Corporate Cultures – Culture-based Work Performance Model

In, Culture’s Impact on How Work Gets Done, we described the profound influence an organization’s collective values have on the controls (individual knowledge and skills, standards and expectations, processes and procedures) and triggers (individual contributors, first line managers and supervisors, executives and senior managers) that determine what work is undertaken and the manner in which it is performed. Therefore, observations of an organization’s unique work controls and triggers preferences can be used to reveal many of the characteristics of its culture. And from these the benefits and risk factors an organization faces as a result of its culture.[wcm_restrict plans=”61088, 25542, 25653″]

Identifying an Organization’s Work Preferences

Corporate values can be difficult to directly quantify. However, using the Culture-based Work Performance Model (see Figure 1), the analysis can be reverse engineered to yield a great deal of insight to the culture of the organization.

Figure 1 – Culture-based Work Performance Model

Observable organization work performance is used as the two entering arguments to the Culture-based Work Performance Model. The controls entry is made based on the relative preference an organization has to the reliance on individual knowledge and skills, standards and expectations, and processes and procedures when performing work. Figure 2, Organizational Controls Characteristics highlights the outwardly observable characteristics common among organizations having a preference for each of the three options. Note that organizations favoring more rigorous structure (processes and procedures) tend to possess all of those characteristics as well as those of the more individual focused (knowledge and skills) organizations.

Figure 2 – Organizational Controls Characteristics

The triggers entry is made based on the relative preference of the organization to rely on leaders versus individual contributors to initiate actions. Figure 3, Organizational Triggers Characteristics highlights the spectrum of control exerted over organizational action initiation and decision-making.

Figure 3 – Organizational Triggers Characteristics

Organizational Preference Trends Revealed

Entering the Culture-based Work Performance Model based on these two observation sets reveals which of the nine culture sets the organization most reflects. This positioning, in turn, reveals the preference an organization shows towards standardization and structure, centralization and empowerment, consistency and creativity.

Figures 4 and 5 highlight the organizational traits – performance and behaviors – associated with increasingly tighter controls and leader focused triggers.

Figure 4 – Performance Associated with Tight Organizational Controls and Leader Focused Triggers

Figure 5 – Behaviors Associated with Tight Organizational Controls and Leader Focused Triggers

Figures 6 and 7 show the organizational traits – performance and behaviors – associated with increasingly loose controls and individual centered triggers.

Figure 6 – Performance Associated with Loose Organizational Controls and Individual Centered Triggers

Figure 7 – Behaviors Associated with Loose Organizational Controls and Individual Centered Triggers

Final thought…

It is StrategyDriven’s position that no one position in the Culture-based Work Performance Model is superior to another. Instead, each position yields a unique set of benefits and risks to how work is performed and how organizational change is brought about. In future articles, we’ll examine each of the nine culture sets; highlighting its benefits, risks, and actions that can be taken to mitigate the risks particularly when managing change.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember plans=”61088, 25542, 25653″]

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