I think that we sometimes latch onto the idea of ‘teams’ with too little thought.
We talk about the wisdom of teams – when we are actually talking about the performance advantages of diversity and inclusivity.
Or we talk about the dysfunction of teams – when we are actually talking about the cultural absence of accountability or alignment.
We may be giving far too much credit – and blame – to a simplistic notion of ‘team culture’.
The culture problems usually arise when teams are allowed to become insular. Some team leaders insert toxic practices. And nobody outside the team seems to notice. Or, if they notice, they don’t react.
That’s not just a problem with the individual team leader. That’s an organizational problem.
𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝘀 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲. Great organizations build their success upon a consistent and well understood culture. Everywhere. Top to bottom.
Someone – at the top – needs to own culture. Specifically. And transparently. Culture needs to be their responsibility to find ways to articulate the values and also meld them with the organization’s performance structures. It’s this consistency of culture and structure that (mostly) prevents rogue cultures from arising.
But that’s not enough. We don’t let strategies just ‘happen’. We monitor. We react. And since there’s no greater influence on organizational success than its culture, it also needs to be monitored. Rogue sub-cultures can inflict deep harm.
Ownership. Accountability. Monitoring. These create strong cultures.