Episode 14 - Why and how do we embed Leader Character into our organization's culture?
Summary: In this episode Mary and I welcome Jennifer Bitz, a senior Federal public servant. Jenn has initiated and overseen cultural transformations within several Federal Public Service agencies and is the ideal guest to share her knowledge, wisdom and experience with us. Jenn defines culture and why it is so important (3:35), why psychological safety is the best predictor of organizational performance (5:50), and the links between employee happiness and creativity / energy / productivity (6:40). Mary then directly links character to psychological safety and happiness (8:10). Jenn then answers why cultural transformation is so challenging and why cultural transformation needs to be understood as an “infinite game”(10:45). Mary identifies the tendency to change processes, not people, as a key reason why culture change programs often stall and / or fail (14;25). Jenn then explains the central role of Leader Character in defining, shaping and sustaining organizational culture, and Mary’s quote “An organization should do no harm to its employees.” (16:30). Jenn identifies the unique contributions of Leader Character in achieving an aspirational culture (20:40). Jenn describes the 3-step process of cultural transformation, and Leader Character’s essential role in this process (22:40) which Mary links to Strategy and how 95% of an aspirational culture is the same - a character-based culture (27:30). Jenn and Mary then discuss the obstacles that get in the way of perceiving and inserting character into a central role in culture, and how including character in this process is a “game changer” (29:40). Lastly Jenn provides her advice as to what you, if faced with cultural change issues, need to do next (35:10). Our conversation with Jenn is an extremely insightful and practical guide that emphasizes the critical role of character in navigating and delivering culture change from a deeply experienced practitioner in this challenging yet critical field.
SOURCES / CITATIONS:
Edmondson, Amy C., The fearless organization: creating psychological safety in the workplace for learning, innovation and growth. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2019 Achor, Shawn, The Happiness Advantage. Penguin Random House. 2018. www.shawnachor.com