1. education
2. graduate school
3. college

A think piece
Why culture matters
Why culture matters
2
Author
Andy Massey, The Pacific Institute®.
Publisher
© 157 Group, May 2013.
Published by the 157 Group. Publication reference 157G-111.
All rights reserved.
A think piece
3
Contents
Foreword
4
The 157 Group
6
Introduction
8
The process
9
Why culture matters
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What is culture?
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Measuring culture
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What do principals want the culture to look like?
15
The culture gap 16
The importance of goal-setting in culture change 17
The individual mindset
18
The role of leadership in creating high‑performance cultures
18
Case studies
19
MANCAT
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Secondary school in England
20
An outsourced IT company – South Africa
21
Bibliography
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Foreword
This publication is part of a series produced by the
157 Group in conjunction with like-minded organisations,
which focus on the centrality of teaching and learning
to the performance and self-improvement of further
education colleges.
4
Leading learning in further education1 placed teaching and learning firmly at the heart of the agenda for
all leaders and began a conversation among professionals in the sector that has taken place against
an evolving policy context. The Lingfield report on professionalism,2 coupled with the formation of the
new FE guild and developments in regard to chartered status for FE colleges, has made quality central
to government policy, and Ofsted’s new Common Inspection Framework has emphasised again that
leaders must be concerned with the core business of their institutions above all else.
In partnership with the Institute for Learning (IfL) and the Institute of Education (IOE), we have held a
number of seminars and workshops, which have ‘unpacked’ what placing teaching and learning at the
heart of a college’s work means in practice:
zz Leading learning and letting go (May 2012) focused attention on staff development and the need to
create professional ‘expansive’ learning environments in which good practice could flourish.3
zz Great teaching and learning (September 2012) ensured that the views of learners were taken
into account, as it brought together messages about staff attributes and behaviours alongside
pedagogical practice.4
zz Leading partnerships with employers and building collaborative professionalism (April 2013) looked at
developing employer and community partnerships to ensure that external stakeholders could influence
outstanding planning and practice.5
Our work has now moved towards a focus on collaboration between colleges in order to create what
some have described as ‘communities of practice’ among teachers. So, we have focused on the input
of leaders, staff, learners, employers and the local community, and other practitioners in turn. All of these
combined can have a powerful impact on the quality of provision in an institution. But allowing all of these
stakeholders in, as it were, requires professionals within a college to have a particular ‘mindset’, and to
be operating within a particularly open kind of culture. That is what this think piece is about.
The Pacific Institute® is a well-respected organisation that has so far worked with more than 35 colleges
across the country to improve the culture within their organisation. To create an open culture requires
determination and courage on the part of leaders and a significant degree of self-reflection.
1
2
3
4
5
157 Group and CfBT Education Trust, 2011. Leading learning in further education.
BIS, 2012. Professionalism in Further Education. Final Report of the Independent Review Panel.
IfL, 2012. Leading learning and letting go: building expansive learning environments in FE.
157 Group, 2012, Great teaching and learning.
IfL, 2013. Leading partnerships with employers and building collaborative professionalism.
A think piece
5
This publication reflects the views of college principals from within the 157 Group and builds on
The Pacific Institute’s® own research to set out ways in which an organisation’s culture might be adapted
in order to meet the challenge of spreading outstanding teaching and learning.
In many ways, therefore, this publication overarches the others mentioned, and provides some practical
and theoretical insights into what leaders might do to bring about a positive cultural shift. Its messages
are clear and important if we are to ensure that more and more learners can be equipped successfully
with the skills and knowledge required of them for our future economic well‑being.
Lynne Sedgmore CBE
Executive Director, 157 Group
Why culture matters
6
The 157 Group
The 157 Group is a membership organisation that represents 27 large,
regionally influential further education colleges in England, most of which are
highly successful. All our members are key strategic leaders in their locality,
who take seriously the role of leading policy development, and improving
the quality and reputation of further education.
Providing a national voice on strategy and policy for large, mostly urban colleges in England, we aim to
promote change for the benefit of our members and the sector as a whole. Our members’ knowledge,
capability, experience and commitment brings a unique breadth and depth of expertise to bear on
every aspect of further education and skills. We also work together as a peer support network, and are
committed to equality and diversity.
We are actively promoting the development of a strong and world‑class college sector that not
only has a transformative impact on individuals, employers and their local communities, but also
makes a real difference to the economic and social well‑being of the nation and its global success.
Together, 157 Group colleges:
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turn over £1.6 billion a year
serve 700,000 learners
employ 39,000 staff
engage with 32,000 employers.
Our approach
zz We strive to be thoughtful, flexible and responsive; acting quickly and decisively for the benefit of our
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members and the sector.
We promote the FE and skills sector as a whole. Committed to excellence and instrumental in
resolving sector debates and issues, we adopt a pragmatic approach to delivering positive solutions
and achieving success.
We are bound by a strong and unanimous commitment to using our collective knowledge, capability
and experience to lead policy development, improve performance and champion the reputation not
only of members but also the sector as a whole.
We seek to be critical friends and advisers to the government and shadow government, local
communities and the sector itself to achieve positive outcomes for communities, employers,
businesses and individuals.
We work with fellow 157 Group members, sharing expertise, ideas and resources.
A think piece
Policy role
Our member colleges operate within a complex and volatile policy environment, and our objective as
thought leaders is to exert powerful influence on critical policy priorities. Our policy and discussion
papers draw on and reflect the practical experience of 157 Group member colleges. The themes,
developed over a series of debates, represent the areas of greatest concern for them as leaders of some
of the largest and most successful colleges. The following policy and discussion papers are available to
download from our website:
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Protect services to students, by targeting cuts and embracing efficiency
Real choices for 14 to 19‑year‑olds
Preparing colleges for the future
Learning and skills needs local leadership
Strong colleges build strong communities
Making the QCF work for learners
Colleges’ international contribution
Rising to the challenge: how FE colleges are key to the future of HE
Learning accounts that count
Doing more for less
Leading learning in further education
The role of local enterprise partnerships in tackling skills needs
Adult further education – the unfinished revolution
Expanding apprenticeships – colleges are key to employability
Information is not enough: the case for professional careers guidance
Tackling unemployment: the college contribution
Effective transitions from school to work: the key role of FE colleges
Great teaching and learning
The challenges of Stem provision for further education colleges
Shaping the future: opportunities for HE provision in FE colleges
Curriculum redesign in further education colleges: exploring current challenges and opportunities.
Through these papers we seek to:
zz contribute a new, strong and relevant perspective, influencing national policy through offering
workable and practical policy ideas
zz focus our recommendations on changes that can bring improvements for learners, stakeholders,
colleges and the whole sector
zz raise the level of debate and discussion across the sector
zz recommend improvements that can be made by colleges themselves and the sector
zz raise awareness amongst sector agencies of their own roles.
Our members
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Barnet and Southgate College
Bedford College
Birmingham Metropolitan College
Blackpool and The Fylde College
Chichester College
City and Islington College
College of Haringey, Enfield and
North East London
Cornwall College
Derby College
Ealing, Hammersmith & West London College
Highbury College Portsmouth
Hull College
Leeds City College
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Leicester College
LeSoCo (formerly Lewisham College)
New College Nottingham
Newham College
St Helens College
Stoke on Trent College
Sunderland College
Sussex Downs College
The Manchester College
The Sheffield College
Trafford College
West Nottinghamshire College
Warwickshire College
York College.
7
Introduction
The Pacific Institute® (TPI®) was established in the UK
in 1981, following 10 years of great success in the
US. TPI®’s initial work in the UK was focused almost
entirely on the private sector: financial organisations,
manufacturing, the IT sector, but in the 1990s the balance
shifted quite significantly towards the public sector, with
our work in schools growing dramatically to the point
where it represented 50 per cent of the overall business.
8
At that stage in our development, we concentrated our education efforts very much on programmes for
teachers, learners and parents, aimed at raising aspiration, expectations and self-esteem – the results
were outstanding. Increasingly we became aware that when a whole staff had experienced our
programmes, there was a tipping point where there appeared to be a significant shift in the collective
behaviours of those in the organisation – a shift that correlated with organisational performance. Quite
simply, there was an impact on culture.
For the last 10 years, a significant proportion of The Pacific Institute®’s organisational development
activity has been in the FE sector. That work began in 2003 with MANCAT where several hundred staff
and several thousand 16 to 18‑year‑olds participated in a Pacific Institute® experience. At the heart of the
MANCAT project, and subsequent work in almost 40 other colleges, was culture transformation: not only
its measurement, but also the implementation of a tailored programme designed to address the cultural
challenges facing the particular college. The results have been impressive, not only in terms of cultural
improvement but also in organisational performance.
Why is culture so important? Why does it matter even more in times of financial challenge, and does it
really help organisations to deal with the challenges of engagement and passivity? TPI® is ideally placed
to respond to these questions as they apply to the FE sector.
We know that you will value our contribution.
Dr Neil Straker
Chief Executive
The Pacific Institute® UK
A think piece
The process
The Pacific Institute® has been specialising in
organisational development for over 40 years across the
globe and can now point to a diverse and eclectic client
base. In the UK, many of our clients are to be found in
the education system, including a number of FE colleges
and 157 Group members.
9
Consequently, we believe The Pacific Institute® (TPI®) is qualified to construct an article to build on
previous contributions and to offer an insight into ‘why culture matters’. Indeed, not just ‘matters’, but
is absolutely crucial to enable organisations to realise their goals and aspirations. So, in the autumn of
2012, some 157 Group principals were kind enough to agree to be interviewed on this very issue.
What follows is a distillation of their responses, supported and highlighted by examples, narrative, case
studies and research from TPI®’s own experiences of helping clients wrestle with perhaps one of the
most challenging aspects of leading a 21st century organisation – namely, how do I ensure that our
culture enables everyone to maximise their potential by spending more and more time operating to the
very best of their abilities?
10
Why culture matters
It’s Sunday. A beautiful, crisp, late winter’s afternoon. In a washed out,
water‑coloured sky, the evening sunset prepares to dazzle and inspire. We park
the cycles outside what has now become a very friendly and welcoming
local hostelry and step inside to thaw out after a long stint in the saddle.
Our landlord, Richard, chats predominantly with the locals – exchanging
news and gossip. The fire roars, the beer flows, meals are rushed out to
hungry walkers, cyclists and families. A typical ‘village pub’ at the heart of a
local community. Two girls, Emma and Claire, work at breakneck speed to
ensure all remains as it should be. Nothing unusual so far?
Nothing that hasn’t been witnessed by all of us before. But it’s the staff changeover that catches my eye.
Very publicly, Richard makes a point of thanking Emma and Claire for working so hard on what was a
particularly busy afternoon. The girls both smile. Richard is a skilled leader. He understands that for his
business to be successful, customers have to want to come and spend time and money there. He fully
understands the causality between the manner, hard work and dedication of his staff and the revenues
for his trade.
As a leader, he’s doing his bit to ensure that his staff feel that their efforts are appreciated and are
contributing. By understanding how they are making a difference to the success of the business, whether
measured in pounds and pence, customer satisfaction or success rates, there is a greater likelihood
that they will do so again tomorrow. Richard has created a culture in that pub. It’s the way they do
things. And it’s infectious. I’ve witnessed customers also giving the staff similar feedback on more than
one occasion.
This simple leadership strategy of ‘providing feedback’ is just one of many ways leaders impact on the
performance of employees and, ultimately, the overall success of the organisation, by positively impacting
on the culture.6
So what is culture and how do we begin to leverage it?
6 Cooke, R and Lafferty, C, 1987. Organizational Culture Inventory®. Human Synergistics International, 62.
A think piece
What is culture?
For many years, The Pacific Institute® has utilised the research of Human Synergistics®.
Since 1970, it has developed high‑quality diagnostics for individuals, leaders, teams and
organisations. Its emphasis is on measuring the relationship between human behaviours
and performance. In turn, this has enabled thousands of organisations to understand
their operating culture and its relationship to outcomes. This article draws heavily on the
research of Robert A Cooke PhD and J Clayton Lafferty PhD of Human Synergistics on
leadership, culture, and organisational effectiveness.
All the interviewed principals were very clear that the culture of a college is key to its core values –
the way we do things around here. We would concur with this completely. Those shared beliefs and
values are at the epicentre of organisational culture and underpin so much of what follows. Those
beliefs manifest themselves via the collective behaviours of the organisation and of individuals. There are
interdependencies here, in that the behaviours of individuals, teams and leadership will have an impact
on culture and vice versa. However, the single largest impact influence on culture will be leadership. So it
is vital that leaders understand their culture and know what beliefs are prevalent, in order to align their
strategies for maximum impact.
Referencing the diagnostic model from Cooke and Lafferty, we refer to two general types of culture:
zz constructive (where the emphasis is on innovation, being proactive and valuing performance)
zz defensive (where the emphasis is more focused on maintaining the status quo and avoiding taking
risks or being exposed).
Five years after the publication of Cooke and Lafferty’s research (1987), Kotter and Heskett (1992)
also identified that there are two basic types of cultures that results in very different organisational
outcomes. Kotter and Heskett talked of unadaptive cultures and adaptive cultures. They measured
the performance of 207 organisations over the same 11‑year period between 1977 and 1988.
The differences in the performance of those organisations as measured against the variables highlighted
are astonishing (Figure 1).
Figure 1
Unadaptive culture
Adaptive culture
166%
682%
Share prices
74%
901%
Net income
1%
756%
Revenue
Kotter and Heskett study of 207 firms over an 11‑year period as reported in their book,
Corporate Culture and Performance.
In their ASTD presentation (2005) Sanders and Cooke noted the important limitations of Kotter and
Heskett’s research and also commented on the similarity of Kotter and Heskett’s adaptive and unadaptive
types to Human Synergistics’ constructive and defensive types of cultures, so for convenience we will
continue exclusively with the labels constructive and defensive (Cooke and Lafferty, 1987).
It just costs more to run a defensive culture. In constructive cultures, everyone is co-responsible
for trying to figure out faster, better, smarter, more effective ways of doing things. Constructive
organisations tap into the combined talent, skills and knowledge of all the members. In defensive
cultures, the mindset is based on the notion that “we’ve already figured out a way to do this, let’s just
make sure everyone complies.” Only one of these fundamental core beliefs put forward by leaders
inspires people to come to work, because they get to help create new solutions to real problems that
they are probably passionate about. Is it possible that a member of staff could be equally passionate
about creating new innovative methods in a defensive culture and yet never share or voice those
thoughts? Yes! Previous articles have spoken about the need to engage learners and teachers in new
relationships, where there is a shared ownership of learning.
11
Why culture matters
To do that requires leaders, managers, staff and students in a college to think in new and unique
ways. Yet, if we are not careful, the culture precludes that by rewarding a culture of perfectionism –
micromanaging – where all the feedback relates to how well people have followed a set procedure, rather
than whether they have actually achieved the clearly stated and desired outcome. A key building block
in constructive cultures, is that leaders clearly identify exactly what it is they want people to achieve and
why. In defensive cultures, more emphasis goes on telling people what they need to do. Work starts to
become a ‘have to’ rather than a ‘want to’.
12
My children are quite young (primary school age) and into cycling at the moment. I recently moved house
and took them on a long route that none of us knew. After a while, there were the usual grumbles and
niggles as tiredness kicked in. Out of nowhere, we stumbled on a cosy, tucked‑away café by the side of
the canal we were loosely following. The next time we passed along that same route again, there were
no complaints of tiredness on the way. No bickering with each other. Why? Because they knew what
they were heading towards. It was a ‘vision’ they very definitely subscribed to. I didn’t need to encourage
them to keep pedalling or ‘work harder’ – the mission was one that they had bought into already.
Needless to say, we got there in record time.
We find highly effective leaders do this almost organically. They are constantly talking about what it will
be like ‘when we get there’. Describing the organisation as they want it to be, rather than how it currently
is. That’s not to say they ignore current reality. Far from it. Indeed, a key piece of The Pacific Institute®’s
work in this field is getting leaders to look at both the operating culture they have right now, as well as
the culture they believe will give them the best chance of success.
So, how do you measure culture?
Measuring culture
Drs Cooke and Lafferty created the Organizational Culture Inventory® (OCI®) to do just this. The diagram
opposite (Figure 2) is a Human Synergistics’ Circumplex highlighting the aggregated responses from
the last 6,419 FE sector employees we have surveyed. This is a ‘point-in-time’ measure of the culture
in those FE colleges according to those members of the associated colleges and based on 12 types
of behavioural norms, (the segments of the clock-face). It is measuring what members believe they
are expected to do to fit in at their college. This data is based on the aggregated samples of more
than 40 FE colleges.
In this Circumplex, the blue sector highlights organisational norms that are desirable. The green sector
shows behaviours that a successful organisation needs to minimise. The red sector highlights behaviours
that have traditionally been associated with success, but current research sees them as less effective
and drives green behaviour. I will return to that, in more detail, later on.
To further understand the Circumplex, each of the 12 behavioural patterns is norm‑referenced against
700 organisations, as highlighted by the concentric rings. Moving out from the centre, the rings show
the 10th, 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles. So the college chart below shows how FE’s aggregated
culture compares to the norm for each of the 12 styles.
A think piece
Figure 2: Organizational Culture Inventory®
Aggregated profile of the last 6,419 ‘current reality’ responses from employees in UK FE colleges
13
Research and development by Robert A Cooke PhD and J Clayton Lafferty PhD.
Copyright © 1987–2013, Human Synergistics International. All rights reserved.
When asked what impacts the ‘wrong culture’ would have on college performance, the interviewed
principals were very clear. Responses included failure of students, a closed-door mentality, low
expectations of and by staff and students, more mistakes, inconsistent learner experiences, high staff
turnover and an impact on success rates. In the minds of experienced principals, it seems there is a clear
line of sight between poor culture and poor performance data. That is a belief we would share. It is not,
however, the case that a poor culture precludes acceptable results. It doesn’t. However, the assumed
ultimate aim is excellence.
While colleagues may perform adequately in defensive cultures, they will not become all that they
are capable of becoming. A leadership and a culture are needed that promote organisational
adaptability. Innovation. We need goals that excite our colleagues and help them to think in unique and
unconventional ways. Contrast that generic sentiment with the current reality aggregated profile for the
sector above (Figure 2). The comment I just made about exciting goals comes out of the achievement7
slice, at 11 o’clock on the Circumplex. A high score in that area would suggest that the organisation
is setting challenging goals and has effective plans to reach them. Organisations that score highly
on the achievement style are focused on becoming the best that they can be by focusing on their
own individual and collective performance. Yet the Figure 2 diagram would suggest that colleges are
operating with defensive cultures. Blue cultures encourage members to think in new and innovative
ways, whereas a green culture leans more to advocating increasing the efficiency of existing processes
and methodologies.
7 OCI style names and descriptions are from Robert A Cooke and J Clayton Lafferty, Organizational Culture
Inventory®, Human Synergistics International, Plymouth, MI. Copyright © 1987–2013. All rights reserved. Used
by permission.
Why culture matters
At a time when the sector is under increased demands and reduced funding, the Kotter and Heskett
data from Figure 1 and our own research and case studies would suggest that this is counterproductive,
because defensive cultures cost more to run as they generate overheads. The innovation endemic in
constructive cultures increases profitability through transformation that reduces overheads.
14
Perhaps this is best highlighted across the 10 o’clock, 4 o’clock dynamic. Notice how, as the
perfectionistic style grows towards the outer edge, so does the conventional style. We find that this
is not a chance relationship. In order to raise efficiency, it would be very easy to imagine a manager
locking on to a policy or process that had been created to improve a performance level. Indeed, at
certain phases of a development cycle, such an approach makes sense. But what tends to happen is
that all the feedback from that team or department is then centred on how we are doing in relation to
that policy. Often there is a focus on blame if people deviate from the agreed path. In effect, this level of
perfectionism drives conventional behaviours, as colleagues are being rewarded for not deviating. It is an
example of how red cultural norms become green cultural norms. It is one example of how a restrictive
leadership style – telling people what we do not want – creates a defensive culture.8
Imagine for a second that you are in a team that is managed that way. What is the best way to
ensure you do not make a mistake, deviate or get blamed? Either do things the way you were told
(conventional); constantly double-check everything with your line manager (dependent); agree with
things you know are not going to give you the results you really desire (approval); or maybe just avoid
doing anything (avoidance). This causality we are teasing out between a leadership style (perfectionism)
and organisational behaviours is already known to you as principals.
One of the questions posed explored how principals perceived the link between culture and leadership.
Responses were unequivocal. We were told that staff needed to be clear about the level of excellence
that the organisation was striving for and to lock on to that, while being prepared to let old processes
go in pursuit of this. We were told that leaders genuinely needed to walk the talk. Agreed. Unlike the
earlier cycling example involving my children, where just telling them how far they were going and then
nagging them for slowing up proved to be ineffective. All they needed to know was that there’s a café
two‑thirds of the way round. And if we get there by 2pm, we can maybe have a piece of cake as a treat.
That way, we move into prescriptive leadership (Cooke, 1997) – outcome-focused – which in turn elicits
engagement from them.
It gave rise to discussions around how fast we were going, slipstreaming and what was the best gear to
select. It’s a subtle shift, but as a family unit, we were now operating out of an achievement perspective.
Engaged and focused on what we wanted and coming up with a plan to make it happen. In terms
of getting them to work closer to their full potential, it was a marked change to coming at it from a
perfectionistic perspective – nagging at them for bickering, slowing down too much. Yet when we look
again at colleagues’ perceptions of what it is like to work in the FE sector, Figure 2, achievement comes
in only at the 40th percentile, whereas perfectionism reaches the 68th.
8 Cooke, R, 2007. Leadership/Impact Feedback Report®. Human Synergistics International.
A think piece
What do principals want the culture to look like?
When we measure culture in our clients’ organisations, we not only measure their operating or ‘current’
culture, but we also ask senior leaders to describe the aspirational or ‘vision’ culture. In other words, we
ask them to tell us how they need the culture to be if they are truly going to have the impact they wish to
have. This generates a very different profile.
Figure 3: Organizational Culture Inventory® (OCI®–Ideal)
Aggregated profile of the last 1,133 ‘vision’ responses from employees in UK FE colleges
15
Research and development by Robert A Cooke PhD and J Clayton Lafferty PhD.
Copyright © 1987–2013, Human Synergistics International. All rights reserved.
This is an aggregated profile of the culture sought by the last 1,133 senior leaders and principals who
have completed the online culture surveys. Several things are apparent. The virtual absence of green
behaviours. The significant reduction of red styles. The dramatic growth of the blue segments. It is also
of note that the humanistic‑encouraging style is the highest spike as a desired behavioural norm, where
such positive and trusting relationships can flourish.
As parents or caring adults, we instinctively and intuitively understand that – you cannot bully people
into excellence. It has to be a shared relationship where everyone is clear about the outcomes sought
and the strategies used to bring about those results. As highly effective leaders, you know that you
have to manage the people dynamic inherent within that equation or face the consequences. As the
Bluestone review into the lack of success by the Australian swimming team at the London Olympics in
2012 reported, “The ‘science’ of winning appeared to whitewash the ‘art’ of leadership. Winning was
viewed too mechanistically and the value of quality relationships, respect and shared experience was
underrated.” There is nothing more imperative to your organisation’s success than people, yet perhaps
nothing more complex to manage. This just highlights what our interviewed principals told us – you have
to get employee engagement and then work hard to keep it.
Why culture matters
Getting this right, as one put it, “would empower people. Everyone would be facing the same way. There
would be agreement about excellence, reduced friction and less wasted energy. People would be free
to get on with the job. Their roles would be streamlined and tessellated.” Human Synergistics’ research
reveals that a humanistic‑encouraging culture is synonymous with effective problem-solving in teams
and is probably the best style for developing the talent that is already on the payroll. And that makes
sense to anyone who has worked in a large organisation. When people have solid, trusting relationships
and are focused on achieving a clearly stated goal, we can share thoughts and ideas. Honestly. Openly.
Our primary concern is to achieve the goals of the team and to support each other in that aim. Contrast
that with the aggressive/defensive (red) sector, where power and politics often come into play. In these
organisations, there are winners and losers in the beliefs of members.
16
One other interesting anomaly in comparing the two profiles, Figure 2 and Figure 3, is that oppositional
(7 o’clock) hardly moves from its position in the current reality profile to its position in the vision profile.
While it is the case that a highly oppositional culture can indeed be demotivating and ineffectual, when
coupled with high levels of the diametrically opposite style of humanistic‑encouraging, this can be
particularly effective as robust and considered solutions can be arrived at. In highly effective cultures
(such as Figure 3) people can speak frankly, knowing that their opinion will be considered and interpreted
in a way that helps move the collective to an even better solution. When the humanistic‑encouraging
style is low, oppositional tends to be interpreted as negative and overly confrontational. In turn, that
will fuel avoidance as people seek to avert confrontation by mothballing potential ideas or innovative
suggestions. As a leader, looking at how the oppositional strand manifests itself on the ground in
your organisation will be time well spent. If the oppositional level is too high, it will be hard for a
humanistic‑encouraging culture to grow out of that.
The culture gap
When the two profiles are laid next to each other, it begs an obvious question – how do you get from
current reality to vision? When we run a full culture inventory with a client, Human Synergistics generates
a report that highlights culture in pre-identified subgroups as well as across the whole organisation. This
will be relevant, as there will be teams, departments or layers of the organisation where the culture is
significantly better or worse than the collective version. While this is of importance to fully understand
your culture, perhaps more relevant to reducing the gap between current reality and vision is that the
technical analysis allows us to identify specific behaviours where this gap is at its widest, based on
specific responses to each question on vision compared to current reality.
In turn, to make this manageable for our broad-shot culture change interventions, The Pacific Institute
highlights the top five behaviours that need to be increased to reduce the gap between the two, and the
top five behaviours that need to be decreased. From the last 39 full culture surveys we have conducted
in FE colleges, there are some interesting observations from noting the frequency with which some
behaviours seem to make the top five.
The most frequent behaviour to increase was “think in unique and independent ways”.9 The most frequent
behaviours to decrease were “accepting the status quo”10 and “not rocking the boat”.11 A theme would
appear to be emerging. In a defensive culture, the appetite for innovation is diminished. The rationale
is to maintain what we are doing by improving the efficiency sufficiently to remove any external pressure
requiring us to do things differently. At first glance, it is much easier to walk into the job tomorrow and do
what I did today, than it is to reinvent the way I discharge my duties. A disconnect has been established.
The vision profile senior leaders have articulated (Figure 3) is of a constructive culture. Yet this detailed
analysis of reponses to Figure 2 highlights beliefs held by individuals that are commensurate with a
defensive culture. Is that one reason why approximately 70 per cent of initiatives fail?12 13
9 OCI Items from Robert A Cooke and J Clayton Lafferty, Organizational Culture Inventory®, Human Synergistics
International, Plymouth MI USA. Copyright © 1987-2013, All Rights Reserved. Used by permission.
10Ibid.
11Ibid.
12Keller, S and Aiken C, 2009. The Inconvenient truth About Change Management: Why it isn’t working and what
to do about it. McKinsey Quarterly.
13Kotter, JP, 1995. Leading Change: Why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Press.
A think piece
As Jack Welch (chief executive, General Electric 1981–2001) said, “More good business plans are
destroyed by culture than ever they are by any shortcomings in the plan”.14 There are many reasons
why change initiatives fail, but getting the plan past the dominant and prevalent culture is one of them.
In most organisations, we find culture acts as an obstructionist.
The importance of goal-setting in culture change
In Lynne Sedgmore’s foreword to this think piece, she refers to previous papers on Great teaching and
learning and Leading learning and letting go. As a way of tethering those pieces together with culture, we
should consider the importance of having clearly stated and exciting goals and visions in organisations.
In his much celebrated book,15 Jim Collins makes reference to the importance of a BHAG (first offered
in his 1994 book, Built to Last) in organisations crossing the threshold from being good and making
it to great. A BHAG is a big hairy audacious goal. “A true BHAG is clear and compelling, serves as
unifying focal point of effort, and acts as a clear catalyst for team spirit. It has a clear finish line, so the
organisation can know when it has achieved the goal; people like to shoot for finish lines.”16
It is an important piece of creating a truly constructive culture. In our executive education programmes,
we make reference to the reticular activating system (RAS) – a net-like group of cells that run from the
base of the brain stem to the central cortex and control our awareness. In essence, RAS makes us
aware of information that may be of value or that may be a threat. When we are in our comfort zone,
dealing with the familiar, the RAS is in idle mode. Imagine a long motorway drive on a familiar route.
You drift along, half-listening to the radio but with no real idea of what is being played, no sense of
exactly where you are, maybe even how fast you are going. Just drifting along, surrounded by your
own thoughts. But one radio announcement of severe delays up ahead is broadcast. Your RAS makes
sure you pick up on it. Why? Because it is of real importance to you. It could cost you. Suddenly, you
are alert. Switched on. You notice every motorway sign to let you know exactly how close you are to
the incident. You’re figuring out alternative routes, you’ve suddenly got the satellite navigation system
switched on, you’ve already formulated your excuses to those you might be about to be late for. Maybe
you’ve already contacted your PA and asked them to forward some instructions in your likely absence.
In essence, you are engaged. ‘Blue’ organisations are engaged organisations. Your staff are not just
drifting along, they are alert. Thinking creatively. Using the very talents that made you want to hire them
in the first place. That radio announcement acts a bit like Collins’ BHAG. It acts as the clear focal point
for effort. That is what challenging and exciting goals can do in organisations if constructed carefully and
continuously communicated – they pull everyone out of their slumber (a defensive culture). They engage
people in clear and challenging targets (an achievement culture), and encourage people to do things
differently and innovate (a self-actualising culture).
One of our common findings in organisations is that too many people lack targets that are genuinely
challenging. When organisations are clear about what they stand for and how they go about their
business, colleagues can have challenging goals that tap into their passions. The same passions that
made them join up in the first place. Crucially, when you set such challenging targets, and if you have
successfully embedded the organisation’s values, you can let go. The temptation of many is to manage
goal-achievement – to come at it from the perfectionistic perspective. Often, when a target is set,
people know how to make it happen, so they micromanage it. They never really hand over ownership.
But when those same people are not sure how to achieve the said target themselves, because it’s
new, challenging and exciting, they have to ask rather than tell. Now they are engaging rather than
disengaging. We are now in a culture of experimentation and considered risk-taking.
14Welch, J and Byrne, J, 2001. Straight From The Gut. Warner Business Books.
15Collins, J, 2001. Good to Great – why some companies make the leap and others don’t.
New York: Harper Collins.
16Collins, J and Porras, J, 1994. Built to Last: successful habits of visionary companies.
New York: Harpers Business.
17
Why culture matters
The individual mindset
It is no coincidence that in our platinum standard executive development programmes, we can spend
two whole days getting leaders to consider their own mindset or beliefs. Everything we have spoken
about so far will hopefully make sense and concur with your own readings. But knowing something and
doing something about it are not always comfortable bedfellows. After years of government and health
agency campaigns, can there be anyone that still thinks smoking is a good idea? But does it follow,
therefore, that nobody smokes anymore? No. When we are carrying a few extra pounds of weight, an
easy tactic to dodge the painful feedback is to avoid stepping on the scales.
18
We have seen countless organisations and individuals do just this – be highly selective of the feedback
they receive and the information they choose to act upon. In 1991, Martin Seligman spoke of the
need to turn ‘limiting beliefs’ into ‘liberating beliefs’ and much of his research still informs our practices
today.17 To lead your organisations into the future, there will be countless limiting beliefs inside of you,
your colleagues, your students, your communities that need to be aligned to that compelling vision of
the future that you are creating. Countless pieces of painful feedback that need to be acknowledged.
Building an outstanding culture without building outstanding mindsets in the human capital is anathema.
The role of leadership in creating high‑performance cultures
While it is self-evident that you cannot investigate culture without considering leadership in the same
breath, that would take this think piece into another chapter and therefore it is not our intention
to delve too far into it on this occasion. However, cultures are created by the behaviours people
believe are expected in discharging their duties. These expectations largely result from and are
reinforced by philosophies, behaviours and reward systems of leaders (Figure 4). Hence, when we
run college‑wide interventions, we ideally have leadership coaching running as an integral part of that
culture change programme.
Figure 4
Leadership
effectiveness
Culture
Organisational
effectiveness
Personal
effectiveness
But if you never measure your culture, or your leaders’ impacts, how can you be sure what impact your
leaders are having? Whether they are creating the right culture for growth? In the case study section that
is part of this paper, we explore the impacts of such an integrated approach with one FE college during
the last few years.
Again, the interviewed principals were clear on the impact that leadership has on culture – “A BIG
impact. Modelling the behaviours. Trying to walk the talk. People’s perceptions of the ‘leader’ also shape
community perceptions of the college, which in turn impacts on staff confidence and performance.”
Or as another put it, “Clear communication of vision. Clear expectations and standards. Role-modelling –
leading by example. Allowing people to get on with their jobs. Getting buy-in from all.”
It would seem that, in the 40 years The Pacific Institute® has been working with organisations in the
areas of personal and collective efficacy, leadership, team and overall performance, our findings clearly
resonate with those of you within the FE sector.
17Seligman, M, 1991. Learned optimism. New York: Knopf.
A think piece
Case studies
MANCAT
zz 35 per cent improvement in culture
zz 30 per cent improvement in student achievement
zz Inspection grade went from good to outstanding.
2008
2004
Organizational Culture Inventory®
19
Research and development by Robert A Cooke PhD and J Clayton Lafferty PhD.
Copyright © 1987–2013, Human Synergistics International. All rights reserved.
Table 5: Headline success rates
2008 – 09
2009 – 10
2010 – 11
2011 – 12
National benchmark*
16 –18
69%
70%
73%
76%
76%
Adult
66%
68%
72%
75%
73%
Apprenticeships
45%
58%
65%
70%
68%
Workplace NVQs
67%
81%
89%
90%
82%
Higher education
85%
87%
90%
90%
86%
2008 – 09
2009 – 10
2010 – 11
2011 – 12
Teaching staff
7%
4%
4%
3%
Support staff
8%
5%
3%
3%
2008 – 09
2009 – 10
2010 – 11
2011 – 12
17%
10%
8%
7%
9%
6%
6%
5%
Table 6: Absence rates
Table 7: Staff turnover
Teaching staff
Support staff
Why culture matters
Secondary school in England
zz 62 per cent improvement in culture
zz 306 per cent improvement in student performance.
2002
2006
16% of students successful
65% of students successful
Organizational Culture Inventory®
20
Research and development by Robert A Cooke PhD and J Clayton Lafferty PhD.
Copyright © 1987–2013, Human Synergistics International. All rights reserved.
A think piece
An outsourced IT company – South Africa
zz
zz
zz
zz
zz
zz
zz
123 per cent improvement in culture
99 per cent improvement in profitability
Service design time reduced 80 per cent
Service transition time reduced 50 per cent
MTBSI reduced from once a week to one in 180 days
End user satisfaction increased 30 per cent
Client satisfaction increased 25 per cent.
2007
2009
Organizational Culture Inventory®
21
Research and development by Robert A Cooke PhD and J Clayton Lafferty PhD.
Copyright © 1987–2013, Human Synergistics International. All rights reserved.
Why culture matters
Bibliography
157 Group and CfBT Education Trust, 2011. Leading learning in further education.
157 Group, 2012, Great teaching and learning.
BIS, 2012. Professionalism in Further Education. Final Report of the Independent Review Panel.
Collins, J, 2001. Good to Great – why some companies make the leap and others don’t.
New York: Harper Collins.
Collins, J and Porras, J, 1994. Built to Last: successful habits of visionary companies.
New York: Harpers Business.
22
Cooke, R, 2007. Leadership/Impact Feedback Report®. Human Synergistics International.
Cooke, R and Lafferty, C, 1987. Organizational Culture Inventory®. Human Synergistics International.
Cooke, R and Lafferty, C, 2003. OCI® Standard Report. Human Synergistics International.
IfL, 2012. Leading learning and letting go: building expansive learning environments in FE.
IfL, 2013. Leading partnerships with employers and building collaborative professionalism.
Keller, S and Aiken, C, 2009. The Inconvenient truth About Change Management: Why it isn’t working
and what to do about it. McKinsey Quarterly.
Kotter, JP, 1995. Leading Change: Why transformation efforts fail. Harvard Business Press.
Kotter, JP and Heskett, JL, 1992. Corporate Culture and Performance. Free Press.
Sanders, E and Cooke, R, 2005. Financial Returns from Organizational Culture Improvement: Translating
“Soft” Changes into “Hard” Dollars article for presentation at the ASTD Expo June 2005. Human
Synergistics International.
Szumal, J, 2009. Organizational Culture Inventory® Interpretation & Development Guide. Human
Synergistics International.
Seligman, M, 1991. Learned Optimism. New York: Knopf.
The Bluestone Review, 2013. A review of culture and leadership in Australian Olympic Swimming.
Bluestone Edge.
Welch, J, and Byrne J, 2001. Straight From The Gut. Warner Business Books.
A think piece
23
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