I have presented the case for years that a values-driven corporate culture will create a harmonious environment of like-minded employees that can lay a strong foundation for a company’s mission, vision, and strategic objectives. With these in place, strategic action plans can be implemented to help reach company goals with the “right people in the right seats in the company bus.” My argument includes the belief that you can’t create and implement strategy and be successful unless the people in the organization are aligned and pulling together.
Now it seems, a jury agrees in the recent lawsuit, Ellen Pao v. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. She lost the case not because of gender discrimination, but because her personality did not “fit in” at Kleiner Perkins.
The case has spawned additional arguments—including that “culture fit” masks a host of unconscious biases that, if openly articulated, would be illegal under civil rights and labor protection laws.” (Marie Hicks, historian, Illinois Institute of Technology). In plain English, the rationale is that culture fit produces a homogeneous environment that could be interpreted as old-fashioned cronyism, a.k.a., “white men only” and, therefore, gender discrimination.
But wait…there’s something missing. When I work with my clients to create highly functional, values-driven cultures, there are a few critical success factors that make it work. And, yes, it does help to create a culture of like-minded employees with common goals. It can build work environments where employees are united around the same corporate mission and values, and, therefore they are more productive.
Principle #1. Leadership must engage all employees in the process of selecting the values and establishing the culture to ensure acceptance and buy in.
Principle #2. Once the values have been identified and defined for the unique character of the company, the values must be translated into expected behaviors that define how everyone is expected to behave in the company.
This second principle is the key to avoiding the accusation of bias or discrimination. Once the company (with the involvement of all employees) establishes how people are expected to behave as they work with each other, negotiate with vendors, deal with customers, etc., in other words, how everyone is expected to act when they are at work, then there is no bias. Ethnicity, sex, race, religion, and any other potential for bias or discrimination fall away. The behaviors define how everyone is supposed to behave…it’s simply a set of agreed-upon standards.
It boils down to this: “If you want to work here, these are the guidelines that govern how we are all expected to act on the job. It promotes a healthy and productive work environment and that is key to our success.” You only need to observe Zappos to get the point.
Culture: It’s the way we do things around here. And, yes, you are expected to fit in. Why would you want to work in a place where you didn’t?