Expand Your Mind: Broken Culture
by Miki SaxonDozens of articles and blog posts appear daily detailing the value of a good corporate culture, while others describe the difference between good and bad.
But, as the old saying goes, one picture is worth a thousand words and a real-time look at the effects of bad or dysfunctional cultures is a word picture you won’t soon forget—not those that are obvious, but the subtle ones.
Microsoft’s acquisition of Skype is all over the news, with very few good things being said. Why is that? Why are so many people so sure that it’s not a positive move?
“The big established groups [inside Microsoft] are allowed to prey upon emerging teams, belittle their efforts, compete unfairly against them for resources, and over time hector them out of existence.” –Ex-Microsoft executive Dick Brass
Another story in the news is that of the I.M.F. managing director Dominique Strauss-Kahn. One item that stands out in interviews with various people is the sense that his alleged actions are nothing new; and that the ethical structure of the I.M.F. culture is severely split between the executives and the rest.
“There are a lot of controls in place when it comes to the staff, but not for the leadership.” –Katrina Campbell, a compliance and ethics expert at Global Compliance.
Finally, we have the continuing dance between the short-term culture of Wall Street and too many public corporation CEOs who say what Wall Street wants to hear and then expect their operating managers to find a way to make it happen no matter the consequences.
If more CEOs were publicly forthright about their businesses, what factors slowed growth and the time required to get growth back on track, they’d create that reprieve and start building long term value. Instead, CEOs demand their teams do whatever it takes to make the quarter, setting in motion changes that make future growth that much harder to achieve.
Three examples of the damage bad culture can do.
What others can you add?
Image credit: MykReeve on flickr