Leadership and Organizational Culture Amidst Change
Abstract
Organizations have set goals that require people to work together in advance of their mission. To achieve their goals, organizations should foster a clear understanding of procedures, job tasks, success metrics, and productivity objectives. Yet, it’s the underlying values and norms of the organizational culture that influence “how things are done,” how the employee experience comes to life, and how motivated, committed, and satisfied an employee is at the organization. When organizations get their culture right, they see improved retention, more employee growth, higher revenue and profit, and more satisfied employees.
Environmental factors can risk the success of an organization’s culture. When the environment in which the organization operates changes, it creates new inputs that affect the system, such as unexpected changes in work design, communication, employee needs, and more. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed each of these inputs overnight, forcing employees and employers to adopt virtual work and new norms. As priorities and expectations change, so do the roles of leaders and managers, the level of transparency required within the organization, and the overall satisfaction of employees. Ultimately, it’s the strong cultures of organizations such as IBM, which are adaptable, agile, and hold high the value of employee care and innovation, that succeed in fostering employee loyalty. This paper reflects on how company culture has evolved to become a retention tool in major organizations and how organizations are taking action to improve the employee experience.
Environmental factors can risk the success of an organization’s culture. When the environment in which the organization operates changes, it creates new inputs that affect the system, such as unexpected changes in work design, communication, employee needs, and more. In March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic changed each of these inputs overnight, forcing employees and employers to adopt virtual work and new norms. As priorities and expectations change, so do the roles of leaders and managers, the level of transparency required within the organization, and the overall satisfaction of employees. Ultimately, it’s the strong cultures of organizations such as IBM, which are adaptable, agile, and hold high the value of employee care and innovation, that succeed in fostering employee loyalty. This paper reflects on how company culture has evolved to become a retention tool in major organizations and how organizations are taking action to improve the employee experience.
Introduction
When organizations are forced to react to large incidents and crises, employees take note of how they handle the situation. The way in which leaders navigate tough challenges reinforces the culture they have created or brings out new norms that change the culture in some way (Cooper et. al, 2018). In March 2020, leaders were faced with one of these moments.
COVID-19 changed the way employees lived and worked. The pandemic challenged employees to change their daily rituals, tackle economic uncertainty, isolate themselves from family and friends, assess their health, and reset their priorities. They were also faced with a series of national and political events and looked to their employers to comment and take action. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic challenged organizations and leaders to accommodate employee needs, make a rapid shift to virtual working, foster stronger communication, and put new norms in place.
Organizational culture is defined as the shared and learned values, beliefs, and attitudes of an organization’s members (Cooper et. al, 2018). It’s a collection of the unspoken rules and traditions that operate within the organization – and it fuels the employee experience. As Cooper notes, culture is rooted in the details of an organization’s life and influences what happens to employees within an organization (Cooper et. al, 2018). The culture that exists impacts the ways in which employees communicate, establish values, make decisions, interact with one another, partner with clients, etc. In other words, culture is how employees within organizations get things done. When the world changed overnight and employees no longer physically came to work, many of these cultural dynamics were forced to shift. Herway and Hickman (2020), two analysts at Gallup, noted the new uncertainties would impact how we do things and the drastic shift in “the how” would put organizational culture at risk.
COVID-19 changed the way employees lived and worked. The pandemic challenged employees to change their daily rituals, tackle economic uncertainty, isolate themselves from family and friends, assess their health, and reset their priorities. They were also faced with a series of national and political events and looked to their employers to comment and take action. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic challenged organizations and leaders to accommodate employee needs, make a rapid shift to virtual working, foster stronger communication, and put new norms in place.
Organizational culture is defined as the shared and learned values, beliefs, and attitudes of an organization’s members (Cooper et. al, 2018). It’s a collection of the unspoken rules and traditions that operate within the organization – and it fuels the employee experience. As Cooper notes, culture is rooted in the details of an organization’s life and influences what happens to employees within an organization (Cooper et. al, 2018). The culture that exists impacts the ways in which employees communicate, establish values, make decisions, interact with one another, partner with clients, etc. In other words, culture is how employees within organizations get things done. When the world changed overnight and employees no longer physically came to work, many of these cultural dynamics were forced to shift. Herway and Hickman (2020), two analysts at Gallup, noted the new uncertainties would impact how we do things and the drastic shift in “the how” would put organizational culture at risk.
The Importance of a Strong Culture
In his book, “The Employee Experience Advantage,” Jacob Morgan explores the idea of culture as something that should be CELEBRATED – an acronym that refers to positive perception of the organization, positive work design, communication, and work life. He suggests the culture of the organization determines how employees are treated, the products and services that are created, the partnerships that are established, and how employees get work done (Morgan, 2017). When organizations have celebrated cultures – or the company is viewed positively, everyone feels valued, employees have a legitimate sense of purpose, executives and managers act as coaches and mentors, and the organization is dedicated to wellness – they reap the rewards of higher engagement, 4.4x the average profit, reduced absenteeism, 40% lower turnover, higher employee morale, and more (Morgan, 2017).
Culture is the single best predictor of employee satisfaction (Sull, 2021). In one study conducted at Google, employees were asked to reflect on their own jobs and create a vision of their roles that was more ideal, but still realistic. Those who participated and perceived their jobs as malleable showed a spike in happiness and performance. By considering how their jobs could be modified and feeling they had the power to change them, they had taken action to improve them (Grant, 2016). Additionally, these employees were 70% more likely to get promoted or make a lateral move within the company (Grant, 2016). By fostering a culture of self-control, autonomy, and empowerment, Google is able to retain employees and increase their satisfaction at work. Similarly, in Cooper’s (2018) text, he suggests job design impacts employees’ motivation in an organization. When Googlers had autonomy in designing their role, a sense of capability to impact the organization and its design, ownership of their positions, and a sense of belonging, their intrinsic motivation increased. With this new sense of belonging and pride in the work, Googlers could celebrate their roles and the culture within their organization.
Culture is the single best predictor of employee satisfaction (Sull, 2021). In one study conducted at Google, employees were asked to reflect on their own jobs and create a vision of their roles that was more ideal, but still realistic. Those who participated and perceived their jobs as malleable showed a spike in happiness and performance. By considering how their jobs could be modified and feeling they had the power to change them, they had taken action to improve them (Grant, 2016). Additionally, these employees were 70% more likely to get promoted or make a lateral move within the company (Grant, 2016). By fostering a culture of self-control, autonomy, and empowerment, Google is able to retain employees and increase their satisfaction at work. Similarly, in Cooper’s (2018) text, he suggests job design impacts employees’ motivation in an organization. When Googlers had autonomy in designing their role, a sense of capability to impact the organization and its design, ownership of their positions, and a sense of belonging, their intrinsic motivation increased. With this new sense of belonging and pride in the work, Googlers could celebrate their roles and the culture within their organization.
The Evolution of Culture
The Role of Leaders and Managers
Historically, leaders agreed on assumptions of behavior and developed a shared vision of cultural values – and employees would follow suit to conduct their work according to those values. It was commonly believed that culture emerges from top management, behaviors, results, and traditions (Cooper et al., 2018). Leaders identified the purpose of the organization, set strategies to achieve the mission, established targets to reach their goals and decided how best to pursue their goals and motivate employees to get the work done. Consultants at IBM acknowledged that “prior to the pandemic, the focus was on a combination of external and internal factors related to being leaders, not followers, usually by way of a race to dynamic and emerging marketplaces” (IBM Services, 2020). Cooper (2018) also recognizes that beginning in the 1980s, organizations shaped their cultures to respond to customer expectations around quality and service. Leaders made decisions about culture they felt would advance them in the market. Culture reflected leadership and their preferences, rather than focused on employees and their experience.
However, culture is communicated to employees primarily by the way leaders treat them (Cooper et. al, 2018). That means leaders and managers have an important role in developing employee relationships and communicating with them to form and maintain culture. When managers work with employees to identify methods of communication, establish team boundaries, determine power and status norms, and develop systems for encouraging desirable behaviors, they are better able to maintain effective working relationships (Cooper et. al, 2018).
Over the past year and a half, managers have been asked to manage employees from afar, adopt some flexibility with asynchronous work schedules, communicate with employees more frequently, support employees with their mental health, and become more empathetic (Kropp et. al, 2021). Their focus has shifted from managing to collaborating and coaching. As management started collaborating and listening to employee needs, employees started sharing and asking for more. The organization’s focus has shifted to listening and accommodating the employee experience.
The Adoption of Virtual Work
At the onset of the pandemic, employers didn’t have time to analyze their old culture and strategize a new one, nor did they have time to surface effective subcultures to lead by example (Cooper et. al, 2018). Leaders didn’t get previews of what this adaptation would look like. Instead, they had to quickly adopt workplace flexibility policies and upgrade their technology to give employees the skills, tools and resources to work remotely (Morgan, 2020). If employees didn’t have the flexibility they needed to accommodate their new responsibilities at home or didn’t have the technology they needed to succeed, meaning, the autonomy and competence to complete their tasks, they would seek work elsewhere.
To combat their disengagement, leaders needed to develop communication strategies to reconnect with their newly remote workforce. While there are many benefits to virtual teams, such as the ability to work anywhere at any time, the geographic diversity, participation from physically impaired workers, and reduced expenses (Cooper et. al, 2018), research shows that employees who work virtually are even more disconnected from their organization’s culture and are less likely to see their connection to the mission of the company (Herman & Hickman, 2020). To create an effective and engaged virtual team, leaders need to increase opportunities for communication and relationship building, establish clear norms, encourage members to interact one on one, and agree on communication methods that work best for the team.
Increased Transparency and Communication
As employees adopted a remote working model, leaders also needed to focus on increasing transparency and communicating more frequently to improve engagement. During times of crisis, it’s not just about how often communication occurs as the quality of communication is central to how employees evaluate corporate culture (Sull, 2020). As employees scrambled to figure out how their lives were changing, they were looking for transparency about decisions being made in their organization. They sought job security, reassurance, and communication from a strong leadership team. In fact, employees were twice as likely to discuss the quality of communication by top leaders during the pandemic than the prior year (Sull, 2020). Due to this increase in discussion, communication emerged as the most important differentiator between companies that saw a significant boost in their culture values score in the Glassdoor culture and values ratings and those that suffered a decline (Sull, 2020). Leaders quickly learned to personalize communications and focus on what mattered most to employees.
Consequences of Inaction
Employers who fail to satisfy employees with their culture and employee value proposition risk losing them to the Great Resignation. In April 2021, nearly four million Americans quit their jobs — the highest monthly number ever recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Sull, 2021). On the flip side, nearly two-thirds of employees listed corporate culture among the most important reasons they stay with their current employer — or to start looking for another job (Sull, 2021).
While the past eighteen months have demonstrated the need for strong leadership and management, flexible virtual working environments, transparency, and frequent communication, it’s ultimately the organization’s ability to engage their employees in the culture that will retain them. Researchers at Gallup suggest that it’s ultimately a workplace issue that needs to be solved. To keep employees, managers need to engage employees, give workers a sense of purpose, and motivate them to stay (Gandhi, 2021). Coe, a consultant at IBM, notes that strong and transparent leadership is crucial, but putting employees first is the key to success (IBM Services, 2020). In other words, to retain employees, employers need to create a celebrated culture with strong values that ensures employees feel heard, included, and valued.
Historically, leaders agreed on assumptions of behavior and developed a shared vision of cultural values – and employees would follow suit to conduct their work according to those values. It was commonly believed that culture emerges from top management, behaviors, results, and traditions (Cooper et al., 2018). Leaders identified the purpose of the organization, set strategies to achieve the mission, established targets to reach their goals and decided how best to pursue their goals and motivate employees to get the work done. Consultants at IBM acknowledged that “prior to the pandemic, the focus was on a combination of external and internal factors related to being leaders, not followers, usually by way of a race to dynamic and emerging marketplaces” (IBM Services, 2020). Cooper (2018) also recognizes that beginning in the 1980s, organizations shaped their cultures to respond to customer expectations around quality and service. Leaders made decisions about culture they felt would advance them in the market. Culture reflected leadership and their preferences, rather than focused on employees and their experience.
However, culture is communicated to employees primarily by the way leaders treat them (Cooper et. al, 2018). That means leaders and managers have an important role in developing employee relationships and communicating with them to form and maintain culture. When managers work with employees to identify methods of communication, establish team boundaries, determine power and status norms, and develop systems for encouraging desirable behaviors, they are better able to maintain effective working relationships (Cooper et. al, 2018).
Over the past year and a half, managers have been asked to manage employees from afar, adopt some flexibility with asynchronous work schedules, communicate with employees more frequently, support employees with their mental health, and become more empathetic (Kropp et. al, 2021). Their focus has shifted from managing to collaborating and coaching. As management started collaborating and listening to employee needs, employees started sharing and asking for more. The organization’s focus has shifted to listening and accommodating the employee experience.
The Adoption of Virtual Work
At the onset of the pandemic, employers didn’t have time to analyze their old culture and strategize a new one, nor did they have time to surface effective subcultures to lead by example (Cooper et. al, 2018). Leaders didn’t get previews of what this adaptation would look like. Instead, they had to quickly adopt workplace flexibility policies and upgrade their technology to give employees the skills, tools and resources to work remotely (Morgan, 2020). If employees didn’t have the flexibility they needed to accommodate their new responsibilities at home or didn’t have the technology they needed to succeed, meaning, the autonomy and competence to complete their tasks, they would seek work elsewhere.
To combat their disengagement, leaders needed to develop communication strategies to reconnect with their newly remote workforce. While there are many benefits to virtual teams, such as the ability to work anywhere at any time, the geographic diversity, participation from physically impaired workers, and reduced expenses (Cooper et. al, 2018), research shows that employees who work virtually are even more disconnected from their organization’s culture and are less likely to see their connection to the mission of the company (Herman & Hickman, 2020). To create an effective and engaged virtual team, leaders need to increase opportunities for communication and relationship building, establish clear norms, encourage members to interact one on one, and agree on communication methods that work best for the team.
Increased Transparency and Communication
As employees adopted a remote working model, leaders also needed to focus on increasing transparency and communicating more frequently to improve engagement. During times of crisis, it’s not just about how often communication occurs as the quality of communication is central to how employees evaluate corporate culture (Sull, 2020). As employees scrambled to figure out how their lives were changing, they were looking for transparency about decisions being made in their organization. They sought job security, reassurance, and communication from a strong leadership team. In fact, employees were twice as likely to discuss the quality of communication by top leaders during the pandemic than the prior year (Sull, 2020). Due to this increase in discussion, communication emerged as the most important differentiator between companies that saw a significant boost in their culture values score in the Glassdoor culture and values ratings and those that suffered a decline (Sull, 2020). Leaders quickly learned to personalize communications and focus on what mattered most to employees.
Consequences of Inaction
Employers who fail to satisfy employees with their culture and employee value proposition risk losing them to the Great Resignation. In April 2021, nearly four million Americans quit their jobs — the highest monthly number ever recorded by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (Sull, 2021). On the flip side, nearly two-thirds of employees listed corporate culture among the most important reasons they stay with their current employer — or to start looking for another job (Sull, 2021).
While the past eighteen months have demonstrated the need for strong leadership and management, flexible virtual working environments, transparency, and frequent communication, it’s ultimately the organization’s ability to engage their employees in the culture that will retain them. Researchers at Gallup suggest that it’s ultimately a workplace issue that needs to be solved. To keep employees, managers need to engage employees, give workers a sense of purpose, and motivate them to stay (Gandhi, 2021). Coe, a consultant at IBM, notes that strong and transparent leadership is crucial, but putting employees first is the key to success (IBM Services, 2020). In other words, to retain employees, employers need to create a celebrated culture with strong values that ensures employees feel heard, included, and valued.
Culture at IBM
IBM has had a strong culture of inclusion, trust, and innovation since 2003, when the organization restructured and placed a new emphasis on the values of respect, customer, excellence and innovation (Cummings et. al, 2014). The change fostered a culture of trust and employee engagement that provided greater autonomy and commitment throughout the organization. When their workforce became remote, those ingrained values did not falter. Instead, employees became more aware of their colleagues’ situations and wanted to create innovative solutions to ensure everyone felt included – even from afar. For example, employees launched a grassroots “Work from Home Pledge.” This pledge outlined how they should support each other in balancing work and life while working remotely, being sensitive to needs for family time, and staying socially connected (Hinds & Elliot, 2021). Leaders quickly jumped to support employees in their pledge and shared their own statements on social media to broadcast IBM’s values.
Because of their deeply rooted clan culture, IBM employees banded together to demonstrate their loyalty to one another, share feelings of pride for the organization, and take ownership for one another’s success (Cooper et. al, 2018). Following the pledge, employees demonstrated their commitment to one another by setting up Slack channels to solicit support for colleagues who needed it most (Hinds & Elliot, 2021). In this time of uncharted territory and uncertainty, IBMers set new norms and increased loyalty. By reinforcing their values of innovation, trust, and personal responsibility, employees and leaders worked together to enhance the employee experience and reinforce their commitment to the organization.
Cooper (2018) suggests that cultural elements and their relationships create a pattern unique to the organization. This is also true at IBM since this isn’t the first time the company has proven their strong collaborative culture with leaders who value their employees. For example, in 2015, IBMers participated in focus groups, feedback testing groups, and community collaboration discussions to develop Blue Matching, a program designed to improve internal mobility inside of the company (Morgan, 2017). Employees could sign up to receive personalized job alerts based on their skills, performance, location, and area of expertise. Blue Matching would use analytics to surface jobs that fit their experience. As of 2017, 500 placements were made – retaining 500 employees who would have otherwise sought opportunities elsewhere (Morgan, 2017).
Another initiative sought to improve employee engagement through empowering managers with data. IBM leveraged their People Analytics team to create a program that enabled managers to deliver personalized coaching and guidance to employees based on their career goals and objectives. The company redefined the role of managers by putting them in more of a coaching and mentorship role, rather than in a typical “management” role. Through this program, IBM reduced employee churn by two percent (Morgan, 2017), but more importantly, fostered a culture in which employees want to stay and contribute. By going the extra mile to retain their people, IBM demonstrates their commitment to their employees and reinstates a similar sense of commitment from them.
Through each of these programs and initiatives, IBM demonstrates strong and transparent leadership, their commitment to manager success, colleagues who care for one another, and a very strong sense of loyalty. Whether striving to reduce employee churn, give employees more career opportunities and navigation tools, or provide a sense of community during a time of isolation, IBM demonstrates their commitment to employee satisfaction through each moment that matters. In return, employees are motivated to give back to the organization and contribute to a culture of inclusion.
Because of their deeply rooted clan culture, IBM employees banded together to demonstrate their loyalty to one another, share feelings of pride for the organization, and take ownership for one another’s success (Cooper et. al, 2018). Following the pledge, employees demonstrated their commitment to one another by setting up Slack channels to solicit support for colleagues who needed it most (Hinds & Elliot, 2021). In this time of uncharted territory and uncertainty, IBMers set new norms and increased loyalty. By reinforcing their values of innovation, trust, and personal responsibility, employees and leaders worked together to enhance the employee experience and reinforce their commitment to the organization.
Cooper (2018) suggests that cultural elements and their relationships create a pattern unique to the organization. This is also true at IBM since this isn’t the first time the company has proven their strong collaborative culture with leaders who value their employees. For example, in 2015, IBMers participated in focus groups, feedback testing groups, and community collaboration discussions to develop Blue Matching, a program designed to improve internal mobility inside of the company (Morgan, 2017). Employees could sign up to receive personalized job alerts based on their skills, performance, location, and area of expertise. Blue Matching would use analytics to surface jobs that fit their experience. As of 2017, 500 placements were made – retaining 500 employees who would have otherwise sought opportunities elsewhere (Morgan, 2017).
Another initiative sought to improve employee engagement through empowering managers with data. IBM leveraged their People Analytics team to create a program that enabled managers to deliver personalized coaching and guidance to employees based on their career goals and objectives. The company redefined the role of managers by putting them in more of a coaching and mentorship role, rather than in a typical “management” role. Through this program, IBM reduced employee churn by two percent (Morgan, 2017), but more importantly, fostered a culture in which employees want to stay and contribute. By going the extra mile to retain their people, IBM demonstrates their commitment to their employees and reinstates a similar sense of commitment from them.
Through each of these programs and initiatives, IBM demonstrates strong and transparent leadership, their commitment to manager success, colleagues who care for one another, and a very strong sense of loyalty. Whether striving to reduce employee churn, give employees more career opportunities and navigation tools, or provide a sense of community during a time of isolation, IBM demonstrates their commitment to employee satisfaction through each moment that matters. In return, employees are motivated to give back to the organization and contribute to a culture of inclusion.
Conclusion
Around the world, leaders need to reassess their culture and their employee value proposition – or psychological contract – to maintain employee engagement and keep employees from participating in the Great Resignation. Cultures are not easy to modify (Cooper et. al, 2018), but by communicating the future direction of the culture, leaders can increase transparency and prompt behavior change. In fact, leaders should publicly state their assumptions of human behavior and their vision of the cultural values. It’s important they also role model the changes they wish to see. When employees meet the standards that leaders have set, they can allocate rewards or status to entice others to follow the outlined behaviors (Cooper et. al, 2018).
It's also critical to equip managers. When managers understand the culture that the organization wishes to foster, they can align their hiring decisions to work toward the shared goals that have been set. As Cooper (2018) suggests, one of the fundamental ways in which organizations maintain culture is through the recruitment process. By understanding the culture, managers can select applicants who are the best culture fits or culture adds. Additionally, managers are the ultimate drivers of employee engagement. The Great Resignation is fueled by disengaged and dissatisfied employees, but managers have the power to re-engage. They also have the opportunity to intervene and offer rewards, motivation, and coaching to re-engage employees in the organization and its culture.
Employees seek a personalized experience with clear growth opportunities. As depicted at IBM, when leaders instituted the Blue Matching program and a personalized manager coaching program, they charted growth paths for employees and reduced churn. If leaders use the socialization process to engage employees in the culture, they can use this as an opportunity to transparently outline employee career paths and ensure employees don’t feel like they’re working in a dead-end job. By revamping the onboarding or socialization process, leaders can also improve job satisfaction, motivation, involvement, and commitment to the organization (Cooper et. al, 2018).
Future Direction and Implications
Because organizational culture has a strong impact on a firm’s economic and financial performance and the ability of the organization to succeed (Cooper et. al, 2018), all leaders should be focused on how they can influence the internal environment for the better. Organizations operate in an unpredictable external environment that influences their day-to-day operations and experiences. The changing nature of the environment can be devastating to organizations if the organizational culture is not agile and strong, and if leaders are unable or unwilling to change according to employees’ needs and values.
With the shift in how employees work and how leaders communicate, employees are now in the driver’s seat. The adoption of virtual work gives employees the power to decide where they work, the times at which they get things done, and the autonomy to determine how best to use their time. As Gallup researchers note, those who work virtually have more autonomy over their work and are fifteen percent more likely to feel like they can do what they do their best every day (Herway & Hickman, 2020). As organizations pave their way forward and consider alternative employment and work design models, leaders need to prioritize the employee experience. Ultimately, their experience will determine their commitment to the organization, their motivation to succeed, and eventually, the success of the organization. Organizations that fail to reevaluate their culture and invest in the employee experience in the post-COVID world will ultimately continue to face the attrition of top talent.
It's also critical to equip managers. When managers understand the culture that the organization wishes to foster, they can align their hiring decisions to work toward the shared goals that have been set. As Cooper (2018) suggests, one of the fundamental ways in which organizations maintain culture is through the recruitment process. By understanding the culture, managers can select applicants who are the best culture fits or culture adds. Additionally, managers are the ultimate drivers of employee engagement. The Great Resignation is fueled by disengaged and dissatisfied employees, but managers have the power to re-engage. They also have the opportunity to intervene and offer rewards, motivation, and coaching to re-engage employees in the organization and its culture.
Employees seek a personalized experience with clear growth opportunities. As depicted at IBM, when leaders instituted the Blue Matching program and a personalized manager coaching program, they charted growth paths for employees and reduced churn. If leaders use the socialization process to engage employees in the culture, they can use this as an opportunity to transparently outline employee career paths and ensure employees don’t feel like they’re working in a dead-end job. By revamping the onboarding or socialization process, leaders can also improve job satisfaction, motivation, involvement, and commitment to the organization (Cooper et. al, 2018).
Future Direction and Implications
Because organizational culture has a strong impact on a firm’s economic and financial performance and the ability of the organization to succeed (Cooper et. al, 2018), all leaders should be focused on how they can influence the internal environment for the better. Organizations operate in an unpredictable external environment that influences their day-to-day operations and experiences. The changing nature of the environment can be devastating to organizations if the organizational culture is not agile and strong, and if leaders are unable or unwilling to change according to employees’ needs and values.
With the shift in how employees work and how leaders communicate, employees are now in the driver’s seat. The adoption of virtual work gives employees the power to decide where they work, the times at which they get things done, and the autonomy to determine how best to use their time. As Gallup researchers note, those who work virtually have more autonomy over their work and are fifteen percent more likely to feel like they can do what they do their best every day (Herway & Hickman, 2020). As organizations pave their way forward and consider alternative employment and work design models, leaders need to prioritize the employee experience. Ultimately, their experience will determine their commitment to the organization, their motivation to succeed, and eventually, the success of the organization. Organizations that fail to reevaluate their culture and invest in the employee experience in the post-COVID world will ultimately continue to face the attrition of top talent.
References
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Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2014). Organization Development and Change (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
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https://www.gallup.com/workplace/317753/remote-work-virtual-threat-culture.aspx
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Morgan, J. (2020). How coronavirus is affecting workplace practices. Medium. https://medium.com/jacob-morgan/how-coronavirus-is-affecting-workplace-practices-d1acbbc6a0f2
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Sull, D. & Sull, C. (2020). How companies are winning on culture during COVID-19. MIT Sloan Management Review. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-companies-are-winning-on-culture-during-covid-19
Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2014). Organization Development and Change (10th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Gandhi, V. & Robison, J. (2021). The ‘Great Resignation’ is really the ‘Great Discontent’. Gallup. https://www.gallup.com/workplace/351545/great-resignation-really-great-discontent.aspx
Grant, A. (2016). Originals: How non-conformists move the world. Penguin Random House LLC.
Herway, J. & Hickman, A. (2020). Remote work: Is it a virtual threat to your culture? Gallup.
https://www.gallup.com/workplace/317753/remote-work-virtual-threat-culture.aspx
Hinds, P. & Elliott, B. (2021). WFH Doesn’t Have to Dilute Your Corporate Culture. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/02/wfh-doesnt-have-to-dilute-your-corporate-culture
IBM Services (2020). Transforming the workplace through employee experiences, cultural leadership, and sustainable diversity. https://www.ibm.com/blogs/services/2020/10/13/transforming-the-workplace-through-employee-experiences-cultural-leadership-and-sustainable-diversity/
Kropp, B., Cambon, A., & Clark, S. (2021). What does it mean to be a manager today? Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/04/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-manager-today
Morgan, J. (2017). The employee experience advantage: How to win the war for talent by giving employees the workspaces they want, the tools they need, and a culture they can celebrate. Wiley.
Morgan, J. (2020). How coronavirus is affecting workplace practices. Medium. https://medium.com/jacob-morgan/how-coronavirus-is-affecting-workplace-practices-d1acbbc6a0f2
Sull, D. & Sull, C. (2021). 10 Things your corporate culture needs to get right. MIT Sloan Management Review. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/10-things-your-corporate-culture-needs-to-get-right/
Sull, D. & Sull, C. (2020). How companies are winning on culture during COVID-19. MIT Sloan Management Review. https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/how-companies-are-winning-on-culture-during-covid-19