06/21/2023

Settling for Cookie-cutter People and Culture Practices

Six ideas to help organizations improve hiring, performance and more

Organizational performance depends on thoughtful policies and practices with respect to employees and culture. That may seem obvious, but we have all had our experiences with less-than-stellar situations. The reasons range from inertia ("we’ve always done it this way") to questionable motivations (perhaps that employee wellness program isn't actually designed with employee wellness as its primary goal).

Often, culture is simply neglected. Although most of us have heard the quotation attributed to Peter Drucker, "Culture eats strategy for Breakfast," leaders don't necessarily act as if they believe it. Because culture is amorphous and subtle, it often takes a back seat to more tangible and seemingly pressing issues on a leader's to-do list. Yet we have found that getting people and culture practices right is crucial and often involves going against the conventional wisdom in human resources circles. It takes experimentation and iteration, some mistakes along the way, and a whole lot of listening and feedback from staff at all levels of the organization.

Look, no organization is perfect, and we are as leery as anyone about articles that proclaim that this nonprofit or that company has the secret recipe for building a great culture or achieving great results. That said, after spending nearly a half-century of person-years between us tending to the people and culture of the Center for Effective Philanthropy (CEP)—and seeing our colleagues work with hundreds of foundations whose cultures we get to see up close—we have learned a bit that we think is worth sharing.

Please select this link to read the complete article from SSIR.