Insights

A Q & A between Ethel Kuuya CEO of Advisory Kulture and Chipo Sibongile Mapungwana Managing Editor of the Executive Magazine  in the published in the  October/ November 2023 issue of the Executive Magazine.

Q & A:

Q1. Why is company culture so important to the growth and success of any organisation?

A:Company culture is pivotal as it shapes the environment in which employees operate and is the foundational bedrock upon which behaviours, attitudes, and work ethics are built. A positive and robust culture fosters a sense of belonging and shared vision among employees, fuels engagement, enhances productivity, and retains talent, driving both growth and success. It acts as the glue that binds employees to an organisation, aligning them with the company’s values, missions, and objectives.

Pro Tip: Practice Cultural Anthropology:

Delve into understanding the nuances of cultural elements within the organisation like an anthropologist. Observe, engage, and immerse yourself in the daily rituals, communications, and interactions to unearth the unwritten norms and values. This unusual approach can offer profound insights into shaping and nurturing a culture that aligns with organisational goals.

Q2. What is the Board’s role in creating and maintaining a culture that builds successful companies?

A:The Board’s role is multifaceted. It involves establishing and exemplifying the company’s values and ethical standards, ensuring these are interwoven into the organisational fabric. The Board is responsible for creating a culture of integrity, transparency, and accountability, setting the tone at the top. They also need to monitor the pulse of the organisation's culture, ensuring alignment with strategic objectives, and intervening when discrepancies arise. Additionally, Boards should advocate for and invest in employee development, well-being, and diversity, fostering an inclusive and enriching environment.

Pro Tip: Stewardship Dialogues:

Make C-Suite accountable for engaging in regular dialogues with employees at all levels about the essence of stewardship and collective guardianship of the company's mission and values. This fosters a shared responsibility for the organisation’s cultural compass, making it resilient to internal and external shifts.

Q3. What are some of the likely scenarios of cultures gone wrong and the consequences?

A:Cultures gone wrong often manifest in toxic work environments, characterised by lack of trust, low employee morale, high turnover, and lack of accountability. This could result from poor leadership, unclear values, or misaligned incentives. The consequences are manifold, impacting employee well-being, productivity, company reputation, customer satisfaction, and ultimately, the bottom line. In severe cases, it can lead to organisational decay and failure.

Pro Tip: Culture Jamming:

Employ “culture jamming” strategies to disrupt toxic norms and behaviours. Create interventions that expose and challenge destructive elements in the organisational culture, sparking dialogue and reflection, and paving the way for positive cultural evolution.

Q4. Why is it so difficult for companies to transform, even when internal problems are glaringly obvious?

A:Transformation is challenging due to resistance to change, entrenched behaviours, and fear of the unknown. Additionally, lack of clear vision, inadequate communication, and misaligned incentives hinder the transformation process. Organisations may also lack the necessary resources or capabilities to execute change effectively, leading to stagnation and inefficiency.

Pro Tip: Adopt Shadowing Mechanics:

Encourage leaders to ‘shadow’ different roles within the organisation. This practice fosters empathetic understanding, unveils latent issues, and provides unique perspectives, essential for informed and compassionate transformation initiatives.

Q5. As we come to the end of the year, please explain why some companies fail to execute their laid down strategies?

A:Companies often fail to execute strategies due to lack of clarity, alignment, and commitment among the team. Other factors include inadequate resource allocation, poor communication, and lack of monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to track progress and adjust strategies as needed. Additionally, external factors such as market dynamics, competition, and economic conditions can also derail strategy execution.

Pro Tip: Nebula Mapping:

Utilise “Nebula Mapping,” a form of futuristic mind-mapping, where potential, yet distant future scenarios are envisioned and strategized. This aids in anticipating unseen opportunities and challenges, ensuring more adaptive and forward-thinking strategy execution.

Q6. What advice can you give to CEOs/Executives, so that Strategic plans do not end up on paper only?

A:CEOs and Executives should ensure that strategic plans are clear, realistic, and aligned with the organisation's culture and capabilities. Effective communication and engagement with all stakeholders are crucial for buy-in and commitment. They should also allocate adequate resources, establish robust monitoring and evaluation frameworks, and be willing to adapt strategies based on feedback and changing circumstances. Ultimately, a focus on execution and results is paramount.

Pro Tip: Create Strategy Storytellers:

Cultivate ‘strategy storytellers’ within the team. These individuals are adept at translating strategic plans into compelling narratives, making them more relatable, understandable, and embeddable within the organisational psyche.

Q7. Talk to us about the impact of failed leadership on organisational productivity and performance.

A:Failed leadership can create a vacuum, eroding trust, and breeding a culture of uncertainty and fear. It can lead to decreased employee morale, increased turnover, reduced productivity, and poor organisational performance. The ripple effects extend to customer dissatisfaction, reputational damage, and financial decline. Effective leadership, conversely, is a catalyst for innovation, engagement, and excellence.

Pro Tip: Implement Leadership Equilibrium Protocols:

Develop protocols that ensure a balance between empathy and decisiveness, creating a leadership equilibrium. This balance enables leaders to be more adaptive, responsive, and attuned to the organisational ecosystem, mitigating the risk of leadership failure.

Q8. What does the Board of Directors need to do to maintain its vision and strategic focus, in these difficult economic environments?

A:The Board needs to be proactive, resilient, and adaptable, re-evaluating and recalibrating strategies in response to changing economic landscapes. Emphasis on risk management, scenario planning, and maintaining liquidity is crucial. Additionally, clear communication of the vision, maintaining a strong ethical foundation, and fostering a culture of innovation and agility are essential to navigate through tumultuous economic waters.

Pro Tip: Employ Strategic Forgetting:

Consciously “forget” previous successes and failures to view challenges with fresh eyes. This helps in overcoming biases and preconceived notions, allowing for more innovative and adaptive strategic thinking, essential in difficult economic environments.

Q9. How can the CEO get and maintain buy-in for strategy and goals from other executives and managers?

A:CEOs can achieve and maintain buy-in by fostering an inclusive environment where input and feedback are valued and considered. Clear communication of the strategy, its rationale, and expected outcomes, along with alignment of incentives and rewards with strategic goals, are also crucial. Regular check-ins, updates, and acknowledgment of contributions and achievements further solidify commitment and alignment among executives and managers.

Pro Tip: Strategic Symbiosis Sessions:

Conduct sessions where executives and managers co-create and co-own strategies. This symbiotic approach ensures mutual investment in the strategy’s success and fosters a deeper sense of unity and commitment.

Q10. Combined together, how do Culture, Strategy, and Leadership lead to sustainable and successful businesses in Africa?

A:In Africa, where diversity, dynamism, and potential coalesce, the amalgamation of culture, strategy, and leadership serves as the linchpin for sustainable success. A well-rooted culture acts as the cohesive force aligning diverse talents towards shared goals, while strategic foresight navigates the unique opportunities and challenges of the African market. Concurrently, inspirational and ethical leadership galvanised teams, fostering resilience, innovation, and adaptability, key ingredients for navigating the multifaceted African business landscape. Thus, the confluence of these elements is pivotal in crafting enduring and prosperous organisations within the continent.

Pro Tip: Adopt the African philosophy of Ubuntu, which emphasises communal success over individual achievement. This emphasises interconnectedness and mutual success, fostering a holistic approach to organisational growth and sustainability in the diverse and dynamic African landscape.

Conclusion:

The intricate dance between culture, strategy, and leadership shapes the trajectory of organisations, forging paths of innovation, resilience, and success, or leading to stagnation, discord, and failure. The quest for harmonising these elements is particularly pronounced in the vibrant and diverse landscapes of Africa, serving as a testament to the continent’s evolving entrepreneurial spirit and untapped potential. For companies striving to make a lasting impact, understanding and integrating these facets are not mere optional undertakings but are imperative for sustained growth and success.

Until leaders accept that organisational culture is not something that they can opt in or out of but rather an environment they already exist in, they will always be swimming against the current and very often driving. The only way to ride the success wave is to accept that culture is more powerful than you are.