a commitment to the organization’s mission. They were candidly engaging in idea sharing. They were comfortable constructively challenging one another in the pursuit of new solutions.

I can tell you from experience building that kind of culture isn’t easy. But I also know there are a number of concrete steps CIOs can take to create the conditions necessary to build the kind of culture that drives better performance.

Be the Change You Seek

When I run leadership workshops on the topic of culture, I begin by asking the participants to describe their current culture in a few words. The responses are rarely positive: overworked, siloed, command-and-control, fragmented, inconsistent, lacking communication. I then ask them to describe what they would consider their ideal culture. Then I’ll often hear words like collaborative, innovative, supportive, team-oriented, respectful, rewarding.

Next, I ask the team who they feel is responsible for getting the organization from the current state to the desired future state. This is a bit of a trick question! There are two answers that I believe are correct. The first answer is: every member of an organization impacts the culture, either positively or negatively, and therefore bears some responsibility for transforming it. The second answer is that we leaders play a critical role in setting the tone for the culture. We have all worked for those who were great at “talking the talk”. However, in quiet moments or under duress, they weren’t quite as good at “walking the walk”.  I strongly believe that old expression that “What you do speaks so loudly, I can’t hear what you say.” 

Charles Barkley once made a commercial when he was playing in the NBA stating, “I am not a role model!” Well, ladies and gentlemen, like it or not, as CIOs we are role models. It is critical for us to set the tone and act consistently in the ways that we would want our people to act. The question we need to ask ourselves is whether the way we consistently act and behave is something we want our people to emulate. If not, some changes may need to be made.

How to Build a Better Culture

Nearly everyone in business is familiar with what management consultant and author Peter Drucker said: “Culture eats strategy for breakfast.” No matter how great your business plan is, you will fail without a company culture that encourages people to implement it. I’ve seen the truth of this in nearly every company I’ve encountered — no matter the size, industry, or geography.

The why of culture is clear. But what about the how? What can IT leaders do to foster a world-class culture? In my experience, there are four basic starting points:

1. Your team members need to buy in and feel that they are a part of something bigger than themselves. When people feel that they don’t matter, they act like hamsters on a wheel. They will work just as hard as is necessary to get their pellets every two weeks to pay the mortgage. But when people feel a sense of ownership and accountability for the outcomes of the organization, they will invest their bodies, minds, and souls in the process. Do your people feel and behave like the organization is their own company, or are they just showing up to make a living?  I believe in creating shared objectives that promote the pursuit of team success as opposed to allowing people to say, “Well, I did my job; it’s not my fault other people didn’t do theirs!”
   
   
2. Everyone must know that they can impact the situation. That doesn’t mean the goal is consensus. In fact, I don’t believe in consensus. If five of us are discussing going to dinner, I may want Italian, you’re craving Mexican, Ann prefers Chinese, Joe may want burgers, and Sue is dying for sushi. We’d all starve to death by the time we got to consensus on where to eat. What I believe in is alignment. If that is the goal, it is still possible to give everyone some opportunity to be heard and influence the decision. Then once a decision is made — even if everyone does not agree with it — we all rally behind the choice and push the rock in the same direction. Make sure you explain your decisions to the team, especially on the rare occasion when your “Spidey senses” tell you that you need to take a different approach than they have recommended.
   
   
3. Leaders should emulate honest and transparent communication. I often tell my coaching clients that people don’t like to be treated like mushrooms – kept in the dark and having manure piled on them! They want to be treated with respect, and that means being straightforward with them. I try to tell people as much as I can, as soon as I can, as constructively as I can. I’m not talking about just singing a happy tune. Sometimes what you must share is challenging. But I believe we can have difficult conversations without being difficult. Also, I advise rewarding team members for publicly asking the hard questions and bringing challenges to your attention. People need to know that you want them to tell you what you need to hear, not what they think you want to hear.
   
   
4. IT is a team sport, so we have to play it that way. Another aspect of a great culture is the sense that everyone is working together. That doesn’t mean everyone has the same experience, skills, or perspective; quite the contrary. As Dr. Martin Luther King said, “We may have all come on different ships, but we’re in the same boat now.” I can’t tell you how much finger-pointing I’ve seen in organizations who play the blame game instead. “It’s not the network, it’s the server.” “It’s not the server, it’s the software.” In a great culture, there’s little value in accusations; the focus is on how to support and help each other, whether solving a problem or pursuing a new innovation. Recognize people for doing more than their job descriptions and looking for ways to support their colleagues to ensure project success. 

Of course, this is just the start of what it takes to create a culture that drives IT and business excellence. I’ll have more to share on the topic in the future. Just remember this for now: the kind of environment, expectations, relationships, and norms you create within the IT function will have a much greater impact on the level of success you achieve than any strategy or product rollout ever could.