Culture—Authentic Or Fake
by Miki SaxonRichard’s recent posts (here and here) questioned what happens to culture and people as assets during a tanking economy.
Is culture anything more than lip service? Glib words to throw around during an expansion, but hollow and valueless otherwise?
Yes—and no
Unfortunately, too many executives still see people as an expendable resource—interchangeable and replaceable.
But not all.
The companies with strong, innovative cultures where executive action supports an environment that challenges and encourages growth will come out of this stronger and miles ahead of their lip-synching competitors.
They also know that keeping their people motivated and as happy as possible is the only option if they want to keep their customers happy.
Think Apple, Nucor, IBM and dozens of others, large, medium and small, where the execs practice what they preach.
But no matter how authentic the culture, the economy happens and companies have to deal with it—and even the best may face layoffs.
