Convention says that to transform the business culture, start with a spate of town hall meetings, dinners with staff, elaborate family outings, and a blitz of internal PR. Designate culture champions to launch a campaign in every location. Make everyone feel great about the company. Play to win, not lose, and profits will soar!
There is a more realistic view. Culture is a by-product of concrete leadership decisions and actions that translate purpose and direction into tangible performance. Business leaders who achieve dynamic growth never underestimate the power of culture on the business, or the ability of culture to derail the company’s ambitious plans. These leaders know that culture is greatly influenced by their own actions, words, strategies and programs. Continue reading…
It’s More Than Just Systems and Silos; Culture Will Be the Fulcrum Issue. Comcast’s executives have their hands full successfully integrating NBCU into the family. It’s a sophisticated and complicated leadership process. The post-deal integration by necessity includes hard decisions about effectiveness and efficiency:
- Bring in the consultants to bolster the Human Resource and IT departments.
- Make purchase price accounting adjustments.
- Rationalize benefits, review contract compliance, orchestrate common vendors and users, duplicate payments… and more.
The process will take years – literally. It is a living hell for those involved. These decisions affect people’s lives and their sense of self-worth. In addition, if not managed with the utmost intelligence, the process will result in a teetering, sloppy product.
Most importantly however, the foundation upon which the post deal integration needs to be built is the corporate culture. Comcast needs to articulate what it stands for and its method of operating. Continue reading…
