Corporate Cultures – Why Policies Don’t Match Actions

Too often, corporate policies are the ‘little white lies’ no one likes to talk about. Philosophically, corporate policies should reflect the expectations of company leaders and drive management’s decisions and employee actions. Upon closer examination, however, management’s decisions and employee actions are anything but aligned with documented expectations; with few seemingly concerned about the discrepancy.[wcm_restrict plans=”60479, 25542, 25653″]

Why does there often exist such a mismatch between policies and decisions and actions?

Leader decisions and employee actions largely reflect the shared values of the organization, its culture. Documented policies tend to reflect society’s expectations of ‘good’ businesses. These decidedly different drivers can result in a misalignment when the organization’s culture is out of sync with society’s expectations.

Corporate cultures develop and evolve over long periods of time; aligning themselves with those practices perceived to have significantly contributed to the organization and its members past successes. A mature industry, the natural resistance to change, and a host of other restraints often result in organizational cultures evolving more slowly than that of society.

Unless a forward-looking leader acts to move the company’s culture, an ever-increasing mismatch will result. Not wanting to appear ‘behind the times,’ leaders often update their policies to keep pace with accepted societal norms. However, the company’s culture and consequently the way it behaves remains unchanged and the gap widens. Contemporary examples of these mismatches include:

• Diverse and inclusive organizations versus homogeneous organizations
• Performance based rewards programs versus positional and tenure based rewards systems
• Matrixed team members versus direct reports
• Flexible working hours versus Monday through Friday, 9 to 5 work hours
• Remote versus in-office or distance versus local work location

Final Thoughts…

Leaders should not pursue culture change just to conform to new societal norms. Sometimes such an evolution is unwarranted and inconsistent with management’s values. However, leaders should ensure their organization’s policies honestly depict actual corporate practices. Doing otherwise diminishes organizational accountability and alienates those employees attempting to comply with management’s documented expectations.

If you cannot quantitatively demonstrate adherence to your organization’s policies, its time to ask yourself how accountable your organization really is.[/wcm_restrict][wcm_nonmember plans=”60479, 25542, 25653″]

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